Phone: 250.764.7043
Email: help@computercarekelowna.com

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Getting  Along With Your Computer Column Archive

Things You Can Do With Files
by Cate Eales

Appeared September 17, 2009 on castanet.net
 

We might think that thing is a picture, but to Windows it's just a file. No matter what version of Windows you're running, Windows is going to think like that. This week I have several ways to make your Windows experience a lot better. Wouldn't you like to be able to copy more than one picture --- I mean, FILE --- at a time? And wouldn't it be great if Windows would only copy when you ask it to, and not whenever it feels like it? Read on.


How can I copy (or move, or delete) more than one file at a time?
If you have one file to move, delete, copy, or what have you, it's pretty simple. You select that file and you tell Windows what to do.

When you have two files, it's still manageable. But when you have a ton of files, doing the same action over and over can be tedious. Why not select all the files, and just do the action one time? It's really easy!

If you want to do the same thing to files that are next to each other:

Now you'll see the whole bunch of files with an outline around them. At this point you can go ahead and delete, copy, move, and the same thing will happen to all those files you've selected.

If you have a bunch of files that are not next to each other instead of holding down the Shift key, hold down the CTRL key and click on each file you want to act on.

Remember, we might think they're pictures (or songs, or letters), but Windows knows them as FILES. As long as you want to do the same thing to all the selected files, you're in good shape.

How can I stop Windows from copying for no reason!
You SHOULD be in good shape, that is. But sometimes when I select a big whack of files to move, Windows just starts copying them. What the heck? I never told Windows to copy! Well, it turns out I probably did, and never knew it. When you select files and end up dragging them more than four pixels in any direction, Windows assumes you mean to copy them.

To fix this feature in Windows XP, download TweakUI, available here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx. Install TweakUI, open it, and:

TweakUI won't work in Windows Vista, but there is an interesting feature in Vista that comes in handy here. Instead of using Ctrl + Click, we can use check boxes. But first we have to turn them on.

Where is that program I installed last week/month/year?
It used to be that we installed all our programs from CD's. (Well it used to be that we installed all our programs from floppy discs. But we also used to listen to audio files on things called “records” while we were installing those files! Let's not go back that far.) Nowadays, many of us download programs, which we know Windows believes are FILES, from various websites and then we install them.

But if ever you need to reinstall your programs, or install them on a new computer, it's a nuisance to go out and find them all again. (It's even worse than digging through a pile of CD's!)

After I install a program I move it to a folder I created and named “Installed” on my hard drive. The file doesn't clutter up my desktop or Download folder, but it's available if I need it. Periodically, I backup the “Installed” folder to an external drive, and delete the older installed files from my hard drive, just to keep down the clutter.


Next time I'll have a few more simple things you can do to make getting along with your computer a little easier.

Links
TweakUI http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
Computer Care Kelowna http://computercarekelowna.com
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=20618
RSS Feed: http://rlis.com/rlis.xml

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Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your computer get along!

Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna, a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send email to help@computercarekelowna.com.

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© Cate Eales 2009 – All Rights Reserved

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