Organize Your Stuff With Windows Folders

From Keith Ward, former About.com Guide

Windows operating systems (OS) all have default places that stuff goes into. For instance, in Windows XP, a document you write goes into the "My Documents" folder automatically; in Windows 7, it's the Document Library. That works fine if you have a few, or a few dozen, documents. But what if you have hundreds, or more? The situation can quickly become unmanageable; how do you find that PowerPoint presentation you need by 2 p.m., or the recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini amongst the thousands on your hard drive? That's why you need to learn how to develop a logical folder structure. It will save you loads of time, and make your computer life better.

For this step-by-step tutorial, we'll build a sample folder structure for our photos. To begin, go to your Start button, then Computer, then find your C: drive. For most people, this is their computer's primary hard drive, and the place you'll create the folders. Double-click the C: to open the drive. At the top of the window, you'll see the word "New folder". Left-click to make the new folder. (Note: these screenshots are from Windows 7. I will note the differences with Windows XP where applicable.) For both OSes, a shortcut is to right-click in a blank area of the C: drive, scroll down to "New" in the popup menu, and left-click "Folder" to make a new folder.

In Windows XP, go to Start/My Computer/Local Disk (C:). Then, under "File and Folder Tasks" on the left, click "Make a new folder".

Previous

• Create the First Folder
• Name the Folder
• Get More Specific
• Get Even More Specific
• Add Photos
• Rinse, Repeat

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