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There are few programs that come with Windows that I use more often, or that are more useful than Windows Explorer, yet I’m amazed at how many computer users don’t even know that it exists.  This is partly due to Microsoft’s dumbing down of Windows when they released XP; earlier versions had Windows Explorer right up front.

Windows Explorer (different from Internet Explorer) is your computers’ master filing cabinet, full of file folders that contain all of the files that make your computer work, as well as the files that you add, such as documents, photos and the like.  Learn to use Windows Explorer, and you’ll have a much more satisfying and powerful computing experience, as it will let you add, view, move, copy, rename and delete files with ease.

To begin using Windows Explorer, and, for the sake of convenience, place a shortcut to the program on your desktop (the screen that comes up when your computer starts).  To do this, go to Start/All Programs/Accessories.  Right-click on Windows Explorer, place your mouse pointer over “Send To” and select “Desktop.”  You’ve now made a shortcut to the program on your desktop.  Double-click it to run the program (this shortcut-making trick works for anything in your “All Programs” list).

Windows Explorer needs some tweaking to achieve its full potential.  Once the program is running, highlight “My Documents” in the left pane, click “View” at the top, and select “Details.”  Then, click on Tools/Folder Options.  In the “General” tab, select “Use Windows Classic Folders,” rather than the “Show Common Tasks” option.  Next, click the “View” tab.  Click “Apply to All Folders,” and then “OK.”  In the “Advanced settings” box, check “Display file size information.”  Uncheck “Display simple folder view.”  Check “Display the contents of system folders” and both of the “Display the full path…” options.  Select “Show hidden files” and uncheck “Hide extensions…” and “Hide protected.”  Click “OK” on any alert boxes that may pop up.  You can leave everything else alone.  Finally, click “Apply” and “OK.”

Sometimes, you may need to repeat the “View/Details” and “Apply to all folders” steps.  If so, click on the little “+” next to “My Computer,” highlight Local Disk (C:), and then repeat the steps.  Once everything is tweaked, you can see practically every file that exists inside of your computer.  In the left pane, you’ll see all of the “master” folders, and in the right pane, their contents.  Double-click (or click on the “+” next to) a master folder to show its subfolders.  Highlight a folder in the left pane to view the individual files on the right.  Right-click a file or folder to cut, copy, delete or rename, as you like.  Highlight a folder, click “File” at the top, and select “New/Folder” to create a subfolder.  When in doubt, read the Help files.

Learn to use the powerful functions of Windows Explorer and you’ll soon be organizing your files like a pro.