FILE DIRECTORIES AND FOLDERS

• How do I designate a file’s location? To designate a file’s location, you must first specify the device where the file is stored. As shown in Figure 2, each of a PC’s storage devices is identified by a device letter a convention that is specific to DOS and Windows.

• Although the hard disk drive on a Windows computer is designated as drive C, device letters for CD, DVD, and USB flash drives are not standardized.

• For example, the CD writer on your computer might be assigned device letter E, whereas the CD writer on another computer might be assigned device letter R

• What is a disk partition? A disk partition is a section of a hard disk drive that is treated as a separate storage unit. Most computers are configured with a single hard disk partition that contains the operating system, programs, and data.

• However, it is possible to create more than one hard disk partition. For example, a PC owner might set up one partition for operating system files and another partition for programs and data.

What is a disk partition?

•Partitions can be assigned drive letters. In the example above, the operating system files would be stored in partition C.

•The program and data file partition would probably be designated as drive D.

•Partitions are not the same thing as folders. Partitions are more permanent, and a special utility is required to create, modify, or delete them.

• Do I have to remember where I put each file? Your computer’s operating system maintains a list of files called a directory for each storage disk, CD, DVD, BD, or USB flash drive.

• The main directory is referred to as the root directory. On a PC, the root directory is identified by the device letter followed by a backslash.

• For example, the root directory of the hard disk would be C:\. A root directory can be subdivided into smaller lists. Each list is called a subdirectory.

• What is a folder? When you use Windows, Mac OS, or a Linux graphical file manager, each subdirectory is depicted as a folder.

• Folders help you envision your files as if they were stored in a filing cabinet. Each folder can hold related items, for example, a set of documents, sound clips, financial data, or photos for a school project.

• Windows provides a folder called My Documents that you might use to hold reports, letters, and so on. You can also create and name folders to meet your needs, such as a folder called QuickBooks to hold your personal finance data.

•Folders can be created within other folders. You might, for example, create a Jazz folder within the Music folder to hold your jazz collection and another folder named Reggae to hold your reggae collection.

•A folder name is separated from a drive letter and other folder

names by a special symbol.

•In Microsoft Windows, this symbol is the backslash ( \ ). For example, the folder for your reggae music (within the Music folder on drive C) would be written as C:\Music\Reggae. Other

operating systems use a forward slash (/) to separate folders.

•A computer file’s location is defined by a file specification (sometimes called a path), which includes the drive letter, folder(s), file name, and extension. Suppose that you have stored an MP3 file called Marley One Love in the Reggae folder on your hard disk. Its file specification is shown in Figure 3.

• What’s the significance of a file’s size? A file contains data, stored as a group of bits. The more bits, the larger the file.

• File size is usually measured in bytes, kilobytes, or megabytes.

Knowing the size of a file can be important. Compared to small files, large files fill up storage space more quickly, require longer transmission times, and are more likely to be stripped off e-mail attachments by a mail server.

• Your computer’s operating system keeps track of file sizes and

supplies that information when you request a listing of files.

Is the file date important?

•Your computer keeps track of the date that a file was created or last modified.

•The file date is useful if you have created several versions of a file and want to make sure you know which version is the most recent.

•It can also come in handy if you have downloaded several versions of a software package, such as your printer’s device driver, and you want to make sure to install the latest version.