How do you organize?
Fortis
I have a problem that is poping up once in a while when I see my and my
coleagues hard drives full of documents, spreadsheets, pictures, charts, etc
and to tell the truth it is more and more difficult to find required
documents because of the mess there. Do you have any tips how to organize
file and folder structure in a PC? Maybe you could give me some examples? We
are a small firm of 6 people doing consulting business, so the documents
vary from IT, marketing, finances, law or training fields.
Thanks and regards,
Fortis
LaserFiche
http://www.compukiss.com/
How to Organize Files and Folders
By Sandy Berger
Any scheme will do as long as you put it in place and follow it. If
your computer files and folders are organized, your computing life
will be a lot happier.
Whether dealing with a closet full of clothes, an office full of
papers, or a computer full of files, organization is the key. Keeping
your computer folders and documents in order can play a big part in
making your computing life easy.
On the computer, there are two basic types of items that need to be
organized. The first, a folder, is an object that can hold multiple
files or documents. (Folders are sometimes referred to as
directories.) On the computer screen, a folder most often looks like a
yellow or blue paper file folder. The second type of object is a file,
which may be a picture, a document, a video clip, or other piece of
data. A file often has a small icon or picture associated with it.
Naming Files and Folders
In the old DOS days of computing, file names followed a strict naming
structure -- eight characters, a period, and three more characters;
spaces could not be used. Now the newer Windows operating systems have
finally caught up to their Mac brethren by allowing longer file names.
Windows file and/or folder names can contain up to 215 characters,
including spaces. But don't get carried away. Try to keep your file
names to 20-30 characters, if you can. Short file names are still
easier to use, and some programs may have trouble interpreting
extremely long file names.
File names are generally followed by a period and three letters,
called an extension. In most cases, the program that you are using
will automatically add the extension. You may or may not see the
extension depending on the way your computer is set up.
Filing System
The metaphor of a file drawer works well here. If your file cabinet is
stuffed with files and they are not in any given order, you will have
a hard time finding things. If your computer file cabinet becomes
stuffed and disorderly, it will not only cause you to lose things, but
it also can sometimes cause computer problems and glitches.
First, you will want to set up an organization system by creating
folders to hold your files and documents. The idea here is for you to
have a plan and to follow it. You can choose any type of scheme that
fits the way that you work. You may want to create folders for the
various types of work that you do, such as home, office, financial,
etc. Or you might want to separate your folders by the type, contact,
or company giving them titles such as Utilities, Inventory, Clients,
Prudential, Dean Witter, etc.
The Tree
Most computer file configurations use a tree structure, which is
sometimes referred to as a nested arrangement. The tree has one trunk
with many branches. The branches have many smaller branches, and the
smaller branches have many leaves. Consider your hard disk like the
trunk of a tree. Most computers only have one hard disk. Just as some
trees have two or three trunks, a computer may also have two or three
hard disks or one hard disk that is broken up in several parts. Right
now, however, we will only talk about the main hard disk. In Windows
computers, it is usually labeled C:
To get to the hard disk in Windows, just double-click on My Computer,
then click on the C: Drive (It may have a similar name, such as Local
Drive C:). Once you have opened the hard disk folder, you will see
that it already has other folders inside of it. To create a new
folder, click on the word File in the menu at the top of the screen.
Then choose New and then Folder. A new folder will appear with the
name "New Folder" highlighted. Just type in the name that you would
like to give the folder, and the words "New Folder" will disappear.
The title that you typed will appear under the folder. If, for some
reason, the folder still reads "New Folder," simply right-click on the
folder, choose Rename, and retype the name again.
A folder may contain other folders. If you have created a new folder
called Finances, you may want to have several folders in that folder
called Bank, Stocks, Bonds, etc. A folder labeled Home may have
folders inside labeled Record Inventory, Household, Utilities, etc. To
create a folder within a folder, simply open (double-click) a folder
before you choose the File-New Folder option.
You can also move folders by dragging them from one place to another.
For instance, if you create a folder in your Home folder and then
decide that it should have been in your Investment folder, you can
simply highlight the folder by clicking on it and then drag it onto
the Investment folder. Remove your finger from the mouse when the
folder is over the Investment folder and it will be added to the
Investment folder.
Default Folders
Every time you write a letter or create a spreadsheet or a
presentation, you are creating a file. When you save that file, unless
you stipulate otherwise, the program you are using puts the file into
a certain folder. That folder is the default folder for the
application that you are using. Many Windows programs, especially
Microsoft programs like Word, Works, and Excel use a folder called My
Documents as the default folder. It is often a good idea to keep your
files in the My Documents folder and simply create sub-folders in My
Documents to suit your needs. Newer versions of Windows also use
folders labeled My Downloads and My Music as the default folders for
various applications.
You can change the default folder by looking through the menus at the
top of the screen. The location of the default folder is most often
found in the Tools menu. For instance, in Microsoft Word, the default
folder is found in the Tools menu under Options on the File Location
tab.
Fortis
Fortis
"LaserFiche" <laserfic...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:43ecefaf.03011...@posting.google.com...
Fortis
well experienced user managing PC, digging in registry, tweaks, etc. However
there is one thing that makes all troubles. How to organize the files on a
corporate network.
I have read one newsgroup article when folks use c:\bin for all binaries
(utils, program files, any that goes binary), c:\sys for common system
files; c:\home for variuos user specific customizations, c:\doc for
incoming, current, business, home projects, etc. They've installed their
windows 95 in c:\bin\win95 They thought it is worth to do it.
That is why I would like to know what about others? How to you organize your
PC files and folders the system to be effective, with easy back-up and ...
that's right ...user friendly.
Many thanks and regards
Fortis
"LaserFiche" <laserfic...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:43ecefaf.03011...@posting.google.com...