Windows Explorer
Windows Explorer is a program which enables you to access the various files, folders
and disk drives.
The explorer window is divided into two portions. The left hand side portion displays
the folders. The right hand side portion displays the contents of a particular folder which have
been selected. Explorer also allows you to perform various operations on files, such as cutting,
copying, pasting, deleting etc.
Files and Folders in Windows
A file is similar to a sheet of paper containing some written information. In computer
terminology, a paper sheet is called a file and a book is called a folder. Just as a book contains
pages, a computer folder consists of files.
Folders are containers that may have many files or subfolders under them.
Opening the Explorer program
Make sure that the Desktop of Windows XP is displayed. Move the mouse of the
pointer over the My Computer icon press the right mouse button once On clicking the right
mouse button, a pop-up menu appears. Move the mouse pointer over the Explore option of the
pop-up menu and press the left mouse button. This opens up the Explorer window of My
Computer on your screen.
We can also start the Explorer program from the Start button of the Taskbar or the
Network Neighbourhood icon or the Recycle Bin etc.
Parts of the Explorer Window
The various parts of the Explorer window are as follow:
Title bar: The title bar is situated at the top of the explorer window. It displays the name of the
icon from where you had started the explorer program.
Menu bar: The Menu bar consists of various options such as File, Edit, View, Tools and Help
options.
Indicator bar:The explorer window is divided into two parts. The box on the left hand side is
termed as the Folders box and the one on the right hand side is called the Contents box. At
the top of the Contents box, the name of the currently open folder is displayed in a bar which is
called the Indicator bar.
Status bar:The Status bar, by default, indicates the number of items in the Contents box.
Folders box:The box on the left section of the Explorer window is called the Folders box. This
box displays the icon including the recycle Bin which are present on the Desktop. If you click
any of these icons, its contents are displayed inside the contents box.
Inside the Folders box, you will find that some icons have a+sign while others have a-sign. The
+sign indicates that the icons are at present closed. The -sign indicates that the icon is currently
open and all its çontents are displayed in the contents box.
Contents box: The box in the right section of the Explorer window is called the Contents box. It
shows the contents of a drive, a folder or an icon which is highlighted in the Folders box.
Creating a new Sub-folder through explorer
For Eg: let us create a new sub- folder inside the Local Disk (C:). To do so undertake the
following steps:
Windows Explorer is a program which enables you to access the various files, folders
and disk drives.
The explorer window is divided into two portions. The left hand side portion displays
the folders. The right hand side portion displays the contents of a particular folder which have
been selected. Explorer also allows you to perform various operations on files, such as cutting,
copying, pasting, deleting etc.
Files and Folders in Windows
A file is similar to a sheet of paper containing some written information. In computer
terminology, a paper sheet is called a file and a book is called a folder. Just as a book contains
pages, a computer folder consists of files.
Folders are containers that may have many files or subfolders under them.
Opening the Explorer program
Make sure that the Desktop of Windows XP is displayed. Move the mouse of the
pointer over the My Computer icon press the right mouse button once On clicking the right
mouse button, a pop-up menu appears. Move the mouse pointer over the Explore option of the
pop-up menu and press the left mouse button. This opens up the Explorer window of My
Computer on your screen.
We can also start the Explorer program from the Start button of the Taskbar or the
Network Neighbourhood icon or the Recycle Bin etc.
Parts of the Explorer Window
The various parts of the Explorer window are as follow:
Title bar: The title bar is situated at the top of the explorer window. It displays the name of the
icon from where you had started the explorer program.
Menu bar: The Menu bar consists of various options such as File, Edit, View, Tools and Help
options.
Indicator bar:The explorer window is divided into two parts. The box on the left hand side is
termed as the Folders box and the one on the right hand side is called the Contents box. At
the top of the Contents box, the name of the currently open folder is displayed in a bar which is
called the Indicator bar.
Status bar:The Status bar, by default, indicates the number of items in the Contents box.
Folders box:The box on the left section of the Explorer window is called the Folders box. This
box displays the icon including the recycle Bin which are present on the Desktop. If you click
any of these icons, its contents are displayed inside the contents box.
Inside the Folders box, you will find that some icons have a+sign while others have a-sign. The
+sign indicates that the icons are at present closed. The -sign indicates that the icon is currently
open and all its çontents are displayed in the contents box.
Contents box: The box in the right section of the Explorer window is called the Contents box. It
shows the contents of a drive, a folder or an icon which is highlighted in the Folders box.
Creating a new Sub-folder through explorer
For Eg: let us create a new sub- folder inside the Local Disk (C:). To do so undertake the
following steps:
