Computer Skills:
File Management (Page 1)
Organizing Your Files
Large amounts of information — such as documents, spreadsheets, photographs, MP3 files, and web pages — can be stored on computer storage media such as hard disk drives and flash memory drives. This information can be organized into files and folders.
File
A computer file is a collection of information which is stored (saved) on computer storage media such as a hard disk drive or flash drive. Since a hard drive usually contains thousands of files, it is useful to organize these files into groups, called folders (also known as directories).
Folder
A folder is a collection of related files that you (or a program) have grouped together and given a name. A folder may also contain other folders (referred to as subfolders or subdirectories).
The folders on storage media are arranged in a tree-like structure with subfolders branching out from their parent folders. Each storage media has one root folder which contains all other folders.
The figure shows the directory structure or folder tree of a flash drive. In this example, the root folder is identified as "SD Card (F:)" and folders named ENG101, Photos, SOC101, and WEB150. Each of these folders may contain one or more subfolders. Any of these folders may also contain files.
Alternate Version:
Computer Skills: Windows 7 Files and Folders Tutorial Text Version (pdf)