... Basic Computer Skills ...

The Hard Disk Drive

The Hard Disk or Hard Drive in your computer (which is found in your CPU or the Central Processing Unit, the "brain" of the system) ... contains everything in your computer that you need to work with. All of the information is on it, which includes the operating system (e.g. Windows 98), all of the hardware device drivers, all of the software, and all of the files and software settings.

Now when looking in My Computer, or in Windows Explorer, the Hard Disk of your computer may or may not have a name, but that name will end in (C:). The Hard Disk can also be referred to as the C: Drive ... The floppy drive is the A: drive, and the CD ROM drive is usually the D: Drive ... Computers which have more than one hard disk, or hard disk partitions will have names which end in letters after C: ... and the CD ROM drive will be the last one.

The contents of this Hard Disk are arranged in a logical fashion as folders (which used to be called directories) with other folders and files in each folder. The Hard Disk can be thought of as a file cabinet drawer (and the floppy and CD ROM drives as other drawers) ... The drawer contains file folders, and inside those folders can be additional files and other file folders and even folders within those folders, and so on. Each folder can also contain files (papers) and other folders. The bottom of the drawer, underneath the folders, can have papers (files) too. The bottom of the "file drawer" of a drive in your computer is called the root directory. Now that's a place where some say you should not keep your files or programs ... Why? because that area should be reserved for critical system files.

The best way to manage the folders and files on your Hard Disk is to use Windows Explorer (not to be confused with Internet Explorer; I'm a Netscapenik), which is a part of the Windows operating system, and can be found in the Start Menu. Click the Start Button, Programs, and Windows Explorer (near or at the end of the list).

This is a good place to add that even that Start Menu and all the sub-menus inside, can be configured or arranged just the way you'd like it ... as easy as re-arranging the furniture in your house ... maybe another time we'll discuss interior decorating.

Introduction Page ....... Tips for Computer ....... Computer Page

Navigator Page

 1