How to organise your computer filing system

By Mitz

When you first get your computer it is beautifully clean and tidy
and runs like a well oiled machine. After a while, however, it becomes a bit
more sluggish each and everyday. Saving all those files, no matter how big or
small, all add up and contribute to clogging up your computer. The best way to
tackle this problem is to keep your computer organised and clear of unnecessary
files.

Benefits of a Clean and organised computer
file system

• Keeps your computer performing at its highest
  standard
  



• Makes it easier to find a particular file





• Encourages you to backup your files somewhere
  else therefore preventing data loss

Some of my rules for organising files on
my computer

Installed programs

Every program you install should go into
C:/Program Files if C: is your main drive. Sometimes people accidentally install
a program directly into C: drive which scatters files all over the place.
Hopefully the program you install will automatically go to C:/Program Files/The
Programs Name.

Below is a screenshot of my C: drive. Does yours
look like this?

Personal Files

I save all my personal files into my documents.
They are arranged into folders according to their file type. Here are some
examples of folders I have in my documents. Some files such as My Music and My
Pictures are created by Windows for you.

• Word documents



• Files from work



• My Webs



• Downloads



• My Music



• My Pictures



• Saved Emails

You can create folders and name them anything
you like.

This is what my Documents folder looks like.

My tips to organise your files

• Make subfolders within your folders. Organise
  them too.



• Set up your own filing system that makes
  sense to you or follow my tips, but stick to it.



• Always save files in the correct location.
  Don't be lazy.



• Name all of your files properly.



• Backup your files often, so they can be
  cleared from the computer.

The most common computer cloggers

Music files Music files have shrunk in
size over the years, however they add up and you loose track of how many you
have stored on your computer. You should regulaly remove excess mp3's on to
discs to keep your computer clear of clutter. A DVD disk will hold around 800
mp3's.You should store your music in C:/My documents/My music/Artist Name/Album
Name. I have found this is the easiest way to find what you want and when you
backup you only have to copy the MY MUSIC folder.

Downloads People often download files
that they never even use. With all the freeware and shareware out there, it
doesn't cost anything to download almost anything you like. I usually create a
folders in my Documents called Downloads. Each item or program I download also
goes into an individual folder. For Example if I downloaded DVD Shrink the path
would be C:/My Documents/Downloads/DVD Shrink.

Picture files People send you pictures in
emails, you get them off your camera, and sometimes you get them off the
internet. They can come from anywhere and they add up quick. Everyone loves to
share pictures. Just make sure you get them and store them in the same place
re-naming them so you can recognise them later. Within My Pictures folder
located in My Documents here are some subfolders I have:

• Kids Photos



• Screen shots



• GIF animations



• Funny pics



• Xmas holiday



• Mum's 70th Birthday



• Ebay listing pics

Emails I use Message rules in Outlook
Express to organise my emails. Trust me, I couldn't survive without them as I
have hundreds every week. If your not sure how to make rules go to http://tips4pc.com/

I also regulary clean out my emails on only keep the most important ones like
password confirmations, Ebay transactions, special personal emails, and Payment
records. I use a small program called
Adolix
Outlook Express Backup 3.0 This program is amazing. It creates backups of
your email folders, addresses, and your account details. It also backups your
favourites in Internet Explorer.

Naming your files correctly

Name your files and folders with meaningful and
recognisable names. For example when you rip one of your music cd's to your
computer it just names the songs track1, track 2, and so on. By the time you put
the whole collection on the computer it turns into a real mess. You should store
your music in C:/My documents/My music/Artist Name/Album Name. And all files
should be named correctly so it is easy to find. Naming your files also allows
you to search for it with Windows search. If you don't know what you are looking
for, how will you find it?

Clean your computer for optimal performance

Also when you buy a new Computer from a store
they pre-load it with trial software, hoping you will like it and
buy the full version. This will slow your computer down right from the start. In
this case you will have to go to the control panel and choose
Add or Remove programs to get rid of the programs that are taking up
precious space. Just make sure you know what you are removing because you could
do the wrong thing and cause big problems. If you need help

New or old, it is never too late to start a
fresh and tidy up the clutter of folders you have created.

Its like living in a clean house. It just feels
good, I don't know why.

Extra Tips

• To view your files in a folder by the date they were last
  modified, open a folder and on the View menu click Details. On the
  top of the column, click Date Modified.




• Choose to Arrange by File type
  to put all the similar files together. This is handy when you want to move
  files around as it makes it easy to select them all together.




• If you're backing up your information to a CD or DVD, be sure to
  create labels for your CDs that in some way describe their contents. For
  example, you might title the CD "2005 Archive" or be more specific with
  something like "2005 Presentations."
  



• After you delete an email, be sure to also
  clear out the deleted folder.




• 
  
  

  In Microsoft Word, you can change the default folder to where files will be
  saved.
  
  On the Tools menu, click Options, and click
  File Locations
  
  In the list, click Documents, and then navigate to your main directory; in this
  example, C:/My Documents/word documents
  

About the Author Milica Pantic wrote this article and others for
http://www.tips4pc.com/ Browse for more articles that are written in an easy to understand
interface. You can also visit her Australian Ebay store
Fantastic Bits 24_7.

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