Organize & Safeguard Your Hard Drive

1. Organize & SafeguardYour Hard Drive By Alberta Rouse

2. Your Hard Drive • The hard disk/drive of your computer is where all programs and data are stored. • The hard disk is the most important kind of permanent storage used in PCs. • Others being floppy disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, tapes, removable drives, etc.

3. Amazing Facts Hard disk drives have progressed dramatically in the last 20 years. • The first PC hard disks had: • 10 MB capacity • Cost over $100 per MB • Modern hard disks have: • Capacities of 100s of GBs • Cost less than 1 cent per MB! • This is a 1,000,000% in just under 20 years, or around 67% cumulative improvement per year. • At the same time, the speed of the hard disk and its interfaces have increased dramatically as well.

4. Top view of a 36 GB, 10,000 RPM, IBM SCSI server hard disk, with its top cover removed Note the height of the drive and its 10 stacked platters. (The IBM Ultrastar 36ZX.)

5. Your hard disk plays a major role in the following important aspects of your computer system: • Performance: The hard disk plays a very important role in overall system performance. The speed at which the PC boots up and programs load is directly related to hard disk speed. • Storage Capacity: A bigger hard disk allows you to store more programs and data. • Reliability: Determine how important a hardware item is by considering how much grief is caused when/if it fails. Therefore, the hard disk is the most important component by a long shot—hardware can be replaced, but data cannot. A good quality hard disk, combined with smart maintenance and backup habits, can help ensure that the nightmare of data loss doesn't happen to you.

6. Basic Terms File Each document is a file and would include a plain text file, a letter in Word, digital music, a spreadsheet, a digital picture or directions/code for a program.

7. Basic Terms Continued Folder • Files are grouped together or saved together in folders. • Sometimes folders are called directories.

8. Basic Terms Continued Disk Where files are stored: • Hard disk • Floppy disk • CD-ROM • DVD • Flash Drive • SD Card

9. Creating a New FileManagement System Windows uses a filing system that is very similar to a paper filing system and is organized using Windows Explorer or My Computer features. To open Windows Explorer, Right Click the Start Button and select Explore.

10. Windows Explorer • One of the best tools that Microsoft has created to assist computer users. • Explorer consists of two windows: • Left Window-lists all of the drives & directories on your computer • Right Window-shows the contents of those drives & directories

11. Storage on the Hard Drive • The files are stored in the folders and subfolders. • The folders and subfolders are similar to the file folders in a file cabinet.

12. The Address Bar at the top tells you where you are at in the hard drive. • C: or the letter followed by a colon is the drive you are looking at. • The first name after C:\ is the directory or folder where you are. • Any other names behind that are subdirectories. A subdirectory is a directory that is stored in another directory.

13. Creating a New Folder • With Windows Explorer open. • Click to select the folder or drive in which you want to create a new folder. • Click File/New/Folder. • Type a name for the new folder, and then press Enter.

14. Changing the Name of a File or Folder • In My Computer or Windows Explorer, right click on the file or folder you want to rename. • Select rename from the list. • Type the new name, and press Enter. Tip: A file name can contain up to 255 characters, including spaces, but it cannot contain any of the following characters: \ / : * ? “ < > |

15. Copying a File or Folder • In My Computer or Windows Explorer, right click & drag the file or folder to where you want to copy. • Select Copy here from the list.

16. Moving a File or Folder • In My Computer or Windows Explorer, right click and drag the file or folder you want to move to the place you want to move it. • Select Move Here from the list.

17. Deleting a File or Folder • In My Computer or Windows Explorer, locate the file or folder you wish to delete. • Right Click the file or folder. • Select Delete and click yes.

18. File Information • If you hover your mouse pointer over a file name, some information about that file will be shown. • If you right click the file and choose properties, you can find further information about it. • This can be useful if you see a file and don’t know what it is or where it came from.

19. File Extensions • Files have what are called “extensions,” or three-letter designations after the main name. • For example, in the file bear.gif , .gif is the extension. This extension indicates that this file is a picture.

20. Common File Extensions .doc = a Microsoft Word Document .txt = a text file .pdf = an Adobe Acrobat file .wps = a Microsoft works spreadsheet .gif = a picture file .jpeg = a picture file .bmp = a picture file .zip = a compressed file

21. Finding a File or Folder • Right click the Start button, and choose Search • Click All Files and Folders. • In the name box, type all or part of the file’s name. • If you do not know the name of a file or want to refine the search, click the Date Modified, Size, or Advanced options. • If you want to specify where Windows should begin its search, use the Look In drop down menu. • Click Search.

22. Backup & Maintenance • Finally, it is no fun to lose work, files, hard disk, etc. A backup strategy must be in place to safeguard important files/documents. • Use Windows backup feature. Search Help, print and follow the Help directions. • Or Save the files to a floppy disk, CD-ROM, another computer on network, flash drive, etc. • Internet email such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail can also provide you with an offsite place to save important files/documents. Simply attach the files/documents to email that you send to yourself.

23. PowerPoint Presentation Created by Bethany Jochim July 2007The presentation can be viewed at http://therightturn.homestead.com/StudentPage.html TheEnd