Finding files on your new hard drive

There are a few ways that we can come at this question, we can look for the files individually, or we can open the program that was used to create them and see if they are easier to locate that way. Beginning with looking for the individual files, the search techniques are different for different operating systems, so let’s go through the XP steps first, and then we’ll look at Vista.

Finding files and folders in XP

To search for a file of folder in Windows XP, take the following steps:

1. Open the Start Menu and then select Search
2. When the Search Companion dialog box opens, choose All Files and Folders
3. Now you can enter the information that you are looking for. You can enter the names of the files, if you know them, or enter the extension and look for the specific files you want in the search results.
4. The Look In box lets you choose where on your computer to search, in this case, since you aren’t sure where you are looking, you should choose the c: drive or the entire computer.
5. You will be offered three search criteria: When Was it Modified, What Size is it, More Advanced Options, if any of these fields are helpful, provide more information.
6. Select Search

Finding files and folders in Vista

Since the search procedure has changed on Windows Vista, many users report problems finding files and folders. On the Vista system there are different ways to look for your data, but the best place to start is with the Search box. There is a Search box on the top of every open folder. Let’s begin by looking for your jpegs.

1. Open your My Pictures folder, which you can find in the Start Menu on the upper right hand side. It will be listed with My Documents and My Music
2. Inside the pictures folder, open the Search box in the top right hand corner.
3. The Search box can find files by file name, text inside the file, common properties, and tags. In your case, you likely want to search either by the kind of file - Pictures - or by the file type or extension - jpeg. For a file extension search it is most useful to put an asterisks before the extension - *.jpeg

All your jpegs should be offered in a list of search results. You can then follow the same steps to open your spreadsheets, but make sure you close your pictures folder and search for the spreadsheet in My Documents, or by extension, if you know it.

Search for files by program

Another way to get to your files is to open the programs that were used to make them. Open the Start Menu and, from the bottom of the list, select All Programs. Find the program that you used to make the files, for example, Quattro for your spreadsheets. Click twice on the file to open it and then see if you can open the documents from there.

Seek remote technical assistance

Without knowing more about how you transferred the contents of your old hard drive on to your new system, it is difficult to give more specific advice. If these steps don’t help you find your missing files, you might want to consider getting remote assistance. A technician can ask you questions and find out how you moved your data and what operating system you use, which will help determine the exact steps to find your files. At Filetonic, we recommend the services that are available through this link www.filetonic.com/support

FTP

FTP stands for file transfer protocol, which allows you to upload files to your website from your desktop. Internet Explorer has FTP capabilities and because it is on most computers, you can use it in a pinch to upload files from virtually anywhere.

Using IE to Upload FTP

You need to get your upload server address, your user name and password from your webhost or ISP provider. Your upload server address will look something like this: ftp://ftp.yourhost.com/.

At the IE address bar type in ftp://uploadserveraddress/. It will probably look like this: ftp://ftp.yourhost.com/. A screen will then pop up that will ask you for your username and password. Type these in. Internet Explorer will look a lot like a file on your computer. You can now drag and drop files from your desktop to this window and they will be uploaded to your website. You can download files by dragging them from IE to your desktop. You can also use the right click method to copy and paste if you prefer, but most people like the ease and convenience of drag and drop. When you’re in the IE window, right click to create folders on your server just like you do on your desktop. You can also delete FTP files on your site by selecting the file and pressing the Delete key.

Troubleshooting IE

If something goes wrong, when you’re in IE, click on Tools, then Internet Options, then Advanced. Make sure that “Enable folder view for FTP sites” is on.

Use IE for Quick Jobs

While it’s easy to use and readily available, using IE this way is best left for small amounts of data because it can hang on large files. It also runs slower then most other dedicated FTP clients.

As you can see, once you know the correct address as well as your username and password, nothing could be easier than uploading and opening files on IE. For updating your website on the go, it’s probably the most convenient method.

Software for FTP FIle Transfer

You can also use FTP software such as CuteFTP from GlobalScape. These products make FTP file transfers a snap. Simply drag and drop in a user-friendly interface.

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