Copying Files in Windows XP

Why Would you Want to Copy a File?

There are a number of reasons that you may want to copy a file or have various copies of a file.  You may want to back your files up on another disk. You may want to save an old version of a file for archiving or in case you mess up new changes. You may want to copy a file that has the layout you want so you can use the layout for something else. For example, this web page is a copy of other pages on this site. Only the text area has been changed.

How would you Copy a File?

The reason you copy a file has an affect on how you make the copy.

1. Backup

When you create a backup copy of a file, you want to be sure that the backup is the latest version of the file. You will then have two copies of the file: the working copy and the backup.

Side Effect: The backup situation often causes a problem if you accidentally start working in the backup copy instead of your working copy. Then your working copy doesn't have the latest changes. It's a bad situation when one copy has a little bit of this, and the other copy has a little bit of that. Never open your back up copy unless you are using it for reference or to replace a file that is lost or corrupted.

There is a way to create a backup copy that has less chance of getting into the backup mixup. This way is helpful because the files are not open; so, you can't accidentally mistake an open backup copy for a working copy.

Find the file you want to copy in Windows or in Windows Explorer.
Click the file.
In the panel on the left, click Copy this File.
A window will pop up asking you where you want to copy it too. Choose a new place. It can be another drive, such as a CD drive or a floppy drive; or, it can be another folder on your computer.
Special Note about copying an Access file: you should use this method. Otherwise, you may only get copies of your tables. Close your file before making your copy.

2. Archive old files

You may want to keep a copy of a file you are going to change. This is a very good strategy, if there is any possibility that changes you make will cause errors or make you wish you had the original. For example, if you have a picture that you took with your digital camera, you will want to have a copy archived before you make changes in Photoshop.

Side Effects: 1) The backup situation often causes a problem if you accidentally start working in the backup copy instead of your working copy. For example, if you take a photo and make changes in the backup copy instead of the working copy. Then you Save your work. Then later you open the working copy, but the changes aren't there (because you did them in the backup copy.) So, you redo the changes. Now, you have two files with the changes, but no original. 2) You forget to make the copy.

Make an Archive folder in My Documents.
Inside the Archive folder, make folders that match your working folders.
When you first open a file, go to File -> Save As.
In the dialog box, open the Archive folder and the folder that matches your working folder.
Add a date to the file name. You will have to use - instead of / (2-12-06 instead of 2/12/06) because Windows won't let you use / in a file name. That will tell you the date of your original.
Most programs will have the archived version open instead of your working file; so, close the file. Be sure you know what your program does.
Go to your working folder and reopen the file.

 

3. Use the formatting in a file

Side Effects: When you change the formatting on one page, all the other pages still have the old formatting. To update all the pages with the new formatting, you will have to open all the files and make the changes. If you use template files, all the pages will show the formatting changes, but that is a feature in some programs; it's not a part of Windows.

You may want to use the formatting you have already set up in a file for other files. For example, this page is formatted like most of the other pages on this web site. To use the formatting in this page on another page, I can open this file and save it with a new name. Then I can type in new words and add new graphics to make the new page.

Problems when Copying a File

Bad Disks: If you use either floppy disks or CDs, it's not uncommon to have bad disks in your box or to have a disk go bad later on. One floppy or a CD should not be your only backup.

Copying the Wrong Thing: Be careful what you choose to copy. Know the difference between the item icon and a shortcut icon. A Shortcut is a little file with the address of where something is stored on your computer. If you copy a Shortcut instead of the actual file, you will get a little file with the address of the thing stored on your computer. Then when you take that disk to some other computer, it can't get to your computer to find that item.

Reserved Characters: You can't just use any character on the keyboard in a file name. There are some characters that Windows uses internally. These characters have a special meaning. For example, \ and / mean something special to Windows; so, you can't use them in a file name. This is very inconvenient if you want to add a date to a file name. However, you can use a hyphen instead.

This article began as a handout for the Windows portion of the Gentle Start in Computers workshops at Flathead Valley Community College. This handout is available with screenshots at http://www.thecomputergal.com/Windows/CopyingFiles.htm.

Nora McDougall-Collins
Missoula, MT
nora@thecomputergal.com
Putting the world of computers into plain English.

File Extensions and Associations in the Windows Environment

File extensions are typically a 3 character extension on the end of a file, started with a dot. For example, a typical executable file in Windows is .exe.

Sometimes you may never know this because file extensions are hidden in Windows. I typically prefer to leave the extensions on so I know what type of file I'm dealing with. To make file extensions show, go to Windows Explorer or My Computer. At the top of the screen to go Tools, Folder Options, then click on the View tab, and uncheck where it says hide extensions for known file types.

In just a moment we'll see why having file extensions showing is important. Lets first look at what a file association is. A file associate tells the operating system what program to use to open a particular file extension. For example, a common file extension for pictures is .JPG. A JPG or JPEG is a compressed file format for picture files. There are several programs that will open these files. For example, I could use the Windows Picture Viewer, Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Fireworks, and a wide array of other programs. Typically when you install a program, it will ask you (and sometimes not ask you) if you want to associate certain files with their program. Thus, sometimes it's necessary to change what program you want opening a certain extension. To change the file association for a extension go to Windows Explorer or My Computer, go to Tools, Folder Options, then click on the File Types tab. In the list below you will see almost every type of file extension you will encounter. After highlighting the desired extension, you can click the change button below, and browse to the program you want those files to be opened with. Aside from graphics files, a common extension people want to change is a .MP3 file. For example, you may want your MP3 files to be opened with iTunes rather than Windows Media Player, or perhaps Winamp. It's up to you!

Now that we know what file extensions and associates are, let me tell you why this is important to have file extensions showing. Commonly when people produce viruses, they hide them with known file types such as .MP3, however the file is really an executable like .exe or a .bat file. Here is what they'll do. They'll name the file: myweddingpics.jpg.exe. You see, they make it look like a JPEG, but it's really not. If you had your file extensions configured not to show, all you would see is myweddingpics.jpg. Thus, you may click on it because you think it's a picture, but really you just installed a virus hidden in a clever disguise. To most computer professionals, this is easy to recognize, but it's a common tactic to fool the average computer user.

I hope this article has shed some light on how you can manage your file properties in a greater capacity, and by using this empowerment, make you more secure.

Greg Ashbaugh is the owner of AshbaughOnline.com, a technology site consisting of tech related news, reviews, and tutorials. When Greg is not working on the site, he works full time as an IT Systems Administrator for one of the largest organizations in the United States.

Visit http://www.ashbaughonline.com to stay abreast of technology trends. You can even subscribe to receive all postings in your e-mail.

Managing Files in Your Computer (Windows PC)

Have you ever worked for hours on a document, saved it to your computer and the next time you went to use the file you could not find it? Hopefully this article will help you and everyone else who uses your computer, save files in an orderly manner; then you will always be able to find any file you need, quickly and efficiently.
How to Create Folders
All PCs have an icon or section on the computer labelled My Documents. This is where you should be saving all of the files you create. Think of this area as a great big filling cabinet. Instead of piling everything in the cabinet higgledy piggledy, as tempting as it might be, you need to set up sections within the filling cabinet for the different type of files you might be saving. Each section of the filing cabinet is called a Folder
If several people are using the same computer, begin by assigning a Major Folder to each person. For example:
Mr. Smith or Dad's Files


Mrs. Smith or Mom's Files
Junior Smith or Junior's Files
Jane Smith or Jane's Files
You can give the Folder any name you wish, to make these Major folders, follow these commands.
1. Click on Start (green button at the bottom left corner of your screen).
2. Click on My Documents.
3. On the top right corner of the My Document Screen click on File.
4. Immediately under File, a white section comes up and click on New.
5. To the right of the word New click on Folder.
6. A Folder will appear in the white area of the screen saying New Folder and it will be shaded blue, immediately type in the name of the folder Dad's Files.
7. If the Folder turns to white before you type in the name, simply click on the word New Folder, then click on File, scroll down and click on Rename, once again it will turn to blue and you can type in the name of the new folder.
8. Continue making and naming as many Folders as you need for each person or section you wish to create.
Within each major Folder you can create other sections or Sub Folders, to help you keep each person's files organized. For example:
Dad's Files


---------Business
------------------Documents
------------------Letters
---------------------------Company A
---------------------------Company B
---------------------------Company C
------------------Faxes
------------------Estimates
------------------Insurance
------------------Resumes
------------------Miscellaneous
---------Household Accounting Records
---------Personal
---------Friends
Moms Files
---------Letters
---------Special e-mails
---------Household Documents
---------Friends
Junior's Files


---------School work
---------Friends
Jane's Files
---------School work
---------Friends
How to Save Your Files to Your Folders
1. Once you have your folders set up, you can begin to save your new files into the correct Folder.
2. Start by opening a new file in your Word program.
3. Click on File in the top left corner and scroll down to save as.
4. A new screen will appear with the words SAVE AS in the blue shaded area, click on My Documents on the left side of this screen.
5. A list of each of your major folders will appear. Click on the Major Folder you wish to use.
6. The screen will open and list each of the Sub Folders you have made.
7. Once you have reached the Sub Folder you wish to save your document in, type in the name of your document in the bottom of the screen labelled File Name.
If you are saving pictures on your computer, it is a good idea to set up folders for your pictures in the same manner as your documents. Set up your Folders in the same manner in the My Pictures section of your computer.
File and Folder Tasks
In the My Document screen (in the blue area on the left side) you will see a section labelled File and Folder Tasks. Click on the small white circle beside the name and a list of tasks will appear or disappear. You can use this section to accomplish the following tasks
1. Rename a folder - if you wish to give the folder a new name, just click on the folder, then click on this command. The folder will turn blue and you can type in the new name and press enter.
2. Move this folder.
a. Highlight the file by clicking on the file Name.
b. Click on the command Move this file.
c. A new screen will appear called Move Items.
d. Scroll through this screen until you find the Folder you wish to move the file into.
e. Click on this:Folder and the Move button at the bottom of this screen.
3. Copy this folder - follow the same commands as to move the folder, instead of a screen saying Move Items you will get a screen saying Copy Items
4. Publish this folder to the web - click on the Folder you wish to publish, then the Publish this folder to the Web, a Web Publishing Wizard will appear, follow the directions that come up.
5. Share this folder - once again, click on the Folder and the command Share this folder and follow the instructions that appear.
6. Email this folder - click on the Folder or File and the command Email this folder, an e-mail will appear with the Files or Folders attached, send the e-mail to the person you wish to send it to.
7. Delete this folder - click on the File or Folder and the command Delete this folder. A window will appear asking you if you wish to delete the file or folder. Click on Yes and the file will be sent to your Recycle Bin. If you make a mistake and accidentally delete the wrong file, you can always go to the Recycle Bin and move it back to its correct location. This only works if you have not emptied your Recycle Bin .
Lost Files
If you have previously saved a file to your computer and wish to find it, try the following commands.
1. Go to the My Document screen.
2. Click on the File command.
3. Scroll down to the Search command.
4. Follow the directions on the left side of the screen that appears. You can type in the name of the file, or a phrase that has been used in the file. By clicking on the sections Look In you can tell the computer to look in one specific area or the complete computer by clicking on the Local Hard Drive.
5. Once the computer has found your file or files with the information you requested, a list of possible files will appear on the right side of the screen.
6. Click on the correct file and it will open for you.
7. I suggest you save the file in a Folder where you will quickly find it the next time.
Details of Files
If you wish to find out how big a file is, when it was last used, or which program was used to create it, follow the following commands.
1. Go to the My Document screen.
2. Click on the View command at the top of the screen.
3. Scroll down to the Details command.
4. The screen will give you the Name, Size, Type and Date Modified of each file in the folder you are displaying.
Summary
It will only take you a few minutes to set up your filling system on your computer but it will save you hours of scrolling through many files looking for the one elusive file you need. As the old proverb goes "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cures". I also suggest that when you are working on a file, that you take time to use the save command (found under File) every five minutes. Then if your computer suddenly decides to have a fit (crash), at least you will be able to retrieve the bulk of your work.
I wish you many happy hours of computing and less frustration as you quickly locate all your files when you need them. Enjoy your computer and keep learning how to make it work for you.







Founder of http://www.MacVideoTraining.com & http://www.SwitchingToMac.com once you go Mac - you never go back