Copying Computer Files

I’ve been spending some time on Yahoo answers trying to spread what little expertise I have and share with the world. I’ve spent most of my life in vehicle repair and you can tell by my blog pages. However tied in with my business dealings emerged a fascination with computers since the mid 80’s while still in their roughness and infancy. I was an old DOS user and resisted Windows for the longest time. I was programming in C language and developing overlays to use menus to open applications long before Windows was developed so I guess I saw it as sort of a competition of what I had been developing. But the old saying “Half of being smart is knowing what you are dumb at” dawned on me after a while and I realized that Windows really was a good thing and started learning about it and how to use it. I can still be found on a black screen occasionally typing DOS commands at the C prompt but I have realized how all the programs written have used the Windows interface and using windows is actually less work that using DOS.

So now I use the keyboard to type these pages to you guys. I hope they are informative to you and I hope I still get the feeling on satisfaction and accomplishment from you reading them. Now to the topic at hand.  I have noticed through Yahoo Answers that people do not know how to copy files from either one file to another – copy files from a download to a folder on your computer – or copy files from a flash drive or external drive to a folder on your computer.

I’ve found the easiest way to copy files is this – when you put a flash drive in a USB port – Windows opens a window prompting you for action. I always choose “Open folder to view files”. I leave that window open and reduced size on the screen. I go to Start – My Computer – C drive and open the folder I want to copy the files to. If you want them in a seperate folder – right click anywhere on the open area and choose – “Create and new folder”. Name the folder appropiately then double click on the folder to open it. The screen should be empty if newly created.

You will have both windows open on the screen. Drag the windows to position them for access to all the folders you want to copy. Then drag and drop the folders and files from one screen to another.

I generally have a folder called “Downloads” that temporarily contains internet downloaded material. It can then be moved around in the computer using the above method using drag and drop. When you are downloading from the internet you will always be prompted where to place the files. Choose your downloads folder. It makes it easier to find and distribute later especially if in Zip form.

Using an external storage drive is similiar to the first method of using a flash drive. When you plug the external drive in a window will pop up prompting you for action. Use the two window methold of drag and drop in this instance as well.

This method will work for CD and DVD copying files as well. I hope this article has been informative to you. Feel free to print – share with friends – just please don’t post it on a blog as your creation. Allow me to have a little credit for my work.

Thanks – Rob Carroll (Techman77)