Force Byte
Useful Tips on Computer Usage (4)
When we want to work with a file, we usually do not remember in which folder it is stored and hence we have to find it folder by folder. This is so embarrassing and of course time-consuming. However there are surely some quick ways to help you locate a file in Windows environment.
Use the "Find" Function (This only applies in Common Desktop PCs)
1.Click the "Start" button. Move the mouse pointer to "Find" and then choose "Files Or Folders".
2.Type the file name in the "Named box".
3.Select the disk drive(s) most probably with the file from the "Look in" list and then click the "Find Now" button.
It is natural that you may forget the file name or just remember part of it. For example, you have a document named "Monthly Report.DOC", you can type either one of the following in the "Named box" to locate it.
To look through more than one hard disk at one time, you can either select the required disk drives from the "Look in" list or type the drive letters direct such as "C:;D:" (Please remember to separate each drive letter with a ";"). Besides you can type the path, such as "A:\; D:\user".
Use the "Windows NT Explorer"
We usually use the "Windows NT Explorer" to search a file; however it is rather time consuming to locate a file from folder(s) with numerous files. Is there any quicker way to do this?
You can just select the target folder in the "Windows NT Explorer". Then press the first letter (A-Z) or numeral (0-9) of the required file name on the keyboard, the cursor will jump to the first file that begins with this letter or numeral. If you press the same letter or numeral again, the cursor will also jump to the second file, and so on. By doing so, you will soon find the file that you need.
Display All Subfolders
In the "Windows NT Explorer", you can see the hierarchy of the folders on the left-hand side of the window. But sometimes it is rather cumbersome when we have to further expand the hierarchy in order to find a file in the lower-level folder. To ease the pain of expanding the hierarchy layer by layer, we can just select the appropriate folder. Then you only need to press the "*" button on top of the numeric keypad of the keyboard to expand all its subfolders at once. You can then check the target folder and all the files inside including your file will be displayed on the right hand side of the window.
To hide all the subfolders again, you can press the "-" button in the numeric keypad.
There are some buttons in the toolbar of the "Windows NT Explorer" that allow you to choose different views.
We usually apply the "List" mode and the "Details" mode. While the "List" mode shows only the name of each folder / file, the "Details" mode shows the details of each folder / file (including name, size, type, modified and attribute). With the information, you can instantly confirm whether a file is the one you are looking for.
Finally, I hope these tips can really help you locate your file.
'Sharing IT as it applies to your daily life'
Circumstances
Input
Remember the full file name
Monthly Report.DOC
Remember only the first part of the file name
Monthly*.DOC
Remember only the last part of the file name
*Report.DOC
Remember only the middle part of the file name
Month* Report.DOC
Remember only the file type
*.DOC
Not sure of the file type
Monthly Report.*
Change the Display Mode of the "Windows NT Explorer"
Position of Button (Left to Right)
Display Mode
Display Effect
First
Large Icons
Folder / files with large representative icons and names
Second
Small Icons
Folders / files with small representative icons and names
Third
List
Only folder / file names arranged from top to bottom in columns
Fourth
Details
Folders / files with detailed information arranged in columns
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