Practical PC, 7 th Edition Chapter 4: File Basics

Practical PC, 7th EditionChapter 4: File Basics

File Basics

• FAQs– What is a computer file?– What are file properties and tags?– What do I need to know about file names and

extensions?– How do I open data files?– How does Windows know which application to use

when I open a file?– How do I create and save files?

• Technology: Hard disk drives2Practical PC, 7th Edition

What is a computer file?

• A computer file is a collection of data that has a name and is stored on a hard disk or portable media

• Two types of files: executable and data – Executable file• Computer program containing instructions written in a

programming language– Data file• Contains words, numbers, and pictures that can be

manipulated, i.e., a word processing document

Practical PC, 7th Edition 3

What is a computer file?


Figure 4-1

What are file properties and tags?

• Every file has file properties that describe its name, type, location, and size• Additional properties are assigned to certain types

of files– JPEG files have a dimensions property– Music files have a length property

• Properties and tags can generally be viewed from the operating system’s file manager– Utility for Windows 8 is called File Explorer


What are file properties and tags?


What is a file?

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What do I need to know about file names and extensions?

• Every computer file has a file name– Effective file names describe their contents– File names in Windows are not case sensitive– Some words and symbols cannot be used in

file names


Figure 4-3


• A file extension is a set of characters added to a file name to indicate the file’s contents and origin–Windows does not display file extensions by

default– Software automatically adds the correct file

extension when a file is saved




Figure 4-4


– Operating systems usually hide file extensions because novice users find them confusing• Files extensions can be easily revealed


What do I need to know about file names?






– Windows displays a file type (or file format) based on the extension

Figure 4-6

How do I open data files?

• Open files from:– Start screen


Figure 4-7

How do I open data files?

– Desktop• Double-click file’s icon

– Application software• Use the Open command

– File Explorer


How does Windows know which application to use when I click a file?

• Windows keeps a list of file types and their corresponding default programs– A default application is the one Windows uses

when a particular type of file is opened• XLSX file type identifies an Excel file

– The link between a file type and its default application is sometimes called a file association


How do I open files?

• To view or modify a file, you have to first open it– Open command in application software– Double-click icon on Windows desktop– Type all or part of a file name in the Start menu’s

Search box– Click a file located on the application’s jump list on

the Start menu


How do I open files?



– You can open files using an application other than the default by:• Right-clicking the file name and selecting the Open with

option• Changing the default application that Windows uses




Figure 4-9

How do I create and save files?

• The most common way to create files is by using application software– Click New to open the

work area– Enter desired data– When ready to save, use

Save or Save As to givethe file a name andspecify a storagelocation


Figure 4-10


– Save As also allows user to save a file using a different name or in a different place while retaining the original file

– Once a file has been named, using Save will replace the currently saved version of the document with the new version




Figure 4-11



Technology: Hard Disk Drives

• A hard disk is a circular, rigid storage medium typically made of aluminum or glass and coated with metallic particles

– The hard disks and their read/write heads are stored inside the drive and are called platters

– Most PCs have two to four platters





• Hard disk drives use magnetic storage technology– Utilizes a read/write head that magnetizes tiny

metallic particles on the disk’s surface– Is fast and inexpensive• Typical hard drives hold 500 GB of data—500 billion

letters, numbers, symbols• They can fill up quickly

– Access time • How long it takes the read/write head to locate and

retrieve data from the disk—average is about 9 milliseconds



• Drive icon’s Property window– Shows how much

used/free space is on the hard drive



• External hard disk drives– Connect to a USB port– Best option for portable

and all-in-one computers– Can be used to transport

large amounts of datafrom computer tocomputer

– Cost a little bit more than a hard drive



• Hard disk drive efficiency– Decreases over time– Each disk is divided into tracks– Each track is divided into sectors• Each sector is a fixed size• PC must use more than one sector for large files and

sometimes those sectors are non-adjacent sectors• This can result in data being scattered all over the disk• A file stored in non-adjacent sectors is referred to as a

fragmented file



• Hard disk drive efficiency continued:– A disk containing many fragmented sectors is

known as a fragmented disk and is not operating at peak efficiency

– Run a defragmentation utility to reorganize the disk and put data for each file in adjacent sectors• This enables the read/write head to locate and retrieve

the data much more quickly




Hardware: Hard disk drives


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Practical PC, 7 th Edition Chapter 4: File Basics