(If you're using Windows 98 or Windows Me, there's a version of this article specifically tailored to you.)

This is the final article in this series for the present. To end off, I'm going to show you a handful of techniques for moving, copying and deleting files, then throw in a bunch of tips to make your computing life less frustrating.

In the last article, you learnt one technique for moving files from one folder to another. That technique—dragging-and-dropping in an Explorer window—is certainly the simplest, but not necessarily the safest. For instance, it's fairly easy to drop a file accidentally onto the wrong folder; you may then have trouble locating its whereabouts. Also, how can you tell whether you've copied a file or moved it?

Moving files via the Task Pane

Windows has always provided multiple methods for moving and copying files. Windows XP has introduced a new set of techniques which make the process about as simple as can be. The techniques revolve around the Task Pane.

The Task Panes provide a far more intuitive way of managing files than we're accustomed to in Windows. All you do is select a file (or Ctrl-click to select multiple files—that is, hold down the Ctrl key while you click each file) then click the required task. If needed, a dialog will appear prompting you for information, such as a destination folder for copying or moving files.

So, to move a file all you do is:

  1. Click the file in the right-hand pane.
  2. Click Move This File in the Task Pane. A Move Items dialog box will appear.
  3. Use the Move Items dialog to locate the destination folder. If you scroll all the way to the top of the folder list within the dialog box, you'll find the Desktop and My Documents. If you need to move the file to a sub-folder, click the + sign beside the containing folder's name to expand its contents and locate the appropriate sub-folder. Once you've found the destination folder and clicked it, click the Move button to complete the move.

To move a file to a new folder:

  1. Follow the first two steps above.
  2. In the Move Items dialog box, locate the folder within which you want to create the new folder and click it.
  3. Click the Make New Folder button. This will create a new folder called New Folder within the selected folder.
  4. Right-click New Folder and select Rename from the pop-up menu, type in a descriptive name, and press Enter.
  5. Click Move to complete the move.

For example, to move a file to a new folder called Archives on your Desktop:

  1. Click the file to select it.
  2. Click Move This File in the Task Pane.
  3. Scroll to the top of the list in the Move Items dialog and click the Desktop.
  4. Click Make New Folder.
  5. Right-click the New Folder, name it Archives and press Enter
  6. Click Move.

Copying files via the Task Pane

To copy a file using the Task Pane, the process is identical to moving a file except you select the Copy This File option in the Task Pane instead of the Move This File.

For beginners, it's often a good idea to copy files rather than move them. That way, if something goes amiss you still have the original file in its original location. Once you're sure the new file is safely tucked away in the new location, you can always delete the original.

The process for copying and moving multiple files is the same as for copying and moving single files, except that you must select all the files you wish to copy/move. The easiest way to do that is to hold down the Ctrl key while clicking each file you wish to copy or move. If you accidentally select a file, you can unselect it by keeping the Ctrl key depressed while clicking it once more. Once you've selected all the files, you can release the Ctrl key, then click the Copy The Selected Items or Move The Selected Items task in the Task Pane.

Note you can move and copy folders as well as files using the same techniques, too.

One advantage Windows XP has over its predecessors—the simplified Task Pane options for copying and moving files and folders. This screenshot shows multiple files being moved. (Click the image to see a full-size screenshot.)

Deleting files

Deleting files is even easier than copying and moving them. If that sounds a little dangerous, never fear! In Windows, deleted files are first placed into a sort of limbo—which you and I know as the Recycle Bin. Deleted files can rise, Phoenix-like, from the Recycle Bin and be restored to their original locations.

To delete an unwanted file or folder, click it once to select it and click the Delete This File option in the Task Pane, or simply press the Delete (or Del) key. If Windows asks whether you're sure you want to delete it, click Yes.

Alternatively, you can drag-and-drop the file directly into the Recycle Bin (although in this case you won't see the prompt asking whether you're sure). Either way, the Recycle Bin will hold all your deleted files until you either choose to empty the bin or you run out of space in the bin. When the Recycle Bin is full, Windows will automatically start permanently deleting files in it, starting with the files you deleted first.

And undeleting them...

This double deletion method gives you a good chance to undelete files, a lifesaver when you find you've been too quick with the Delete key. On these occasions, all you need to do is:

  1. Double-click the Recycle Bin to open it.

  2. Locate the file you wish to undelete. If you're having trouble locating the file, click the Views button and select Details. Then click the heading at the top of the Date Deleted column so there's a grey down-arrow beside the heading. This places the most recently deleted files at the top of the list.

  3. Right-click the file you wish to undelete to display a pop-up menu and choose Restore to restore the file to its previous location.

  4. If you don't want to place the file in its old location, instead of right-clicking it you can drag it onto the Desktop or into an open folder window.

Remember, the earlier you act, the more chance the file will still be in the Recycle Bin.

Custom recycling

You can change the features of your Recycle Bin to allow it to store more discarded files before deleting them permanently, and to adjust other settings. First, right-click the Recycle Bin and choose Properties from the pop-up menu to display the Recycle Bin Properties dialog. Now, try this:

To permanently delete all files in the Recycle Bin, right-click the Bin and choose Empty Recycle Bin from the pop-up menu.

Change the way your Recycle Bin works by adjusting its properties.

Hot tip 1: Finding files

Can't remember where you stuck a file? Perhaps you can't remember the filename, and all you recall is the subject of a file. No problem:

  1. Click Start -> Search to open Search Companion.
  2. Choose the appropriate type of search (if you're not sure what type of file you're trying to locate, select All Files And Folders).
  3. Type the search criteria into the boxes provided. The search criteria change depending on the type of search. For example, if you're searching for multimedia files, you can specify whether you're looking for audio, video or graphics; if you're searching for a document, you can specify the time frame in which it was created and enter any part of the filename which may help identify it.
  4. Click Search to start the search.
  5. When the search has completed, you can either refine the search or click Yes, Finished Searching to close the search panel and display a Task Pane.

Hot tip 2: Selecting multiple files

Often you'll want to copy, move, delete or open more than one file at a time. To do this, you need to select multiple files simultaneously. Here's how:

Hot tip 3: Selecting files by corralling them

For an even quicker method of selecting multiple files, you can click-and-drag a box around the files. This is best experimented with on the Desktop, so minimise any windows you have open so you can see the Desktop clearly. Now, click in a vacant spot on the Desktop and drag the mouse slightly downwards and to the right. Notice how, as you do so, a dotted outline of a box appears? (It disappears as soon as you released the mouse button.) This is called a selection rectangle.

Of course, this technique didn't appear to do much because you tried it on a vacant part of the Desktop. If you now try the same technique and this time ensure that one or more icons are included in the selection rectangle you draw, you'll notice that each of the included icons is highlighted (selected) when you complete the box (and release the mouse button).

You can use this same corralling technique in Windows Explorer, folder windows, and even in Open and Save As dialog boxes within applications.

Hot tip 4: Creating Desktop folders

You're not restricted to creating folders within My Documents or via Windows Explorer. You can also create folders on the Desktop. This is especially useful when you need a folder on-the-fly or temporarily. You can easily delete it when it's no longer needed. To create a folder on the Desktop:

  1. Right-click a vacant spot on the Desktop.

  2. From the pop-up menu displayed, choose New, Folder.

  3. Right-click the new folder, choose Rename, type in a name and press Enter.

  4. Using your mouse, drag the folder to an appropriate spot on your Desktop.

© 2002,  Rose Vines

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