Lab-03: Understanding Directory Structure And

COMP 4, Summer 2005 – Session II

Lab-03: Understanding Directory Structure and

File Management Tools

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Total Points Possible: 25

Due Date: Wednesday, July 1, 2005 at 1:15 PM (start of class)

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After attending class and completing this assignment, you should be familiar with file and folder structure and management, and how to navigate through the Windows file structure effectively.

BOOKS NEEDED

Shelly Cashman Vermaat Office 2003 workbook

FILES NEEDED

Interactive Labs. Found on your “Book-on-CD” (back of Textbook) under “Classic Labs”

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SECTION I: USING FILES (PRACTICE for BEGINNERS)

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A. RUN AN INTERACTIVE LAB: USING FILES

The following interactive lab assignment is one of the very best ways I have seen to help beginners or intermediate beginners to understand some extremely important fundamental concepts: What happens to the screen, to primary memory, and on the disk when you create a file? Or when you type words in a file? Or save a file? Open a file? Revise a file? Re-save a file? Save a file with another name, using Save As? Delete a file? Understanding these concepts will make your life so much easiernot only for this course, but anytime you use a PC.

Close any running applications and any open windows.

INSERT “Book-on-CD” into CD drive; wait a few seconds. A window will pop up.
CLICK “Open aClassic Course Lab”. A menu with very many choices will appear.
CLICK on “Using Files”.
ENTER your name and the Session ID (type “COMP 4”). This is important for the final print-out.
Now CLICK on the “Steps” button and work through the topics pages, clicking the blue “Next page” arrow when you’re done with each page. Make sure you read and work through all topics of this interactive lab. Print your Quick Check Summary for turn-in (that’s the result sheet that will pop up after the tutorial was completed). You will also record some answers on the back of that Quick Check summary, below.)

Now CLICK the “Explore” button and use the simulated computer to perform the following tasks in the order shown:

Create a new document that contains your full name, and the city/state/country in which you were born. Save this document as INFO on the simulated floppy disk. .
Create another document that contains TWO of your favorite foods. Save this document as FOODS.
Create another file containing your TWO favorite courses at UNC. Name this file COURSES.
Now, open the FOODS file and add another one of your favorite foods. Save this file without changing its name.
Open the INFO file. Change this document so that it contains only your full name and your major (if undeclared, just use Undeclared.) Save this document AS a new document called MAJOR. .
Now WRITE DOWN on the BACK of your Quick Check Summary (from step 1 above), labeled as 2-f., exactly how many files are on the simulated floppy disk at this moment.
Under that, WRITE DOWN, labeled as 2-g, the exact Contents of each file; that is, write each file name and its contents (making sure you are clear as to what is in which file).
Now, delete all of the files.

Now again use the simulated computer to perform the following tasks in the order shown.

Create a file called MOVIES that contains the name of one of your favorite movies. .
Create another document that contains a five-number zip code of your hometown, and call this file HOMEZIP.
Completely revise the contents of the HOMEZIP filethat is, make up a different zip code (any five digits), but save the file as NEWZIP.
Revise the MOVIES file so that it also contains a favorite book; but save that file as FAVORITES.
Now delete the MOVIES file.
WRITE down on back of your Quick Check Summary, labeled as letter 3-f, the number of files that are on the simulated disk at present.

Exit the simulated computer by using the File menu in the top left corner and by selecting “Exit”. Click STOP button.

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SECTION II: FILE MANAGEMENT (PRACTICE for BEGINNERS)

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RUN AN INTERACTIVE LAB: WINDOWS DIRECTORIES, FOLDERS, AND FILES

There is nothing more helpful to demonstrate file management and directory structure on a PC than the ”Windows Directories, Folders, and Files” interactive lab that is on the “Book-on-CD” that comes with your textbook. This is a really useful tutorial. Pay particular attention to the tree structure and file specification discussion in your Textbook.

Close any running applications. Close any open windows.

INSERT “Book-on-CD” into CD drive; wait a few seconds. A window will pop up.
CLICK “Open aClassic Course Lab”. A menu with very many choices will appear.
CLICK on “Windows Directories, Files, and Folders”.
ENTER your name and the Session ID (type “COMP 4”).
Now CLICK on the “Steps” button. Make sure you work through all topics of that interactive lab. Print your Quick Check Summary for turn-in (that’s the result sheet that will pop up after the tutorial was completed). You will also record some answers on the back of that Quick Check summary, below.)

Now CLICK the “Explore” button and use the simulated windows directories, folders and files to perform the following tasks in the order shown:

How many folders and how many files are in the root directory of the C: drive?
How many folders and how many files are in the root directory of the A: drive?
How many folders and how many files are in the C:\Windows directory of the C: drive?
Are there any data files (program files don’t count) in the C:\Dos directory? If yes, how many?
Are there any program files (data files don’t count) in the root directory of the C: drive? If yes, how many?
Are there any program files (data files don’t count) in the root directory of the A: drive? If yes, how many?

Write all this on the back of your Quick Check Summary (from step 1 above), labeled as 2-a to 2-f.

Exit by using the File menu in the top left corner and by selecting “Exit”. Click STOP button

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SECTION III: WINDOWS EXPLORER (FOR POINTS)

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Windows Explorer is one of the handiest and most intuitive ways to work with and manage your folders and files. Work through the pages indicated below.

Write these changes into your Office 2003 workbook. Use pencil or “Post-It” notes if you plan to sell your workbook at the end of the semester.

PAGES / STEPS / WRITE (with pencil) or DO this:
WIN 35-36 / Deleting a Desktop Item / DO NOT do this.
WIN 50 -54 / For all of the steps: / If you are using an older version of Windows such as, for example, Win 95, 98, or ME, you will display the contents of that operating system’s folderfolder name is also called Windows but may contain a different set of files. That’s fine. Just select another file (of Bitmap Image type*) if you don’t have Prairie Wind, etc. For example: use Circles, Clouds, or Bubbles, and continue the lab using this file.
* To see file type: Under View menu, select Details.
WIN 54 / ADD STEP 3: / Step 3: TO PRINT a paper copy of the Explorer window:
1Make sure Windows Explorer is the active window.
2—While holding down the “Alt” key, press once on the “PrintScreen” key (on the upper right area of the keyboard, that action saves an image of the Window to the Clipboard in memory; sort of like taking a digital picture).
3Open Word (Start button; Programs; Microsoft Word) and a new document window will appear.
4Under “EDIT” drop-down menu, select “Paste” (or, hold down “Ctrl” key and then press “v” key). [Ctrl+v]
5Print the Word Document that now contains an image!
6Save the word file as Lab03-Explorer-LastFirst
7Upload the word file to blackboard
Trouble? You may ask any L.A. for help with this peculiar printing feature; that’s perfectly fine. We will need to see this output.
WIN 63 / Turn off Computer / DO NOT do this if using a PC at a campus lab. Just log off.

Shelly Cashman OFFICE 2003 WORKBOOK PAGES: WIN 17 through 63

Work through those pages, and pay attention to what you are doing and why. (If you’re already a wiz at using Windows Explorer, then you should be able to earn some easy points; so don’t complain.)

Trouble? When you are asked to press a key, we mean a key on the keyboard. When you are told to click a button, you’ll find a picture of a button on the screen; point and click on it with the mouse. For example, last year, a fair number of students could not find “PrintScreen” button on the screen; this is not a button displayed on the screen, but a key on the keyboardnear the F12 key. 

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SECTION IV: MAKING BACKUP COPIES OF YOUR FILES (required)

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Understanding more file management concepts

Each disk drive is assigned a letterthe floppy disk drive is A, the PC’s local hard drive is C (or C and D), the CD-ROM drive is likely E, and so on. Windows allows you to “map” a network disk drivea remote disk drive that is part of another computer on the same networkto an unused drive letter on your PC. That has already been done for you on the ATN campus lab PCs. Drive H, called Network Drive (H), has been mapped to your network disk space. If you have a Web home page or have saved files/graphics from the Web to your UNC account, that’s where those files are saved. You use drive letter H just as you would any other local disk drive (those that are part of your PC unit), although it is really remote. (Note: Do not mess with any of the files that begin with a dot.)

If something should happen to the file(s) on your floppy disk (which often fail), you can rest assured that you’ll have a copy that you can grab from the H drivethat is, only if you follow our instructions and make the backups faithfully (we’ll remind you to do so periodically, but keep the instructions below handy until the procedure becomes second nature). BACKUPS have saved many a COMP 4 student from the agony of re-doing an entire assignment.

You learned much about copying files. Remember, the original drive where a file resides is referred to as the source, and the place where you want to copy to be placed is called the destination.
FOR YOUR FILE BACKUPS: you will copy files from Drive A [source] to Drive AFS Home (H) [destination]. If you use a USB key (flash disk) instead of a floppy disk, then substitute Drive A by the Drive letter of the USB disk. You’ll practice doing that here. Starting with Lab 04, you’ll be reminded to backup your files, so keep these instructions handy.

Note to Home PC users: You are likely storing all your work directly onto your local hard drive (C or D). That means you should make backups onto floppy disks or zip disks or USB drives or other storage, and store those backup disks (labeled as backup) in a safe place!

Denied Access to H? If anything goes wrong with the Windows logon process, you may be denied access to the H drive. IF THAT OCCURS, you’ll have to log off of Windows, and log back on again. A good way to test this now is to see if you can open the H drive (either from the shortcut on the desktop, or from the My Computer icon).

Ready?

Exit any running applications, and close any open windows.
Insert a formatted disk into drive A.
Start (launch) WordPad from the Start menu: Programs\Accessories\WordPad. Type your name and a few words in the new WordPad document. Save it to floppy disk, and name it Test1. Exit from WordPad.
Now, start WordPad again to create a new document; again type a couple of random sentences, then Save it to same floppy disk. Name that second file Test2. Exit from WordPad but leave the disk in drive A.
Follow the EXPLORER instructions below.

EXPLORER INSTRUCTIONS

Open Windows Explorer: (Hint: You can quickly open an Explorer window from almost any icon (such as “My Computer”) by right-clicking on the icon, and selecting “Explore”. Do that now.)
Now double-click on the “3 1/2 Floppy (A:)” (or the Removable storage icon if u are using a USB/Zip disk) iconto open it; you should see its contents. The two test files that you just created should be there.
Select both of the following source files from the Content list:

Test1

Test2

Right-click the selected icons, keep the button pressed, and drag them to the Home Directory (H) icon in the Folder list until the H icon is highlighted. Then release the button and drop-down menu will appear.
In this drop-down menu click on “Copy Here”. A copy is being stored on the Home Directory (H) drive.
Check to see that the copies are really stored on the H drive by selecting its icon in the Folder list and by making sure you find those files amongst its contents. To be sure that these are the files that you have just created (and not two days ago) you could in addition check if the date that they were created matches today’s date.
Close any open windows.

Note: Should you ever have to copy a file from the Home(H) disk to your floppy disk (A), you just reverse the select and drag procedurethat is, your source and destination are reversed. That should make good sense to you by this time.

CRITICAL! Make backups starting with Lab-04

Don’t bet on us being sympathetic if you ignore making backups and then find yourself in trouble because you have to start all over again. NOTE: We cannot assume that you completed an assignment if you have nothing to turn in, or if we cannot grade your assignment adequately from paper (most assignments require electronic copy).

Therefore, most subsequent assignments will include a “MAKE A BACKUP-COPY!” reminder. Don’t wait until you complete an entire assignment before you make a backup; stop periodically and make a backup, then continue. Each time you copy from A to H, you'll simply replace whatever was last saved in H with the current version of that file.

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TURN IN

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*** OPTIONAL TURN IN *** (but highly recommended for beginners!)

Quick Check Summary printout from Section I (Using Files Lab Assignment), with your handwritten and labeled answers on the back.

Quick Check Summary printout from Section II (Windows Directories, Folders and Files Lab Assignment)

*** MANDATORY TURN IN *** (with “Pledge” and your signature written on the front)

From Section III: Screen Image printout of your Explorer Window from your Word document. Word document to blackboard.

Nothing to turn in from Section IV. No diskette is required for turn-in.

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LAB-03 SUMMARY

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Understand what happens in memoryand on your disk when you do certain things, such as: create a file; type words into a file; save a file; open a file; revise a file; re-save a file; save a file with another name, using Save As; delete a file.
Understand file management and organization techniques.
Use Windows Explorer correctly as a file and directory management tool: work through pages WIN 17 through 63, noting important Workbook corrections shown in Section III above (Print Explorer Window).
Successfully make back-up copies of your work.

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