Tech-Ease: Files and Sharing Questions and Answers

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How do I view the properties of a file or folder?

To access the properties of a file or folder, right-click on it and select Properties.

You can also Alt-click on a file or folder to access its properties. The General tab of the Properties dialog box will provide you with information such as the full path to the file or folder, its size, what application is configured to open it, and the date it was created, last modified, and accessed.

General tab

You will also see check boxes at the bottom of the window where you can make a file Read-only or Hidden. A Read-only file can be opened to see its contents, but it cannot be modified (any changes that you make to it cannot be saved), A Hidden file will not appear when you browse the contents of the folder where it is stored using Explorer, unless you set up Explorer to display Hidden files (in which case they will be displayed in a lighter color than regular files).

The General tab has an Advanced button.

General, Advanced

You can click on this button to enable compression for the file or folder, which will make it take up less space on your hard drive.

Compress or Encrypt attributes

If you are accessing the properties for a file, you will also see a Change button at the top of the window. This button can be used to open the file with a program other than the one that is assigned to that type of file by Windows.

Change Default Program

Open With

If you are viewing the properties for a folder, you will see a Sharing tab where you can set up the folder as a shared folder that can be accessed by others over the network.

Sharing

The Customize tab allows you to change the icon for the folder, and you can even assign a picture to be displayed when the folder is viewed as a thumbnail in Windows Explorer (View, Thumbnails).

Customizing

Change Icon

Additional Websites

Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101: Working with Windows—Files and Folders

Microsoft.com: Windows XP File and Folder Management Overview

Tiptalk: From Microsoft at Home and at Work—File Management

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire LTS Online Help Documentation: Windows XP

Geekgirls.com: Windows XP—An Introduction to File Management

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Tech-Ease for Windows is your source for just-in-time answers for classroom technology questions. A companion Tech-Ease for Mac site is also available. This collection is a part of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse. Funding for Tech-Ease content development has been provided by the USF College of Education and various grants from the Florida Department of Education. Copyright 2009 by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida.

			Quick answers to real classroom technology questions. An online service of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse.
ETC HOME	TECH-EASE HOME	FILES FAQ	SEARCH
How do I view the properties of a file or folder? To access the properties of a file or folder, right-click on it and select Properties. You can also Alt-click on a file or folder to access its properties. The General tab of the Properties dialog box will provide you with information such as the full path to the file or folder, its size, what application is configured to open it, and the date it was created, last modified, and accessed. You will also see check boxes at the bottom of the window where you can make a file Read-only or Hidden. A Read-only file can be opened to see its contents, but it cannot be modified (any changes that you make to it cannot be saved), A Hidden file will not appear when you browse the contents of the folder where it is stored using Explorer, unless you set up Explorer to display Hidden files (in which case they will be displayed in a lighter color than regular files). The General tab has an Advanced button. You can click on this button to enable compression for the file or folder, which will make it take up less space on your hard drive. If you are accessing the properties for a file, you will also see a Change button at the top of the window. This button can be used to open the file with a program other than the one that is assigned to that type of file by Windows. If you are viewing the properties for a folder, you will see a Sharing tab where you can set up the folder as a shared folder that can be accessed by others over the network. The Customize tab allows you to change the icon for the folder, and you can even assign a picture to be displayed when the folder is viewed as a thumbnail in Windows Explorer (View, Thumbnails).			Additional Websites Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101: Working with Windows—Files and Folders Microsoft.com: Windows XP File and Folder Management Overview Tiptalk: From Microsoft at Home and at Work—File Management University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire LTS Online Help Documentation: Windows XP Geekgirls.com: Windows XP—An Introduction to File Management
ETC HOME	TECH-EASE HOME	FILES FAQ	SEARCH
Site Map \| Submit a Question \| About Tech-Ease \| Privacy Policy \| ETC Home Tech-Ease for Windows is your source for just-in-time answers for classroom technology questions. A companion Tech-Ease for Mac site is also available. This collection is a part of the Educational Technology Clearinghouse. Funding for Tech-Ease content development has been provided by the USF College of Education and various grants from the Florida Department of Education. Copyright 2009 by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida.