Vista’s Built-In Folder Structure

Vista’s Built-In Folder Structure
Page content

Understanding Vista’s Built-In Folder Structure

Most home office and small business users store the same kind of data. There are documents, contacts, downloads, and pictures, for instance. Vista offers built-in folders you can use to organize these kinds of information, and more. To find out, click Start, and click your name at the top of the Start Menu. Clicking your name on the Start menu opens your personal folder. [Image 1]

This personal folder contains subfolders, including:

Contacts – Here’s where you’ll store email addresses, contact pictures, telephone numbers, home and businesses addresses, and more. Contacts are given a contact card, which you can view and edit. [See Image 2]

Desktop – Here’s where you’ll access the items you created on your desktop. You won’t see system icons for Computer, Network, and Recycle Bin, but you will see things you’ve created. [See Image 3]

Documents – Here’s where you’ll save all important documents. Note that you can create subfolders here too. [See Image 4]

Downloads – Here is where you’ll save items you download from the Internet.

Favorites - This is where Internet Explorer’s Favorites list resides. Favorites you save are listed here along with any links added by your computer manufacturer.

Links – An odd folder that contains shortcuts to the Documents, Music, Pictures, Public, Recently Changed, and Searches folders. These folders are already available in your personal folder.

Music - This folder contains sample music and music you’ve copied.

Pictures – Here you’ll find sample pictures and save your own pictures to yoru PC

Saved Games – Here’s where you’ll find the games that ship with Windows Vista. You can also save yoru own games here.

Searches – This is a neat folder that contains preconfigured Search folders including Recent Documents, Recent E-Mail, Recent Music, Recent Pictures and Videos, Recently Changed, and Shared By Me. This is where you should look to find items you’ve recently created or edited.

Videos – Here’s where you’ll access sample videos and save your own videos to your PC.

To keep your home office data organized, save data to a folder that represents the data you’re saving. Documents go in the Documents folder and Pictures go in the Picture folder. With data saved here, you’ll always be able to find it, and backup programs will always back up the data in them.

Images