CertiGuide to A+ (A+ 4 Real)  9  Chapter 1: What are Operating Systems and How Do They Work?       9  Operating System Features

The Properties of “My Computer” 1 Drag and Drop

To introduce some new features and to demonstrate some practical uses of the topics discussed so far we will begin by creating a folder on the desktop. Right click on the desktop, move the cursor to the “New” menu and select “Folder” (Windows 95, 98 and NT users can just select “New Folder” from the top-level menu). Next, we will name the folder something friendly. Depending on the version of Windows you are using, you may already see Figure 34.

The white box with the text selected in blue is the important part – if this is visible, do nothing. If however, your folder looks more like Figure 35, click on the folder once with the right mouse button, and click on the “Rename” option in the pop up menu. Clicking on the folder once with the left mouse button and pressing the F2 key also has the same effect, and is slightly quicker.

We are now able to rename the folder. Note the blinking vertical bar in the white box. This is called the “caret”, and signifies both that the application (the operating system in this case) is awaiting keyboard input, and the position that typed characters will be inserted at. Delete the current text, and type “CompTIA” for the folder name. We now have a brand new folder to work with.

First, let us review what context sensitive options are available for this new folder. Right click the folder, and review the pop up menu that appears.

This is a standard file and folder popup menu. One of the more useful options available in this menu is the “Send To” option. Moving the mouse over it and pausing for a second displays a submenu of items similar to Figure 37.

This menu allows you to perform quickly the available actions on any selected file or folder. Whilst this in itself is convenient, Windows also allows you to extend this menu by simply creating the appropriate shortcut. To add your own item to this menu, use Explorer to navigate to the Send To folder in your profile:

• Windows 2000 and XP: You will find this in“C:\Documents and Settings\Your_Username\Send To”.
  
  
• Windows 95 and 98: you’ll find this directory in C:\Windows\Profiles\Your_Username\SendTo.
  
  
• Windows NT: You’ll find it in C:\WinNT\Profiles\Your_Username\SendTo.

Simply use the procedure discussed previously to create a shortcut in this folder to the desired folder or location.

The Properties of “My Computer” 1 Drag and Drop