Understanding This PC, Recycle Bin, and Windows Media Player

Tangerang, Kartunet - This PC is a feature provided by Windows to access files and folders located on hard disk drives, CDs, flash drives, and other media if available on the computer. In Windows versions prior to Windows Vista, this feature was called My Computer. In Windows Vista and 7, it was called “Computer”. To activate it, type “this PC” in the search box on the Start menu, then press Enter. Once This PC is active, you can browse its contents using the arrow keys. There are two sections in This PC:

1. Folders Contains the main storage spaces in the computer such as Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos. Each folder represents the types of data commonly stored on a computer.
2. Devices and drives Here are examples of the contents of this section:
   
   • Local Disk (C)
   • Local Disk (D)
   • DVD RW drive (E)
   • Removable disk (F)

Notes:

• Local Disk (C) is a drive on the hard disk that contains the operating system and application programs.
• Local Disk (D) is a drive on the hard disk typically used for storing data if the hard disk is partitioned into two. Data stored in drive D is intended to separate data from the operating system, so if the operating system is reformatted, your data will not be deleted.
• DVD RW drive (E) functions to open files on a CD/DVD.
• Removable disk (F) is a USB storage drive that can be plugged in or removed. If a flash drive is not connected to the computer, this drive will not appear.

Reading the Contents of a Drive

We can read the contents of one of the drives in This PC by:

• Opening This PC.
• Placing the cursor on one of the drives, for example, drive C, and pressing Enter.
• Reading by pressing the up/down and right/left arrow keys.

Opening CD Contents

To open the contents of a CD, follow these steps:

• Insert a CD containing data/music files.
• Activate the Start Menu.
• From the Search Box, type “This PC”, then press Enter.
• Press the down/up arrow to find the CD drive, then press Enter.
• Read the CD contents with the up/down arrow keys.

Notes: Some CDs contain direct files, while others contain folders, and files are located within those folders. If a file is opened by pressing Enter, that file will be opened, and the associated program will run first. For example, an MP3 file will be played with Windows Media Player, a DOCX file will be opened with Microsoft Word, and so on.

Opening Flash Drive Contents

To open the contents of a flash drive, follow these steps:

• Insert the flash drive and wait for the computer to finish detecting it.
• By default, an Autoplay dialog will appear; select “Open folder” and press Enter to open it. If Autoplay does not appear, follow the next steps.
• Activate the Start Menu, and directly type “This PC” in the Search Box, then press Enter.
• Press the down/up arrow to find the flash drive. The computer will usually state the flash drive's label. If the flash drive is new, it is typically labeled by the manufacturer with its brand name. You can also change this label to any word you desire. If you have deleted the label and not replaced it, the computer will mark it as “Removable Disk”.
• Press Enter.
• Read the flash drive contents with the down/up arrow keys.

Notes: To safely remove a flash drive from the computer, ensure all files accessed on the flash drive are closed first. Open This PC as described above, place the cursor on the Flash drive/removable disk, press the Applications key, arrow down to select “Eject”, then press Enter.

Opening Documents Folder Contents

Documents is a folder used to store files. Essentially, the Documents folder is the same as the My Documents folder in Windows XP or earlier versions. The Documents folder is usually located on the C drive of the hard disk. To open it, follow these steps:

• Activate the Start Menu.
• In the search box, type “Documents”, then press Enter.
• Read the contents of the Documents folder with the down/up arrow keys.

Copying, Moving, Pasting (Copy, Cut, Paste)

For copying and moving files, such as between Documents and drive C or D, internal folders with external folders like from Documents to a flash drive, or external with external like from a flash drive to a portable hard disk.

Copying a Single File from Documents to a Flash Drive

To copy a file from the Documents folder to a flash drive or other portable devices, follow these steps:

• Open the Documents folder.
• Place the cursor on the file to be copied.
• Press the Applications key, arrow down to Copy, then Enter (Ctrl+C).
• Go to This PC from the Start Menu.
• Press the down arrow to find the flash drive and press Enter once found.
• Press the Applications key, arrow down to Paste (Ctrl+V) to copy the file from the Clipboard to that folder.

Copying Multiple Consecutive Files

To copy multiple consecutive files to the Documents folder, follow these steps:
• Place the cursor at the beginning of the first file to be copied.
• Press Shift+down arrow until all desired files are selected.
• Press Ctrl+C to copy these files to the Clipboard.
• Go to This PC from the Start Menu.
• Press the up/down arrow to find the Documents folder.
• Press Ctrl+V to paste the files from the Clipboard into the target folder.

Copying Multiple Non-Consecutive Files

If you want to copy several files that are not consecutively located, here's an example of copying from drive D to a flash drive.
• Open drive D by accessing it from This PC.
• Press Ctrl+down arrow; if you find a file you want to copy, press the spacebar to select it (keep the Ctrl key pressed while selecting files).
• Repeat the same steps until all files to be copied are selected.
• Press Ctrl+C to copy these files to the Clipboard.
• Return to This PC and find the Flash drive.
• Press Ctrl+V to paste the files from the Clipboard into the target folder.

Moving Files (Cut)

In principle, moving files from one folder to another, whether a single file or many, is almost the same as copying files. You just need to replace the Ctrl+C command with Ctrl+X. Then, simply navigate to the target folder and press Ctrl+V.

Creating a Folder

You can create folders in Documents, Local disk C/D drives, Flash drives, and other storage locations. If you want to create a folder in Documents, follow these steps:
• Open the Documents folder as explained previously.
• Press the Alt key and go to the Home tab, arrow down to find the New submenu, then press Enter.
• Since the cursor is already on “New Folder”, press Enter.
• Type the desired folder name, followed by Enter.
• This can also be done with the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+N in Windows 10.

Working with the Recycle Bin

The Recycle Bin is a computer function that serves as a temporary storage for deleted files. All deleted files are moved to the Recycle Bin unless you delete them by pressing Shift+Delete for permanent deletion. Files in the Recycle Bin can be permanently deleted if they are truly meant to be removed, or they can be restored to their original location if they were deleted by mistake. To open the Recycle Bin, follow these steps:
• Press Windows+M to minimize all open windows.
• Press the letter 'R' until the computer says: “Recycle Bin”, then press Enter.
• To browse the contents of the Recycle Bin, use the arrow keys.

Deleting One or More Files from the Recycle Bin

Deleting files from the Recycle Bin means you will permanently remove them, as they cannot be recovered afterward. To delete files from the Recycle Bin, follow these steps:
• Open the Recycle Bin.
• Find the file(s) you want to delete, then press the Delete key. A confirmation prompt will appear asking if you are sure you want to delete the file(s).
• Press 'Y' if you truly want to delete, or 'N' if not.

Deleting Multiple Files Simultaneously from the Recycle Bin

To delete multiple files from the Recycle Bin:
• First, select the files you want to delete.
• Press the Delete key, and then press 'Y' to confirm that the files will be deleted.

Restoring Files to Their Original Location

If needed, files in the Recycle Bin can be restored to their original location. Follow these steps:
• Open the Recycle Bin.
• Find the file(s) you want to restore. If there is more than one file, you must select them first.
• Press the Applications key to display a list of frequently used commands.
• Press the down arrow to find “Restore”, then press Enter.

Emptying Files from the Recycle Bin

To empty the files in the Recycle Bin, follow these steps:
• Press Windows+M to minimize all windows and go to the desktop.
• Find the Recycle Bin icon.
• Press the Applications key and then Enter on “Empty Recycle Bin”.
• Press 'Y' to confirm that the Recycle Bin will be emptied.

Working with Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is a part of Windows that functions to play music and videos. In Windows 10, there is a new application with similar functionality to Windows Media Player, called Groove Music. However, Windows Media Player is still available and more accessible for visually impaired users. Windows Media Player can play files in the following formats:
• Music: MP3, WAV, MP4, WMA, AAC, etc.
• Video: MPEG, MP4, WMV, AVI, etc.
For example, to open an MP3 music file in the Music folder using Windows Media Player, the steps are:
• Open the Music folder in This PC.
• Press the down arrow to select the MP3 file you want to play.
• Press the Applications key, find the “Open With” submenu, then select Windows Media Player.
• To play all MP3 files in the active folder, press Ctrl+A to select all files, then follow the steps above.
Here is a list of commands for operating Windows Media Player:
• To play and temporarily pause music (Play/Pause), press Ctrl+P.
• To stop the currently playing music (Stop), press Ctrl+S.
• To skip to the next song, press Ctrl+F.
• To go back to the previous song, press Ctrl+B.
• To adjust the volume in Windows Media Player: F9 to increase volume, F8 to decrease volume, and F7 to mute the sound.
That concludes the discussion on This PC. If you are still using previous Windows versions like Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, please adjust accordingly. Usually, the navigation methods are not much different, only the naming. For instance, This PC in Windows 7 is known as Computer.(DPM)