This article will introduce you to the basics of copying files. You will also have a basic understanding of the Windows Explorer not to be confused with Internet Explorer.


Let's start byng or starting the Windows Explorer. Click on the Start menu then Programs and finally Windows Explorer.



Don't be worried if your Windows Explorer window looks a little different from the picture below. This information will be applicable to Windows 95 through Windows XP even though the Windows Explorer has changed it's appearance a little over the years.

You will notice first off that there are 2 panes to the explorer window. The left pane displays your drives and folders. The right pane displays folders and files.



Let's start be viewing the contents of the floppy drive. Insert your floppy disk into the diskette drive. On the left pane of the explorer window near the top you'll see "3 1/2 Floppy (A:)", click on it with your left mouse button. If you don't see it then you will have to scroll the left pane up to the top using the scroll bar that is on the right side of the left pane (see the picture above).

Now on the right pane of the explorer window it will display "3 1/2 Floppy (A:)" with a list of folders and files if there are any. The disk may be empty in which case there will be no folders or files listed.

At the bottom of the Windows Explorer is the status bar (see the picture above). If it is not there click View from the menu at the top and from the drop down list click Status. The status bar is very informative. If you click on a drive or directory in the left pane, the status bar will display the amount of disk space taken up by the files in that directory as well as the amount of free space that is left on that drive. If you click on a file that is in the right pane the status bar will display the size of that file. If you highlight multiple files in the right pane then the status bar will display the total size of all highlighted files. This information comes in handy when you want to copy one or more files to a floppy.

OK so let's get to copying a file already!

Using the Windows Explorer find "Program Files" in the left pane. You may have to scroll up or down to find it. Once you find it click on the folder icon to the left of it with your left mouse button. This will display all of it's folder and files in the right pane. Now in the right pane find "Accessories" and double click the folder icon that is directly on it's left. This will display all of the files that are in the "C:\Program Files\Accessories" folder. There should be a file with the name of Wordpad.exe in this folder. This will be the file we test copy to our floppy. Don't worry we won't hurt it.

Scroll the left pane scroll bar all the way to the top so that you can see the "3 1/2 Floppy (A:)" again. Now in the right pane move your mouse cursor over "Wordpad.exe" then click and hold down your left mouse button. Notice how "Wordpad.exe" is highlighted in blue, this means you are ready to go. Now keeping your left mouse button down start to move or drag your cursor, you'll notice that you seem to have a hold of a copy of "Wordpad.exe" that moves with your mouse. Keep moving or dragging this copy until is is over top of the "3 1/2 Floppy (A:)" in the left pane. Notice how the "3 1/2 Floppy (A:)" is highlighted as your mouse cursor is over it. Now release your left mouse button this will drop the "Wordpad.exe" file and thus copy it to the floppy drive. That is where the term drag and drop comes from.

Using the technique described above you will now be able to copy files to a floppy and from a floppy to the hard disk or from folder to folder. It works the same way any way you go. You also know how to find the file size of a file or folder and to check free space on a drive as well. There are some other ways to copy and move files that I won't get into here but I will say that the technique described above is one that every computer user should be able to utilize.

Best Regards and Happy Computing, KM.