A typical folder's Folder View
| SELECT, COPY AND PASTE |
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In previous Folders And Files sections you have been taught how to Select, Copy, Cut and Past a folder, amongst other things.
Now I am going to show you how to put the whole thing together, using Files as well, so that you know what is meant by the
terms Copy & Paste and Cut & Paste.
To make the learning even easier I am going to be using two windows. The first window
will be the Documents folder. This is where I am going to Copy from and Cut from. The second window will be my Flash-Memory
Drive (Flash Drive), which is empty. This is where I am going to put (Paste) the copied (and cut) sub-folders and files. So
basically I am going to show you how to copy folders and files from one storage area to another by using Copy & Paste and
Cut & Paste procedures.
Before I continue I must point out that the Folder View, and more specifically the Toolbars, of each folder used in this
section have been pre-modified for ease of viewing. Meaning. Instead of seeing the Name, Date Modified, Type, Size and so on
toolbars (below) I have changed each folder's view to only show the Name toolbar. I thought the other toolbars might
distract from the explanations. The changes, which are not documented (hence why I am informing you here), are made after I
open a folder or after I paste something into a folder. If you want to change a folder's view see the next section which is
called Folder Views.
To get started the first thing you need to do is open your source window (copy from window or cut from window) and your destination window (put/paste window). See the Move A Window and Re-Size A Window sections for more information, if need be.
The window on top is viewing the contents of the Documents main folder. It is the Documents folder-window in other words.
My Received Files and OneNote Notebooks are sub-folders inside the Documents main folder. My Sharing Folders is a shortcut
(link icon) only, which is used by Windows Live Mesenger, that I will not be using or discussing here. And the other items
inside the Documents main folder are files. Documents is known as the Source, because it is here where I will be copying
(and cutting) from.
The window underneath the Documents folder (folder-window) is viewing the contents of the Flash Drive (E:) main folder. It
is the Flash Drive (E:) folder-window in other words. E is the letter assigned to the Hardware Device (Flash Drive) by
Windows Vista and Flash Drive is the name I have given the flash-memory (hardware) drive. Flash Drive (which is empty at
the moment) is known as the Destination, because it is here where I will end up putting (Pasting) the sub-folders and/or
files. The source and destination folders can be any folders/sub-folders of your choosing (i.e Floppy Disk to a Website,
Documents to a Flash-Memory Drive, Documents to a CD and so on). Here I have chosen Documents because it is on your computer
and the Flash-Memory Drive because it is portable (it can be removed from your computer and then inserted into another
computer), therefore any folders and/or files pasted (put) onto it will be portable as well.
After opening the two windows the next thing to do is to decide which folders and/or files I want to COPY (or CUT). And then
where I want to put (PASTE) them. For example. If I COPY the Essay.docx file do I then PASTE it straight into the Flash Drive
main folder or do I want to create a sub-folder for Essay.docx to go into first? It is this kind of thing you must decide
before doing any copying/pasting or cutting/pasting. In other words. Map out where you would like each sub-folder and/or
file to be pasted (put), create any needed sub-folders inside your destination, and then COPY & PASTE your sub-folder(s)
and/or file(s).
The first thing I am going to do is create a sub-folder called Holiday Photos inside the Flash Drive main folder. Here I am
going to click on the ORGANIZE menu before selecting the NEW FOLDER menu-item. If you are using a
Folder View with the standard menu on it you can create a folder in the normal
way. See the Create A Folder and Rename A Folder
sections if you need help.
The next thing I am going to do is double click on the Holiday Photos sub-folder (Fig 1.4 below) to get inside it (Fig 1.5). From there I will create two sub-sub-folders, France and Italy, in the normal way. So the hierarchy is then Flash Drive (main folder), Holiday Photos (sub-folder inside Flash Drive and main folder for France and Italy) and France and Italy (sub-folders inside Holiday Photos and sub-sub-folders to Flash Drive).
Now that the two sub-sub-folders, France and Italy, have been created inside the Holiday Photos sub-folder I will double click on the France sub-sub-folder to get inside it. The reason being that I want to copy the Paris1.jpg and Paris2.jpg photograph files from the Documents main folder into the France sub-sub-folder.
Before I do any copying I need to explain how you select more than one file (or sub-folder). The
Copy A Folder and Cut A Folder
sections explained how to select one sub-folder at a time, but in this section you will need to know how to select more
than one sub-folder and/or file at a time.
There are two basic methods for selecting multiple items (folders and/or files). The first method is to use the CTRL
keyboard key, which allows you to select individual items. And the second method is to use the SHIFT keyboard key, which
allows you to select a range of items.
Select with CTRL
With the CTRL keyboard key method you start by selecting your first item (folder or sub-folder) as normal, by clicking
on it with the left mouse button (Fig 1.8). You then press the CTRL keyboard key and keep it held down as you select
your second item, your third item and so on (Fig 1.9). When you are happy with your selection you let go of the CTRL
keyboard key. If you make a mistake you can always de-select an item by clicking on it again, with the CTRL keyboard key
held down.
If you do not keep the CTRL keyboard key held down as you are selecting or de-selecting an item you will cancel your
selection and have to start all over again.
Select with SHIFT
With the SHIFT keyboard key method you start by selecting your first item (folder and/or file) as normal, by clicking
on it with the left mouse button (Fig 1.10). You then press the SHIFT keyboard key and keep it held down as you select
the last item in your range (Fig 1.11). When you are happy with your selected range you let go of the SHIFT keyboard key.
If you make a mistake with the last item you can always select a different last item by clicking on it, with the SHIFT
keyboard key held down.
If you do not keep the SHIFT keyboard key held down as you are selecting a last item only the last item will be selected.
The first item will be de-selected, therefore no range will be created.
The SHIFT and CTRL methods can also be used in combination. For example. You could select a range of files (and/or folders) with the SHIFT method and then select individual files (and/or folders) with the CTRL method (Fig 1.12). You cannot do the reverse though. You cannot select individual items with the CTRL method and then select a range of items with the SHIFT method because the SHIFT method will de-select any items selected with the CTRL method. Therefore, either use the SHIFT method first and then the CTRL method (as in Fig 1.12) or use the CTRL method first and then use the mouse pointer to select a range of items (Fig 1.13).
In Fig 1.13 I first selected the My Received Files sub-folder and then the Essay.docx file using the CTRL method. With the
CTRL keyboard key still held down I then used the Mouse Pointer to select the range of files (Paris2.jpg to Rome2.jpg) - The
mouse pointer Drag method was shown in the Paste A Folder section (towards the
end, after Fig 1.15), but I will refresh your memory anyway!
Starting from the top right-hand-side of your selection, click the left mouse button. Keep it clicked (held down) and then
drag (move) the mouse pointer towards the bottom left-hand-side of your selection. Then let go of the left mouse button.
So in Fig 1.13 I started by moving the mouse pointer to the top right-hand-side of the Paris2.jpg file. I then clicked
the left mouse button and kept it clicked whilst I then dragged (moved) the mouse pointer towards the bottom left-hand-side
of the Rome2.jpg file. When I knew that was what I wanted selecting I let go of the left mouse button. You do not have to be
perfect with your positioning of the mouse pointer, as Fig 1.13 shows, because Windows Vista automatically selects the
folders and/or files that are within range of your selection box (elastic band) for you.
Now that you know how to select items the next thing to do is the actual copying (or cutting) and pasting.
The word COPY, when used in the context of COPY & PASTE, means to make an exact copy of the currently selected item(s) and put that exact copy of the currently selected item(s) into Memory. So that when the currently selected item(s) need pasting (moving to another place) it is the exact copy of the currently selected item(s), now in memory, that are pasted (moved to another place) and not the currently selected item(s). In other words. The currently selected item(s) stay where they are and are kept selected. It is the exact copy of the currently selected item(s), in memory, that is pasted.
So the COPY & PASTE process is as follows. First select the item(s) you want a COPY of. Then click on the ORGANIZE menu and select (left click on) the COPY menu-item (Fig 1.14 above) - This will create an exact copy of your selected item(s) and put that exact copy into memory, therefore creating a memory copy of your selected item(s). You then go to the place (sub-folder) where you want the exact copy (memory copy) of your selected item(s) pasted to, click on the ORGANIZE menu and then select the PASTE menu-item (Fig 1.15 above) - This will put the exact copy (memory copy) of your selected item(s) into the place (sub-folder) you have chosen. So in my example I selected the Paris1.jpg and Paris2.jpg files from the Documents folder, clicked on ORGANISE > COPY, went over to the France sub-folder and then clicked on ORGANISE > PASTE.
As you can see. When the exact copy (memory copy) of your selected items (Paris1.jpg and Paris2.jpg) is pasted, from memory, into the France sub-folder (Fig 1.16 above) the selected items inside the Documents folder remain intact (Fig 1.17 above). They are not deleted. This is because PASTE is working with a memory copy of your selected item(s), that COPY created, and not with your actual currently selected item(s).
The word CUT, when used in the context of CUT & PASTE, means to cut out (delete) the currently selected item(s) once they have been pasted. In other words. CUT & PASTE works in exactly the same way as COPY & PASTE with the difference being that CUT deletes the currently (originally) selected item(s) once they have been pasted from memory. So CUT really does move items from one place to another, whereas COPY leaves the original items alone.
So the CUT & PASTE process is as follows. First select the item(s) you want a COPY of. Then click on the ORGANIZE menu and select (left click on) the CUT menu-item (Fig 1.18 above) - This will create an exact copy of your selected item(s) and put that exact copy into memory, therefore creating a memory copy of your selected item(s). Your currently selected item(s) are then marked for deletion, denoted by their icons being faded out (Fig 1.19 above), which means they will be deleted once a PASTE has occurred. You then go to the place (sub-folder) where you want the exact copy (memory copy) of your selected item(s) pasted to, click on the ORGANIZE menu and then select the PASTE menu-item (Fig 1.20 below) - This will put the exact copy (memory copy) of your selected item(s) into the place (sub-folder) you have chosen (Fig 1.21 below). So in my example I selected the Paris1.jpg and Paris2.jpg files from the Documents folder, clicked on ORGANISE > CUT, went over to the France sub-folder and then clicked on ORGANISE > PASTE. Once the PASTE has been done your selected item(s) inside the Documents folder are then deleted (Fig 1.22 below).
DRAG & DROP is a variant of COPY & PASTE. It allows you to DRAG (move) one, or more, items (sub-folders and/or files) from
one place to another using just the mouse pointer and left mouse button. Below is an example using the Paris1.jpg file.
Start by selecting a file, but do not release the left mouse button - keep it held down over the selected file. Now move
the mouse pointer towards the main folder (or sub-folder) you want your selected file to go into (Fig 1.23 below). Remember.
The left mouse button is still held down as you are moving the mouse pointer - This is known as Dragging. As you drag the
mouse pointer your selected file follows the mouse pointer.
As soon as the mouse pointer is away from the source folder (i.e away from the Documents folder) and over the desktop a message appears underneath the mouse pointer - Move To Desktop (Fig 1.24 below). This means if you now let go of the left mouse button a copy of your selected file will be placed on the desktop. Your original selected file will still be intact inside its source folder as DRAG & DROP works with a memory copy, just the same as COPY & PASTE. In this example though you are not DROPping your selected file onto the desktop, so keep the left mouse button pressed.
With the left mouse button still pressed carry on moving (dragging) the mouse pointer towards your destination folder (i.e towards the France sub-folder). When the mouse pointer is just coming over your destination folder (main folder or sub-folder) a message will appear - Copy To Destination folder (i.e Copy To France). It is now that you could let go of the left mouse button in order to place a copy of your selected file inside the destination folder (Fig 1.25 below). However, being a beginner, you are better off waiting until you have dragged the mouse pointer into the center (white display area) of your destination folder before letting go of the left mouse button.
A good use for dropping a file when it has just approached a destination folder's title bar (a destination window's title bar) is when you have multiple folders (windows) stacked on top of one another (Fig 1.27 below), whereby you cannot see the display area of the destination folder (destination window). After dropping the selected file the destination folder is brought to the front of the other folders (Fig 1.28 below) - This may hide one or more of the other folder's title bar, depending on how much of that folder is viewable.
To drag more than one item simply select more than one item and then follow the Drag & Drop steps above - You are doing exactly the same as above except you are starting with more than one item selected, so you will be dragging and then dropping more than one item (as shown below).
Over the Folders & Files sections I have shown you how to paste your item(s) inside a sub-folder, so that (1) you
know your item(s) were definately pasted inside that sub-folder and (2) you could see what else was inside that sub-folder,
but what if you do not care about what is already inside a sub-folder and you trust Windows Vista to paste your item(s)
into a sub-folder? Is there a way of pasting into a sub-folder without actually opening that sub-folder?....Yes there is.
This next example shows how to paste already selected and copied items into the France sub-folder (from the above examples)
without actually opening the France sub-folder.
Once the Paris1.jpg and Paris2.jpg files have been selected and then copied (ORGANIZE > COPY) into memory, the next thing
to do is make sure you are inside the Holiday Photos sub-folder. Either open the Holiday Photos sub-folder from scratch or
with the above examples just click on the blue BACK (left-arrow) button to get back into the Holiday Photos sub-folder.
When you are inside the Holiday Photos sub-folder, where you can see the France and Italy sub-folders, right click on the
France sub-folder to bring up its Options menu. From there, left click on the PASTE menu-item. This will then paste the
Paris1.jpg and Paris2.jpg files into the France sub-folder, without you having to open the France sub-folder.
If you want to paste directly into the main folder of a hardware device, such as a Floppy Disk (A:\) or a Flash Drive (E:\), you can use the SEND TO menu-item. Simply select your item(s), without COPYing them with ORGANIZE > COPY, and then right-click on one of the selected items. This will bring up the Options menu where you must then navigate towards the SEND TO sub-menu - There is no need to click on this sub-menu though as it will open its own menu after a second or so. When the SEND TO sub-menu opens left click on its Hardware Device menu-item (i.e Flash Drive (E:)). A copy of your selected items will then be sent to that hardware device's main folder - In my example, to the E: main folder (Fig 1.32 below).
In the two examples above the original files were left in their original folders after their pasting operation - none of them did a CUT. Each example did a COPY only, which if you remember means a copy of their files are put into memory - Example one pasted its memory files into the France sub-folder, whereas example two (SEND TO) pasted its memory files into the E: main folder. In both examples I did not have to open the destination folder (i.e the France sub-folder and the E: main folder).
What I have explained so far is one COPY and one PASTE. In other words. The copying of a selection of files from one place
to another, which is okay if that is all you need but what happens if you need to paste the same copied items into more
than one place? Do the same files need a COPY & PASTE to the France sub-folder for example and then another COPY & PASTE to
the E: main folder for example? Answer.....No. When you use ORGANIZE > COPY a copy of your selected files are put into
memory, ready for the PASTE operation, as explained throughout this section. And when you ORGANIZE > PASTE those memory
files are then taken out of memory and pasted (moved) into your destination folder. To have more than one PASTE with the
same files you simply go inside your second destination folder and do ORGANIZE > PASTE again. So for every destination
folder you do an ORGANIZE > PASTE. What PASTE actually does is go back the second time, and thereafter, and copies your
originally selected files into memory again (by re-calling COPY).....and then moves (pastes) them from memory into your
destination folder.
Note. If you remove the source folder (i.e your Flash Drive), even after doing an ORGANIZE > COPY of your selected Flash
Drive files, you will get an error.....because the memory was cleared. For example. If you select all the files on your
Flash Drive, do ORGANIZE > COPY, and then unplug your Flash Drive you will not be able to ORGANIZE > PASTE to the Documents
main folder for example. This is because COPY quickly makes a copy of your selected files and stores them briefly in memory,
as it knows a PASTE will follow shortly. Afterall, you are transferring data. So no permanent storage should be required.
It is the way COPY & PASTE operates. For example. Imagine you did many ORGANIZE > COPYs without doing any ORGANIZE > PASTEs.
Your memory would be filling up with data and probably be denying a program the memory it desperately needs. Hence why a
second PASTE goes back and informs COPY to copy your selected files into memory again. COPY & PASTE work as a team to
quickly transfer files from A to B using quick memory copying procedures.
The hierarchy (order) of folders, like COPY & PASTE, has also been explained over the Folders & Files sections. However. Most of the examples in those explanations have shown how to go down the hierarchy, to get inside a sub-folder. So in this next example I will show you how to go up and down the Flash Drive's hierarchy so that you are clear what the hierarchy is.
With any hierarchy start from the top, and also look at the folders like a family tree as in Fig 1.34 above. For example. The hierarchy, if you had folders to do with your family, could be Mother, Daughter (left branch), Son (right branch), Granddaughter (daughter's branch) and so on. In other words, when you go into a sub-folder you are going down the hierarchy (i.e Mother into Daughter or Flash Drive E: into Holiday Photos). And when you come out of a sub-folder you are going up the hierarchy (i.e out of Daughter an into Mother again or out of Holiday Photos and into Flash Drive E: again). Here an example.
Figures 1.35 to 1.37 were straight forward. I just went straight down the hierarchy to one of the last sub-folders - France.
I could of gone for the other last sub-folder, on the other branch, which would of been Italy of course. Remember. From
Holiday Photos the hierarchy branches into France and Italy.
To go back up one level of the folder order (hierarchy) simply click on the previous folder's name which should be located
inside the current folder's Address Bar edit box (Fig 1.38 below). In Fig 1.38 I want to get out of the France sub-folder and back into the Holiday
Photos sub-folder. Once this is done (Fig 1.39) I can then see both the France and Italy sub-folders again because I am now back inside the Holiday Photos sub-folder.
Clicking on the previous folder's name again (Fig 1.39 above), Flash Drive (E:) this time, from inside the Holiday Photos
sub-folder takes me back into the Flash Drive (E:) main folder. For more explanation of the Address Bar edit box, and more
importantly examples and explanations of Path Names, see the path names section
(Fig 1.3 onwards).
Remember. At anytime you are in a main folder (or sub-folder) you can create a sub-folder inside that main folder (or
sub-folder), delete a sub-folder, COPY & PASTE or CUT & PASTE (if there are items inside the folder) and so on.
Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.
All HTM files in the yoingco.com folder and its sub-folders are (c) John White, August 3rd 2005 - 2008. All Rights Reserved. FREE Vista Helpline: Contact John