In addition to providing entertainment, personal computers are increasingly being recognized as efficient electronic filing systems. The many useful programs available on computer systems make life easier for people worldwide. From as simple as filing important personal documents such as report cards and family information to as critical as  storing clients information for a business, you can manage your computer data like a real pro!

Gone are the days of storing and organizing information and documents in paper folders. It has been proven that this means of storage is not reliable, since it can be easily destroyed or stolen. Through improvements in technology, you are guaranteed security of important information through computer usage. Organizing your information on computer systems is more efficient and relatively simple.

Important to note, when managing computer data, is knowing how to “Save a File.” If computer files aren’t saved, users run the risk of losing important data. At the top of the document window, click “File,” and select “Save As” or “Save,” a window will appear with a drop down menu at the top. Search for “Documents.” At the bottom end of the window, a “File name” will be required. Type your “File name” and then select “Save.” Your document was just saved in “Documents.”

Familiar to computer users is the feature “My Documents” or “Documents.” This feature which acts as a virtual library allows users to group computer data in to appropriate folders, create folders, create shortcuts on the Desktop (by right clicking) and performs storage tasks such as backing up of files. In Windows XP it is sub-divided into “My Pictures,” “My Music,” and “My Videos. Windows 7 and Vista separate these categories into distinct libraries. Regardless of the operating systems, storage and filing are universal functions.

On Windows 7 and Vista, “Documents” can be accessed by clicking Start, scroll up to Documents and double click. For Windows XP, this feature is most often found on the desktop.  “Documents” is a reliable filing system. Users are free to change the name of their documents at any time by right clicking on the document icon and selecting “Rename.”

Apart from documents, computer users can make extensive use of Microsoft Outlook. Critical information retrieved from online sources can be managed on Outlook. For large organizations in which the mode of communication is via email, Outlook is the best program to store important emails and online data.

Unnecessary computer data can be removed from storage by utilizing Recycle Bin. Out-dated information taking up storage space can be removed and replaced by other useful documents. In the case of an accident where important documents are deleted, Recycle Bin allows users to replace these documents by clicking on the “Restore” option.

Author: Belle

Belle Mutchler blogs about data management and what is change management.