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Chapter 6: Mastering Windows Explorer and Searching Your Computer

Location Indicator icon

The Location Indicator icon depicts the type of resource you are currently

accessing. You’ll see different icons, including those for disk drives, folders, vir-

tual folders, and so on. Clicking the Location Indicator icon shows the actual

path or location, such as C:\Users\Williams\Pictures. Although you cannot click

the path a second time to restore the original view, you can double-click the icon

to view the same drop-down list provided by the Previous Locations button.

Path Selection list button

The Path Selection list button provides access to the available base locations.

Selecting a base location allows you to quickly access a key Windows Explorer

view, such as Control Panel, Computer, or Desktop.

Location Path entries

The Location Path shows the absolute or relative path to the current location.

You can access a folder anywhere along the path that’s displayed by clicking the

link for that folder. You can access a subfolder of any folder displayed by click-

ing the arrow to the right of the folder. This displays a list of all folders in the

selected folder, and you can access one of these folders by clicking it.

Previous Locations button

This provides a drop-down list of locations you’ve accessed which can include

file locations, network drive locations, and web addresses. Unlike the Recent

Pages button, the locations listed can include locations opened in previous Win-

dows Explorer or Internet Explorer sessions. You can jump to a recently

accessed location quickly by clicking the Previous Locations button and then

clicking the desired location.

Using Selected Paths to Quickly Navigate Your Computer

Base locations accessible via the Path Selection list button are important because they

allow you to access key locations on your computer with the click of a button. Click-

ing the Path Selection list button is the easiest way to access and navigate base loca-

tions. The base locations available are:

Current user

Selecting this base location accesses your personal folder in Windows Explorer

(see Figure 6-12). Depending on your selection, the taskbar may be updated to

include these additional options: Open, for opening a selected folder or file;

Share, for sharing a selected folder or file; Burn, for burning a selected folder or

file to CD or DVD; and Previous Versions, for accessing a previous version of a

selected folder or file. When you select a file, you’ll also see Print, E-mail, Slide

Show, and Preview options.

Navigating Your Computer with the Address Bar

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Computer

Selecting this base location accesses your computer’s hard disk drives and

devices with removable storage (see Figure 6-13). Depending on your selection,

the taskbar may be updated to include these options: “System properties,” for

accessing the System console in the Control Panel; “Uninstall or change a pro-

gram,” for opening the Installed Programs console in the Control Panel; “Map

network drive,” for mapping a shared folder on a computer; and Properties, for

accessing a selected item’s Properties dialog box.

Figure 6-12. Accessing your documents, pictures, and other files

Figure 6-13. Accessing disk drives and devices with removable storage

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Chapter 6: Mastering Windows Explorer and Searching Your Computer

Control Panel

Selecting this base location accesses the Control Panel in Windows Explorer (see

Figure 6-14). You can then work with Control Panel options using Category or

Classic view. The Control Panel doesn’t have a menu bar, but it does have an

Address bar and Search box. Using the Search box, you can quickly find Con-

trol Panel tools and task links.

Desktop

Selecting this base location accesses the desktop in Windows Explorer (see

Figure 6-15). This allows you to view and work with all the shortcuts, files, and

folders stored on the desktop. When you select files or folders, you’ll have the

same options as when you are working with your personal folder or any other

folder. Use this view to help you clean up the clutter on your desktop or to find

items on a cluttered desktop.

Network

Selecting this base location accesses the base page for the computers and devices

on your network (see Figure 6-16). Depending on your selection, the taskbar

may be updated to include these additional options: Search Active Directory, for

when you are at the office and want to find available resources; Network and

Sharing Center, for configuring network sharing and printing options; Add a

printer, for adding a printer; and Network Center and Connect to a Network

icons on the taskbar, to provide quick access to these features.

Figure 6-14. Accessing the Control Panel