Windows

The operating system that runs all your programs and allows you to easily interact with your PC is called Windows. It allows you to work with several different items and programs at once, all in their own 'window'. A window is like a smaller screen contained within a box on your main screen.

When you are working with a window it is brought to the 'front' of the screen, overlapping the Desktop and any other items behind it, so that you can focus on whatever is in the window.

In this way, you can have several windows open at the same time containing different programs that can be opened, closed, and re-arranged across the screen. This means you can do multiple tasks at the same time, such as playing your favorite music while writing an e-mail for example.

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Files And Folders

Every item stored on your PC, whether it is a document, picture, song, game or whatever, is a file. A file can only be activated by programs that understand and are able to use it.

For example, you cannot use a music program to open a letter document. Each program on your computer understands what type of file it can or cannot use by the fact that every file has a filetype given to it.

This takes the form of a few extra letters or numbers added on to its name after a full stop. So for example, 'myletter.doc' is a file named 'myletter' with the filetype '.doc', meaning it will require a program that understands doc (document) files, such as Microsoft Word.

There are many different filetypes.

Any one single program or application can actually consist of many different files, all working together to achieve the same task.

This means modern computers can have millions of files spread across different locations. Folders help organize these files, so that for each particular program there can be one folder that contains all the files it needs in one place.

A folder can even contain other folders inside it called 'sub-folders'. For example, to organize your holiday pictures together you might have a folder called 'Holidays 2006' and then other sub-folders within that for each particular holiday destination, for example 'France 2006'.

You can create your own folders. You can also create shortcuts to make it easier to find particular files.

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My Documents

My Documents is a folder on your computer that is automatically created for you, so that you can store all your own files in one place away from all the program and system folders, making them easier to find.

Double-click the My Documents shortcut on the Desktop and you will see a list of folders, within which are your files. To see what is inside a folder, double-click on it and the current window will change to show the contents.

You may see some other folders which have been automatically created for you to help you store certain types of files, such as My Music, My Pictures and My Videos. However, you do not have to use these, and you can store any of your files in any folder you want to. You don't even have to use My Documents, though it is usually easier if you do.

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