Basic Tasks

Below are tasks that any student will need to know how to do. It's important to us that each and every student knows their way around a computer desktop. An improved understanding will help your productivity, save you time, and it will make things easier for you as well.

What if you don't know how to access your H: Drive? I'll show you how:

Once you're logged in, this is all you have to do:

Start by double-clicking on "My Computer" which is in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Once "My Computer" is opened, you can just double-click on the H: drive icon.

Here are some pictures to illustrate the steps involved:

Step 1

Step 2

What if you wanted to create a new folder? I'll show you how:

Once in "My Computer", go to whichever location you want to create the new folder in. Once you're there this is all you have to do:

Right-click anywhere in open space.
Navigate down to "New" and a menu will open after a few seconds. Once it has, click on the "Folder" icon/title. That's it!
Now you can name it whatever you wish and after you've given it a name you just press "Enter" (or you can do that to begin with and it will simply be called "New Folder").

Here are some pictures to illustrate the steps involved:

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

What if you wanted to rename a folder? I'll show you how:

Once in "My Computer", left-click (single, not double) on any folder you wish to rename and you can do either of these options, just pick the one that is most comfortable to you:

Right-click the same folder and navigate to "Rename". Click on it and then type in any name you want to replace the old one.

Wait a few seconds after the first left-click and then left-click it again. The name will automatically be highlighted in blue and you can type in a new name.

Here is a picture to illustrate the step involved:

Step 1

What if you wanted to enable "Folders" view in "My Computer" (it allows for easier navigation)? I'll show you how:

Once in "My Computer", here's what you can do:

Since there are different ways of doing it, I'll show you two different options and you can choose which is more comfortable for you.

Click the "View" button (near the top of the screen, third from the left), go to the "Explorer Bar" menu, a new menu will open after a few seconds, and click on "Folders". That's it!

Click the "Folders" icon (which has a picture of two folders), which is found directly beneath the "Help" menu. Once clicked, you're all done!

Here are some pictures to illustrate both options:

Option 1

Option 2

And here's what it looks like when you're finished:

Folder View

What if you want to move files from one folder to another? I'll show you how:

There are different ways to move files from place to place. One can "cut" or "copy" a file. One can even drag the file to a different location. I'll differentiate between these three options below:

To "cut" a file to a different location (which completely moves the file from its original destination to the new one):

Select the file with a single left-click.
Right-click the same file and select the "Cut" option.
The file will become semi-transparent (which means you've done it right).
Now navigate to the new location you want to put the file in.
Once in the new location, right-click in empty space and select "Paste". That's it! Your file has now been physically moved to a new location.

Here's are some pictures to illustrate the steps involved:

Step 1-2

Step 3

Step 4-5

To "copy" a file to a different location (which clones the selected file instead of physically moving it):

Select the file with a single left-click.
Right-click the same file and select the "Copy" option. Note: It will not become semi-transparent like when you "cut" it.
Now navigate to the new location you wish to put the file in.
Right-click in empty space and select "Paste". That's it! Now you have a clone of the original file in a different location.

Here are some pictures to illustrate the steps involved:

Step 1-2

Step 3-4

The last way you can move a file is by simply clicking and dragging it. In effect, it's the same things as "cutting" and pasting it, but it takes somewhat less time to just drag it. Here's how you do it:

Select the file with a single left-click.
Continue to hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse towards the new location. You'll notice that instead of dragging the entire file, you'll be dragging a "shadow" of it.
Stop the mouse on the new location you wish to put the file in.
Let go of the left mouse button. That's it!

Here are some pictures to illustrate the steps involved:

Step 1-2

Step 3

Step 4

We hope that this page has been useful and would welcome any suggestions for additions that you think would be helpful to you.