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Welcome to today's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Tuesday, May 8, 2001
In this Issue:
Featured Computer Term: Folders
Topic: How to Create A New Folder
Progressive Learning Series: Using Specialized Print Papers
Featured Website: Plants
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Today's Featured Computer Term: Folder
In graphical user interfaces such as Windows and the Macintosh environment, a folder is an object that can contain multiple documents. Folders can hold data, applications and other folders. A folder stored within a folder is called a subfolder.
Folders are used to organize information. Managing your computer requires knowledge of how folders are organized on your hard disk so that you can locate the file you want to retrieve.
A Windows folder is a simulated paper file folder, except that it is not fixed in size and is only limited by the remaining room on your hard disk. Windows folders even look like manila file folders. There is no limit to the amount of data you can store in a folder as long as there is space left on the disk. There can be hundreds of folders on a hard disk.
You can navigate your hard disk visually with a file management utility known as Windows Explorer, which shows you the folder hierarchy on all your drives in its left Windowpane (not to be confused with Internet Explorer, which is an Internet Browser).
The route to every file or program stored in a folder on your hard disk is known as the "path." As you wade down layers of folders, you are following the path (address) to a specific file. The path hierarchy in Windows is drive-folder-file. The beginning of the path is always the hard drive itself. Your primary hard drive is given the name C followed by a colon (c:). Additional hard drives, as well as all other drives such as CD-ROM and Zip drives, are named d:, e:, and so on. You can store folders within folders, and the deeper the nesting, the longer the path.
C:\americaonline6.0\download\picture
This path tells you that the file named picture is on the c: drive, in the America online 6.0 folder, and in the download folder (which is in the America online 6.0 folder)
Every storage medium has a root folder (root directory) that has no name other than the drive letter. You are able to store files in the root folder of your fixed hard drive, but it is generally not done by users, and only certain system files are placed there. Instead, application files are stored in folders that have names. In complete contrast, the root folders of removable media such as floppies, CD-ROMs and Zip disks, are used all the time for storing files.
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Today's Topic: How to Create A New Folder
Windows provides you several different ways to create a new folder to store and organize files on your computer system. Here are a few methods. Try them out and use the one that best suits your working habits.
Method 1:
1 - Double click on the "My Computer" icon on your Windows desktop.
2 - Double click on a drive icon to open its window.
3 - Select New from the Explorer's File menu, then select Folder.
4 - A brand new folder icon will appear with the caption "New Folder." Type the name you want to give the folder and press Enter.
Method 2:
1 - Double click on the "My Computer" icon on your Windows desktop.
2 - Double click on a drive icon to open its window.
3 - Right click on any blank area of the window and point the mouse to New.
4 - From the drop down menu, select Folder.
5 - A brand new folder icon will appear with the caption "New Folder." Type the name you want to give the folder and press Enter.
Method 3:
1 - Click the Start button
2 - Select Programs, then Windows Explorer
The Explorer has two panes. On the left you will see your disk drives with a little plus sign beside them. If you click once on the plus sign, the folder tree will be expanded.
3 - Highlight the folder where you wish to create the new folder.
4 - Select the File menu, then New.
5 - From the drop down menu select Folder.
6 - A brand new folder icon will appear with the caption "New Folder." Type the name you want to give the folder and press Enter.
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Progressive Learning Series: Using Specialized Print Papers
Because photo printers have become popular, you can find print papers designed for specialized purposes. For example, you might spruce up your plastic cases for your CD-RW discs and audiocassettes by using photo-quality paper for the inserts. With the right print paper, the adhesive labels for your CD-RW and cassette recordings can also look professionally printed.
While most printer manufacturers will tell you not to use any other paper than their own, you'll usually find that most printers will work with any paper. Purchase a small package of paper to test it out.
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Today's Featured Website: Plants
With this website, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has created the mother of all plant and botanical sites, simply called PLANTS. If it blossoms, germinates, or roots it's more than likely in the database; and, best of all, it's all free.
Select "Access database," then "query database," then type in either the scientific name of a plant, its common name, symbol, family or genus, then tell it which U.S. states you're interested in finding out about. You'll receive a report that includes the plant's symbol, family, geographical distribution (with graphical representation), wetlands information, and lots more. You'll be referred to other databases, and a cornucopia of vegetative reference material as you weed your way through this website.
http://plants.usda.gov/plants/ |
