Chapter 18. Managing data
Windows 8.1 comes with a built-in file structure; it already has folders to hold your data. There are folders named Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos, and there are public counterparts. Whenever you save a file, you’re prompted to save it to the folder that Windows 8.1 thinks it should be saved to. For example, if you’re saving a .jpg file, you’ll be presented with the Pictures folder. If it’s a .doc file, you’ll be presented with the Documents folder.
Windows 8.1 also offers various ways to manage the files you save. You can rename, move, copy, and delete files. You can compress a group of files so that they take up less storage space, you can back up files, and you can share files with a homegroup or specific people. You can work with folders too; you can create your own, move or copy data into them, and share them, among other things. You can do all of these things in File Explorer on the desktop. Finally, there are many ways to back up your data. You can use SkyDrive, but there’s also File History and various options for backing up files manually.
Using the File Explorer ribbon
File Explorer opens in a window. That window has a navigation pane, a content pane, and a ribbon. When you select an item in the navigation pane or the content pane, what is offered on the ribbon changes to offer the tools that you’ll likely need for the item you’ve selected. Thus, at any given time, you might see various tabs on the ribbon, each offering different tools that you will need to perform desired tasks.
The tabs you’ll see most often while working in File Explorer include the following:
File. To open a new File Explorer window, to get help, and to view places on the computer you frequent.
Home. To perform tasks on selected files and folders such as cut, copy, paste, rename, move, select, and so on. You can also opt to create new folders here. If you look closely, there are five groups on the File tab shown here: Clipboard, Organize, New, Open, and Select. You won’t see Home (and some of the other tabs listed here) if you have selected Homegroup, This PC, or Network in the Navigation pane.
Share. To share selected files and folders using various techniques including to print, fax, burn to disc, share with a homegroup, and so on. Note the two groups here: Send and Share With.
View. To change how data appears in the content pane, to sort data, to hide items, and to change the File Explorer interface by showing additional panes. Note the four groups shown here: Panes, Layout, Current View, Show/Hide. There are two screen shots associated with the View menu shown here (the top two); the first is maximized, and the second is not. Note in the latter that the groups are condensed.
Computer. To map network drives, add a network location, access media servers, open Control Panel, view system properties, and otherwise manage what you see when This PC is selected in the navigation pane. Note the three groups shown here: Location, Network, System.
Navigating File Explorer
File Explorer offers access to various areas of your computer in the navigation pane. Some of these areas are actually folders, such as Downloads, Documents, Pictures, and so on. File Explorer also offers access to locations on your network, your homegroup, and SkyDrive. These areas are generally located somewhere other than your computer. You can open these folders and access these locations to get to the data you’ve organized and saved there. As you do, and then as you continue to open related folders and subfolders, you navigate deeper into the folder structure itself. There are several ways to get back to where you started or where you were previously; there is a back arrow, an up arrow, and the navigation pane.
Navigate File Explorer
On the Windows desktop, click the File Explorer icon.
If the File Explorer window does not take up the entire screen, drag the window, from the title bar, up to the top of the screen to maximize it.
Click This PC. If nothing is listed under This PC, click the arrow available beside it. You can click here to return to this view anytime. Note the other available locations:
Default folders for saving files.
Access to SkyDrive.
Homegroup participants.
Double-click Pictures to open the Pictures folder.
Under This PC, click Documents to open the Documents folder.
Click the up arrow to the left of the address bar to go up one level in the file/folder hierarchy.
Click the back arrow to display the Documents folder contents again.
Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Forward button.
Note the list of items you’ve recently viewed in File Explorer.
Locating files with File Explorer
File Explorer has default folders that you can use to save related files. You save documents in the Documents folder, pictures in the Pictures folder, and so on. Because you will likely create subfolders to hold data and because sometimes you might save a file to the wrong folder, a file might be difficult to navigate to manually. While you could methodically work through the hierarchy until you find the file you want, an easier way is to simply search for it.
Search for a file
In File Explorer, click This PC in the navigation pane.
Click in the Search This PC box.
Note that the results come from all areas of your hard drive.
In the navigation pane, click Pictures.
Click inside the Search Pictures box.
Note that the results come only from the Pictures folder.
Repeat these steps using other folders (perhaps Videos), and type names of actual files you have created and saved.
Changing views in File Explorer
File Explorer’s View tab lets you change how you view data in the content pane. For example, you might choose to view picture files as large icons, which enables you to see what the picture looks like without opening the actual file. You might want to organize documents in a detailed list that includes the file names, the date they were last modified, and size so that they can be easily sorted.
Use View tab tools
In File Explorer’s navigation pane, click Pictures.
Click the View tab.
In the Layout group, click Large Icons.
In the Current View group, click Group By and then click Date Taken.
In the Current View group, click Group By and click None. (None will appear in the list after you click Date Taken.)
In the Layout group, click Details.
Tip
To hide an item, such as a file or folder, in File Explorer, click to select it, and then on the View tab, use the Hide Selected Items button to hide it from view. Select the Hidden Items check box to display hidden files again.
Tip
The Manage tab becomes available on the ribbon when you select certain items in File Explorer, such as a picture, song, or video. You can use the tools on the Manage tab for functions specific to the type of content. For example, if you’ve selected a picture file, you can run a slide show of all pictures or rotate the picture right or left.
Creating folders
The default folders in Windows 8.1 provide the basics for organizing files, but as time passes, you might need a larger folder structure. For example, as you create documents, you might need to group those documents into subfolders, perhaps named Taxes, Letters to the Editor, CVs, and so on. As you acquire pictures, you might need to group those as well, perhaps into subfolders named Pets, Children, Friends, Weddings, and Me.
Create a new folder
With File Explorer open, navigate to the folder that needs a subfolder. You can click SkyDrive if you want.
Click the Home tab.
Click the New Folder button.
Enter a name for the folder, and press Enter.
Tip
If you upgraded to Windows 8.1 from Windows 7, you will still see the old format for libraries, meaning you’ll have access to both the personal and public folders if you opt to show Libraries in the Navigation pane. However, if you upgraded from Windows 8, or if you installed Windows 8.1 clean, you won’t.
Tip
From the View tab, click Navigation Pane. You can opt to show (or hide) various parts of the navigation pane here. One thing you can show is Libraries. If you used Libraries in Windows 7, you might want to use them still. Note that Libraries have changed; they no longer offer access to any Public folders by default.
Renaming files and folders
Sometimes it’s useful to change the name of a file or folder. For example, you might have named a folder Taxes, but later decided that Taxes 2013 would be a better choice because you’ll have multiple tax folders as the years pass. You might also need to change the name of a folder from Granddaughter to Grandkids! Beyond folders, files can be named inappropriately too; this is especially common after you’ve imported pictures from a digital camera. You might have 40 pictures that are named DSCN001, DSCN002, DSCN003, and so on, all of which need to be renamed.
Rename a file or folder
With File Explorer open, locate the file or folder that you want to rename and click to select it.
Click the Home tab.
Click the Rename button.
Enter a new name for the file or folder, and press Enter.
Tip
You cannot give two files or two folders (that are located in the same folder or library) the same name, so when you rename a file or folder, make the new name unique. However, even in instances where you could create a subfolder with the same name as an existing one located somewhere else on the computer, you should not.
Moving and copying files
When you create subfolders to expand the current folder structure, purchase external backup drives, or connect portable USB drives, it’s generally because you want to move or copy data to them. There are lots of ways to copy and move data. One way is to hold down the right-mouse button while you drag the data to its desired location, and then choose Move or Copy from the pop-up window that appears. Another way is to right-click to cut or copy the data, and then right-click at the desired location to paste it. Here you’ll learn how to use the ribbon to move and copy data to new locations.
Move or copy a file to another folder
In File Explorer, click a file or folder to move or copy.
Click the Home tab.
Click either Move To or Copy To.
If the location you want to move or copy the data to is listed in the resulting list, click it.
If the location you want to move or copy the data to is not listed, click Choose Location. Then do the following:
Navigate to the desired location.
Click Move or Copy as applicable.
Caution
If you are organizing your files with subfolders, don’t copy the data; move it. You want to put the data in the proper location, and you don’t want a copy of it left where it shouldn’t be. If you are backing up data, don’t move the data; copy it. You want to create a copy of the data for safekeeping and you want the original files to remain accessible from your hard drive.
Creating and extracting compressed files
If you want to save space on your drive or take several files and squeeze them together into a file that is smaller than the combined file sizes so that you can send them as an email attachment, you can compress the files. The compressed, or zipped, files that you create are perfect for archiving sets of documents or sending content more quickly across the Internet. The easiest way to create a compressed file is to select files already contained in the same folder. When you want to view the files again, you extract them.
Create a compressed file
Navigate to the files you want to compress by using File Explorer.
Click the first file.
Press and hold Shift, and then click the last file in a sequence of adjacent files (or press and hold Ctrl and then click non-adjacent files, one by one).
Click the Share tab.
Click Zip.
Double-click any compressed file to open it (extract the files from it).
If the folder doesn’t open on its own, click Extract All.
If applicable, click Browse to locate a place to save the files to.
If applicable, click Extract.
Sharing content
Often you will want to share the documents, pictures, and other files on your computer with others. You can share with a homegroup or homegroup member; you can share with specific people on your local network. You can burn the data to a writable disk, and you can print or email the data too. Here you’ll learn how to share content with your homegroup, and then, how to share with a specific person.
Share content
With File Explorer open, click an item that is saved to your hard drive that you want to share with your homegroup.
Click the Share tab.
In the Share With group, click either Homegroup (View) or Homegroup (View and Edit).
With File Explorer open, click an item that is saved to your hard drive that you want to share with a specific person.
Click the arrow in the Share With group that enables you to see all of your sharing options.
Click the person that you want to share with.
Using File History
It’s good practice to save your work and back it up. You can use a few methods to do this. You can turn on the File History feature, which saves default folders, contacts, and favorites to a hard disk on a regular basis, behind the scenes. You can let File History run using default settings, or, you can configure File History to exclude specific folders that you name. You can also choose how often you want to save copies of your files, and how long to keep saved versions, among other things.
Enable File History
Configure File History
In the File History window, in the left pane, click Advanced Settings.
Note the options; optionally, make changes to do the following:
Save copies of files–to change how often to backup files.
Size of offline cache–to change how much of the computer’s hard disk is reserved backups that are replicated on your hard drive.
Keep saved versions – to configure how long to keep saved versions (consider changing Forever to Until Space Is Needed.
In the Advanced Settings window, click Save Changes.
In the File History window, click Exclude Folders.
Tip
If you want to change the drive File Explorer saves to, in the File Explorer window, click Select Drive. Then, click the desired drive in the list and click OK.
Tip
To restore files from File History backups, return to the File History window and click Restore Personal Files. Follow the prompts to choose what to restore. It is possible to restore a previous version of a file that was backed up with File History, if the file was backed up hourly while you were working on it.
Browse to the folder to exclude, and click it once.
Click Select Folder.
Click Save Changes.
Backing up data manually
It’s a good idea to back up data manually, even if you have a backup program in place. You can back up important files, pictures, family videos, and so on to CDs, DVDs, USB drives, memory cards, and external and network drives, to name a few options. Here you’ll learn to save data to either a network drive or an external drive. If the data is extremely important to you, you can perform the task twice and store one of these drives in a safe deposit box or some other offsite location. (Remember, you can also use SkyDrive as a backup option!)
Save to a network or external drive
Insert a USB stick, connect an external drive, or, have access to a networked drive.
Click the File Explorer icon on the desktop’s taskbar.
Using techniques you learned in this section, select the data to save.
Click the Home tab.
Click Copy To.
Click Choose Location.
Select the drive.
Click Copy.
Deleting files and folders
An important part of managing files on your computer is to know when to get rid of files that you no longer need. Deleting unwanted files gets rid of clutter, frees up disk space, and makes it easier to find what you want. If you delete a file and then decide that you need it back, you do have a window of time in which you can retrieve deleted files from the Recycle Bin. (That window is determined by how much content the Recycle Bin can hold, when it fills up, how and when older files are deleted, and whether you manually delete the files.) Here you’ll learn how to delete files.
Delete files
In File Explorer, click the file or folder you want to delete.
Click the Home tab.
Click the Delete button.
Working with the Recycle Bin
The Recycle Bin holds deleted files and folders for a period of time. That period of time depends on how much space the Recycle Bin is configured to use to hold deleted files. However, if you right-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop and click Empty Recycle Bin, those files are gone, no matter what settings are configured.
Here you’ll learn how to restore files from the Recycle Bin (provided you haven’t recently emptied it). You’ll also learn how to increase the amount of space that the Recycle Bin can use, if you want to use it to provide a safety net for deleted files and folders.
Restore a file or folder from the Recycle Bin
On the desktop, double-click the Recycle Bin.
Locate the file or folder that you want to restore, and then click to select it.
Click the Restore The Selected Items button.
Click the Close button.
Tip
To permanently delete files from your computer, you can use the Empty Recycle Bin button in the Recycle Bin to remove all contents. However, remember that although files might be gone from the Recycle Bin and unavailable to you, they might still be on your hard disk (if the person looking for them is knowledgeable in such matters). If you are giving away or selling your computer, consider restoring your computer to its original state.
