CertiGuide to A+ (Operating Systems)  9  Chapter 0000:  How to Get There       9  VI  My Computer and Version Information

Creating a Folder 1 The Recycle Bin

Before we continue looking at the Windows Desktop, let’s look at one important activity you can perform with the items on the Windows desktop, and elsewhere in Windows.

Drag and drop is a key Windows user interface function to master, because it is used in many places in Windows and in application programs, to move or copy files, text, pictures, etc. from one place to another. Let’s look at how drag-and-drop works in Windows. For files and folders, you’d typically use drag and drop to move information from one folder to another, or from the Desktop to another folder (or back).

There are several ways to perform drag-and-drop. As with most keyboard-vs-mouse choices in Windows, which one you use largely comes down to personal preference and convenience.

The most basic drag and drop will move a file from one location to another. This means, the file will disappear from its original location, and reappear in the new one. To move a file, place the mouse pointer over the item (a folder, shortcut, program file, document, etc.), highlight it and then click the left mouse button. Now, while holding the left mouse button down, move the mouse over to the top of the Recycle Bin and release the mouse button. This is known as drag (moving the mouse with the button pressed) and drop (letting go of the button when the mouse pointer is somewhere else).

If you want to get fancy, and copy rather than move the file or folder, which means that you’ll then have copies of the file in two locations, use the right mouse button to drag instead. When you release the mouse button, Windows will pop up a menu asking you what you would like to do – move, copy or create a shortcut. Choose the action you’d like. This is also a good option to use if you just can’t seem to remember whether the default drag and drop action is move or copy. (One of the authors has done it just fine this way for years.)

That’s the mouse-driven way to drag and drop. Now, let’s get the keyboard involved. Remember that using the left mouse button to drag will move a file? You can instruct Windows to copy it instead, by holding down the CTRL key and the left mouse button as you drag the file to a new location.

There’s one exception to the “left click moves” rule. If you drag a file or a folder to a location on a different disk, the file will be copied to the other disk, and the original will remain on the first disk.

8 Practice creating and renaming a folder

8 Practice dragging and dropping (moving and creating files and folders)

There are a few other things to know about the icons we see by default on the Windows desktop.

Creating a Folder 1 The Recycle Bin