Solved How do I simplify my filing system?

nebb

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I,m trying to use my laptop with windows 8.1 for business. You have to understand I am so ungeeky I frequently have trouble finding my laptop. My question is, can I organise the filing system on this machine so that there is one file in one location with one name, no more no less. I can't handle complications in I.T., I have trouble enough.
Any help would be gratefully received.
Thanks in anticipation
nebb
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
You want this file to contain everything all in one place? If so, the answer is no. Spreadsheets are a different file format than word processor documents.
 

My Computer

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  • OS
    Windows 7
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How about organizing your files in some sort of folder structure? You could have a "Work" folder with all your work related files in there, whether they are Word, PowerPoint or Excel files.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8 Pro 64 bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware M14XR2
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    I73630QM
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in 1 place

Hi Nebb,
i'd use a USB stick.
basically what ever you want to save stick it on the usb with what ever name you like.
when you plug it back in it will pop-up on your screen with all the files you have on it, select the file to open it
short and sweet and its mobile stick it in any pc and it will work

Roy
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    x55a asus
    Antivirus
    bitdefender
    Other Info
    this laptop was/is still posted on asus website as W7
pparks1 has immediately sorted one thing for me, in this context I don't mean files, I mean folders.
I think I should start again.
In XP I had one folder,(one of many with different names), for example "works drawings", there was no other folder called that and there was just one way to get to it, simple. I want to replicate that with 8.1
I am the one and only user of this computer. I don't want any folders in the cloud, just on this machine.
Thanks everybody for your help thus far,
All the Best
nebb
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
Never ever use a USB stick as a sole location for saving anything. They are not stable enough for that, you WILL lose data.

Create a folder on your desktop by right clicking it and goto new,
Then New Folder
Name it whatever you wish.
This will be your main folder, then you can do the same inside there.

Think of it as a file cabinet, and the folders are the folders inside your file cabinet, which then contain your documents.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro
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    PC/Desktop
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I,m trying to use my laptop with windows 8.1 for business. You have to understand I am so ungeeky I frequently have trouble finding my laptop. My question is, can I organise the filing system on this machine so that there is one file in one location with one name, no more no less. I can't handle complications in I.T., I have trouble enough.
Any help would be gratefully received.
Thanks in anticipation
nebb

I've read the whole thread so I'll try not to duplicate what others have said. If I understand correctly, you want your files organized so that they can be easily found.

Although it's a little harder to figure out, Windows 8.1 Update will allow you to save your files pretty much the same way as Windows 7 did; i.e., search for "This PC" w/o the quotes and then click on Documents. Or you can reach it by going to the Control Panel and clicking on Administrative Tools. You'll see "This PC" with a folder for Documents and various other folders. Click on Documents and you'll see there are already a number of folders there which have been added by various programs you have installed.

So this may not be what you'd like to see; not to worry . . . at the top of the window you'll see a yellow folder that says "New Folder". Click on this and then create a Business Documents folder. To make it stay at the top of your list where you most likely want it, put an asterisk in front, such as *Business Documents. The * will keep it at the top of the list.

Instead of the above, though, I have a 500 GB external hard drive that I keep all my documents on. I create a folder for every subject, such as: General, Names and Addresses, Legal, Web Design, Auditor, Income Tax, Property Tax, etc. You get the idea. Of course, you will probably want to create sub folders too.

As you add files to your folders, a good idea is to list each folder and its contents on a spreadsheet, kind of like a table of contents. It's worth the extra bit of work to save your sanity when you need that particular file.

The main thing is to create folders with names that will accurately describe what you have in them.

I would also suggest that you find an app or program that will find duplicate files because invariably, you'll manage to duplicate a file or three. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 500-056
    CPU
    AMD Elite Quad-Core A8-6500
    Memory
    8 GB
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    AMD Radeon HD 8570D
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    Acer 23"
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    1 TB
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    Logitech Wave K350
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    Logitech M510
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    Fast
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    Windows Defender
When I organize my folder structure. I create folders for those type of files. I would do the following naming scheme: Word files, Excel Files, Powerpoint Files, Publisher Files, PDF Documents, etc.. Then just create sub-folders underneath the main folders to further categorize as needed.

You do not want to go too deep on the folder/sub-folders. Due to then you start getting lost in the mix of things. If you are storing documents out on a SANS or NAS. Use a Document-oriented dBase. Document-oriented database - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We used a Document dBase for one of the units I used to work in at the State of Illinois. When we loaded documents into it. We used keywords of the following for lookup: Client names (first & last), Case number, Client number (Nine digit number), Court Case number), Dates of Birth if needed.

Depending on what the file was. The Document dBase was programmed to ask for certain information as we noted what the file was for. If it was a court document image, picture image, or even financial information. When we pulled the document into the document dBase. We then got various choices that were for the particular type of file. The program was written by IBM. But our programmers could go in and adjust the SQL dBase table info for Query look-ups as needed.
 

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    Linux Mint 17.2
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Thanks Folks for your advice. Now its going to take me a little time to get my head round what you have written, but I will be back.
Thanks again,
All the Best
nebb
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
I got round to looking at this again over the weekend, the idea of the folder on the desktop does it for me, I can ignore all other files and folders and by sub-foldering have everything in one easily found place.

Wynona, I tried to put the asterisk in front of the folder but got a pop-up saying I could not use an asterisk in a file name, even though it was a folder.
Re the external hard drive, that's just what I do with my desk-top PC but with the lap-top its too cumbersome I'm afraid.

Thank you everybody for your help, I'm happy to say you've solved this for me and it was a pleasure to hear all your ideas.

All the Best
nebb
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
Hi Nebb,

That is very strange that you can't use the asterisk; I tried it and neither can I. I could in Windows 7 I believe. At any rate, instead, use a 1; that works.

As to the external drive, when I travel, I remove the external from my desktop and put it on my laptop as needed. That way I always have my files. And yes, it's a bit cumbersome, but not a problem for me since I only attach it when I need to create or save a file.

You're very welcome. By helping others, I learn. Selfish, I know, but what the hey . . . :geek:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion 500-056
    CPU
    AMD Elite Quad-Core A8-6500
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 8570D
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer 23"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080
    Hard Drives
    1 TB
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave K350
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    Fast
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
The * is a special character that can not be used,, it never has been able to be used
Error Message: Filename is Invalid or Cannot Contain Any of the Following Characters

Scroll down on that KB to see Valid Characters

Some of those will place items higher in the list than others
then you could us multiples,, ! or !! or !!! and so on.

It is always good to have 2 external drives as backup
One you keep with you, then copy everything over to another on a regular schedule and put it in a fire box.

This is for Disaster Recovery.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self Built
    CPU
    I7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77
    Memory
    CORSAIR 8GB 2X4 D3 1866
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX680 4GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 24" LED VG248QE
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG E 256GB SSD 840 PRO -
    SAMSUNG E 120GB SSD840 -
    SEAGATE 1TB PIPELINE
    PSU
    CORSAIR GS800
    Case
    CORSAIR 600T
    Cooling
    CORSAIR HYDRO H100I LIQUID COOLER
    Keyboard
    THERMALTA CHALLENGER ULT GAME-KYBRD
    Mouse
    RAZER DEATHADDER GAME MS BLK-ED
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
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    APC 1000VA -
    LGELECOEM LG 14X SATA BD BURNER -
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    NZXT 5.25 USB3 BAY CARD READER -
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