How to Search for Files in Computer
Level of difficulty: Easy
All files should be named appropriately. It is necessary to name files in accordance with its content. This way, when the user is searching for a file, just reading its filename can provide information about its content. Although there are several ways for searching a file, it would be easier if the user remembers something related to the file.
Materials Needed:- MS Windows Computer
Step 1
Searching a file by its filename. It’s necessary to remember the filename so that when a file is searched, the user may just go to the Start button, click Search, choose All Files and Folders, and then type the filename in the text field labeled All or Part of the Filename'. In case the filename has been forgotten, the user may still search the file through its file extension.
Step 2
Searching a file by type. The type is the extension name of the file. If the user remembers which application has been used for the file, then the user may type in the text field provided by the Search applet the extension name of the program's file output or the type of files the program can be used to view/modify. Examples: MS Word- .doc, MS Excel- .xls. This way, the search result would be all the files with this extension. This gives the user an option to see all the filenames of the same type of file.
Step 3
Searching by kind of file. Go to Start button, choose Search, when the search window appears, choose the file kind, pictures, music. This option gives the user the chance to see all the same files of the same kind. In case the file is a picture, the user may choose to view in thumbnails so it would be easier to see.
Step 4
Searching by Date. In the search Window, choose Documents, then choose the right duration of time when the file was last modified. The duration include, past month, last week and others. This option gives the user an option to choose the time duration when the file was last accessed.
Step 5
Searching by Phrase in document. If the user happens to remember a phrase in body of the file, choose a phrase that not all documents likely have. Go to Search window, choose All files and Folders, then type the phrase after 'A word or phrase in the file'. This search is most likely to give several search results, especially if the user has chosen to search the file by word in the body of the file.