Managing Files: Using File Manager

PFE is adequate for basic creation and manipulation of text files. However, for more general management of disks and files - formatting diskettes, organising files into "directories", copying files, deleting files etc. - you need a different tool, File Manager. File Manager has the further advantage that it can operate on all kinds of files - not just text files. This isn't much of an issue in this course yet, but will become one in the near future.

You will find File Manager in the Main group in Program Manager. Start it up now. Once it is started up, you might want to move and resize both its window and the Netscape window so that they do not overlap too much, and you can see both easily.

Explore and experiment with the use of File Manager for a while. Have a look at the various menus. Read through the online help - particularly the section called What is File Manager?

Now carry out the following exercise:

• Create a new directory at the topmost level on disk drive D: with any name you wish (for example, your own forename or surname etc.). Try to establish what, if any restrictions apply to naming a directory - either by experiment or by reading the help.

• Delete the directory again.

• Create a directory at the topmost level on your diskette (drive A:) with the name TMP.

• Move the file TESTING.TXT from the topmost level of your diskette into the directory TMP.

• Create a new directory on disk drive D: called MISC. Copy the file TESTING.TXT from directory TMP on your diskette into the MISC directory.

  Note how, when you drag a file, File Manager moves the file if both the starting and ending point are on the same disk, but copies the file when they are on different disks.

• Delete the whole directory MISC from drive D: (including the file TESTING.TXT which it contains).

• Exit from File Manager.

At this point you should be satisfied that you know how to use File Manager to examine what directories and files are on a disk, to create and delete directories, and to move, copy, and delete files.