File Management & Email
Video file extensions
.avi ---Audio Video Interleave (Windows) .mov ---Video format (Apple) .mpeg and .mp4 ---(Motion Picture Experts Group) .ram ---Real Audio Metadata (RealNetworks) Like audio files, video files use apps called players. Examples include: Windows Media Player RealPlayer QuickTime
Common document file extensions
.docx ---MS Word 2007 and above .pdf ---Portable Document Format, needs Adobe plug-in .rtf ---Rich Text Format, supported by most word processing programs and OSs .odt ---OpenOffice Document .xlsx ---Excel spreadsheet .accdb or .fp ---MS Access database or FileMaker database .pptx or .pez ---PowerPoint presentation or Prezi presentation .html ---Hypertext Markup Language web page
Google Drive
A cloud storage site designed for collaboration and sharing Requires a Google (Gmail) account Includes: ---Google Docs (word processing) ---Google Sheets (spreadsheets) ---Google Slides (presentations)
Recycle Bin
A storage area for files and folders you want to delete To delete a file or folder use one of the following methods: ---Select the item and press [delete]. ---Right-click the item, select "Delete". ---Drag the item to the Recycle bin. To bypass the Recycle Bin and permanently delete the item, select the item and press [shift] [delete]. To empty the Recycle bin, right-click the Recycle bin icon, select "Empty Recycle Bin". Files sent to the Recycle Bin are not permanently deleted until you empty it. You can restore the files as long as it has not been emptied.
What's a File?
According to Microsoft, a file is an item that contains information such as, text, images or music. When opened, a file can look like a text document or a picture that you might find on someone's desk or in a filing cabinet. On your computer, files are represented with icons. The icon makes it easy to recognize a file type. Common file types include: --Application Files: ------>Application files contain detailed instructions for the CPU on what tasks to perform. ------>Usually stored in the program files folder on the hard drive --Data Files: ------>Data files contain information you have entered and saved in a specific application. ------>Common data files include Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and Microsoft Word documents. ------>Data files can be stored anywhere you designate. --System Files: ------>Included with the OS ------>Many of these files are hidden to prevent them from being altered or deleted.
Audio file compression
Audio file compression allows extremely small devices to store large quantities of music files. The most popular compression format is a lossy compression format called MP4. The most popular lossless compression format is called WAV.
Image file compression
Because digital photos can be large, many users compress images before storing or sending them. Popular image compression formats include JPEG, PNG, and GIF. JPEG is the most popular lossy image compression format. PNG is the most popular lossless image compression format. Some still use GIF, though it has largely been replaced by PNG.
Cloud storage
Cloud storage is online data storage. When data is stored in the cloud it means that it is stored on servers connected to the Internet instead of on your device. Benefits: ---Accessibility ---Data security ---Protection against data loss Disadvantages ---You must be online to see your data. ---Because it's on someone else's server you give up a degree of privacy.
Executable file extensions
Executable files launch programs and specific procedures. .exe ---Windows executable program ---Compressed files that are self-extracting .cgi ---Common Gateway Interface ---File used to generate web content .vbs ---Visual basic script ---Created using visual basic ---Known to carry viruses .cmd ---Windows command file .msi ---Windows installer file ---Used to automate software installation
File compression
File compression reduces the size of data files. This saves storage space as well as transmission capacity and can speed data transmission. There are two types of file compression, lossy and lossless. ---Lossy compression removes less valuable data. ---Lossless compression eliminates redundancy but retains all the original data.
Audio file extensions
For music and audio files .mp3 and .mp4 ---Motion Pictures Experts Group .wav ---Waveform Audio File Format Audio files use apps called players. Examples include: ---iTunes ---Windows Media ---Player ---Real Time ---QuickTime
Renaming files and folders
For organizational purposes it's sometimes necessary to rename files or folders. Use one of the following methods: ---Click the file or folder icon and press F2 to activate edit mode. ---Right-click the file or folder, then click "Rename" in the shortcut menu.
Graphics file extensions
Graphics files are digital files of images. Images can be photos, drawings, and charts. .gif ---Graphics Interchange Format, used for drawings and illustrations .jpg or .jpeg ---Joint Photographic Experts Group, popular for photos .tif or .tiff ---Tagged Image File Format, used in medical imaging .png ---Portable Network Graphics ---Developed to replace gif
How to save a file to Google Drive
Having a Google account gives you 15 GB of fee storage (per account). This includes not only your Google Drive, but also your Gmail account (messages and attachments) and Google+ photos. To store a file in your Google Drive: ---Sign in to your Google Drive account. ---Click on "New" to open the drop-down menu. ---Select "File upload". ---Browse to the file and click "Open". Now your file is on your Google Drive!
Cloud storage terminology
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) ---an organization using servers in the cloud instead of buying and maintaining storage servers for their day-to-day business operations Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ---the distribution of computer applications over the Internet ---SaaS is commonly referred to as web apps. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) ---a programming environment used to develop, test, and disseminate web apps via the Internet
Compressed file formats
Is your file too big to email? Just compress it! Compressed file formats reduce the amount of time needed to download a file and the amount of storage capacity a file uses. Most file types can be compressed and decompressed using a file compression utility.
Sharing files using OneDrive
Login to OneDrive. Choose the file or folder you want to share by selecting the circle in the upper corner of the item. You can also select multiple items to share them together. Tap or click "Share" at the top of the page. In the Share box that appears, choose one of the sharing options: "Get a link" or "Email".
Cloud storage options
OneDrive ---Free to anyone with a Microsoft account ---You can upload and store files, videos, music, and photos. Google Drive ---Allows users to upload and store documents, spreadsheets and presentations to Google's data servers Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn ---Users can upload and share a variety of files. YouTube ---Video sharing and cloud storage site
Microsoft OneDrive
OneDrive is a free online cloud storage service provided by Microsoft. OneDrive comes with a Microsoft email account. Using One Drive removes the need to save files to a USB flash drive or to email files to yourself.
Uploading files to OneDrive
Open OneDrive and login. Click on the OneDrive folder where you want to add the files. Right-click or swipe to open the apps command and click "Add files". Browse to the files you want to upload, click to select them and click "Copy to OneDrive".
Restoring a file from the Recycle Bin
Open the Recycle bin and use one of the following methods: ---Select the file or folder you want to restore, click the "Restore this item" button ---To restore all items in the Recycle bin, click the "Restore all items" button. ---Right-click the file or folder to restore, select "Restore". ---Select multiple items, click the "Restore the selected items" button.
Opening a file within a folder
The documents folder contains files saved to this location. It is a good idea to save files to designated folders for easy retrieval. To open a file that has been saved in the documents folder: ---Click the "File Explorer" button on the taskbar. ---Click "Documents". All files saved in the Documents folder will be displayed. ---Select the file. Another option is to use Cortana: ---Click the "Cortana" button on the taskbar. ---Enter the file name and search. ---Select the file.
Creating a Microsoft Account
To create a new Microsoft account: ---Type onedrive.live.com into your web browser. ---Select "personal", then select "Sign up for free". ---Select "Create a Microsoft account". ---Select "Get a new email address and password". Your new email address will be (username)@outlook.com
Viewing file extensions
To display file extensions ---Open Windows Explorer. ---On the Command bar, click "Organize". ---Click "Folder and Search options". ---On the View tab, Advanced Settings list, uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types." Some file types, such as system files, will be hidden to prevent unintentional changes.
Saving files
To save a file to a different folder: ---With the file open, Click the "File" tab. ---Click "Save As". ---Browse for the location and folder or create a new folder by clicking the "New Folder" button. ---Verify or enter the file name. ---Click "Save".
Cloud Storage Security
Two major concerns about cloud storage are security and reliability. Security ---Cloud storage sites use encryption to protect data. ---Encryption uses algorithms to encode information. ---Cloud storage sites also require usernames and passwords as another layer of security. Reliability ---A major concern with many cloud storage users. ---What happens if I can't access a cloud storage site? ---What if the site goes out of business?
Creating a Google Drive account
Type the following in your Browser window: https://accounts.google.com/signup Fill out the form.
How to search for files or folders
Type the search criteria in the Search box. Search by ---Name ---File type ---Date created ---Date modified ---And other criteria Files and folders that closely match the criteria will display.
Selecting files or folders
Use one of the following methods: ---Point to the file/folder and click. ---To select all files/folders in a specified location, click "Organize" and click "Select All" or press [ctrl][a]. ---To select multiple files, hold down [ctrl] and click on the files. To turn off a selection of files/folders, click anywhere away from the selection.
How to copy files and folders
Use one of the following methods: ---Press [ctrl][c], move to the new location, press [ctrl][v]. ---Right-click on the item, select "Copy", move to the new location, right-click and select "Paste". ---With two windows open, press [ctrl], and drag the file to the new window. If you copy files with the same file name, a message will display indicating there are duplicate files. When you copy a file or folder, the original remains in the source location and a copy is placed in the destination location - the same information will be in both locations.
How to move files and folders
Use one of the following methods: ---Press [ctrl][x], go to the new location where the file will be copied, press [ctrl][v]. ---Right-click the item, select "Cut", go to the new location where the file will be moved, right-click, select "Paste". Use one of the following methods: ---To move a file or folder from one device to another: Hold down [shift] while dragging the file to the new location. Note: If you do not hold down [shift] the file will be copied, not moved. ---To move a file or folder within the same device: With two folders open, drag the file from one folder to the other.
What if I can't open a file?
When you double-click a file, it should automatically open. If Windows can't open the file, you will be prompted to select the correct application program to open the file. If you don't have the necessary app installed, you can probably download it. Windows can search the web for the correct program.
Sharing files with Google Drive
You can share Google Drive files and folders and choose whether the people you share them with can view, edit, or make comments. You can share files with a link or email attachment. Login to your Google Drive account. Right-click on the file or folder you want to share. Click "Share". Enter the email address of the person you want to share the file with.
