CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [46]
Figure 4-30 Windows Explorer in Windows XP displaying the drives installed, as well as common tasks on the left
Even better, you can change the look of Windows Explorer by clicking a button. The Folders button in Windows 2000 and Windows XP toggles the Folders list on or off on the left (Figure 4-32). The Folders list is a tree menu that enables you to move the focus of Windows Explorer to different folders or drives. The Folders list replaces the common tasks bar in Windows XP. Note that the Folders list is enabled by default in Windows Vista no matter whether you open the tool through Computer or Documents.
In Windows Vista, you can alter the view of Windows Explorer in several ways. On the task bar, you can click the down arrow next to Views to change the size of the icons, the details displayed, and more. You can turn off the Folders list if desired by clicking the down arrow next to Organize and then selecting Layout from the menu options.
The Folders list view makes copying and moving files and folders from one location to another very easy. The steps differ slightly when you copy to a folder on the same drive versus when you copy to a folder on a different drive, although the first step is the same: Select a folder in the Folders list, and the contents of that folder appear in the main pane on the right.
Figure 4-31 Windows Explorer in Windows Vista displaying the drives installed and showing tasks
Figure 4-32 Windows Explorer in Windows XP with the Folders list toggled on
To move or copy a file from one folder to another folder on the same drive, click and hold a file or folder in the main pane and then drag the cursor over to any folder in the Folders list. A → symbol will appear in Windows Vista and 7, although not in Windows 2000 or XP. Release the mouse button, and you move that file or folder to the new folder. If you want to copy a file or folder rather than move it, press the CTRL key on your keyboard and then click and drag into the desired folder. The → symbol (if any) changes to a +; release the mouse button to copy the file or folder.
To copy or move a file from one folder to another folder on a different drive, click and hold a file or folder in the main pane and then drag the cursor over to any folder in the Folders list, and a + symbol will appear. Release the mouse button, and you’ll make a copy of that file or folder in the new folder. If you want to move a file or folder rather than just copy it, press the SHIFT key on your keyboard and then click and drag into the desired folder. The + symbol changes to a → in Windows Vista/7 or just goes away in Windows 2000/XP; release the mouse button to move the file or folder.
Notice the differences in the icons displayed in Windows Explorer? Windows assigns different icons to different types of files, based on their extensions, the set of characters at the end of a filename, such as .EXE, .TXT, or .JPG. The oldest extensions, starting from back in the DOS era, are usually three characters, but current programs may use two-character extensions, such as .JS (JavaScript) or .AU (audio), or even four-character extensions, such as the ubiquitous .HTML for Web pages. In rare cases, a filename might actually have no extension.
As you look at these icons on your own screen, some of you might say, “But I don’t see any extensions!” That’s because Windows hides them by default. To see the extensions in 2000/XP, select Tools | Folder Options to open the Folder Options dialog box (Figure 4-33). Click the View tab and uncheck Hide extensions for known file types. In Vista, click on Organize | Folder and Search Options | View tab to see the same dialog box.
Figure 4-33 Folder Options dialog box
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