5 Ways To Organize Your PC

January 18th 2007

Tech

Seeing as I spend a lot of time at the computer for my work it seems only fitting that I describe my top five techniques on how I keep files, folders and programs organized. Note that I use these techniques on Windows XP though I’m sure they work/can be adapted to other Windows platforms and perhaps even Linux/Macs.

The desktop
The desktop should be kept clear at all times. A lot of people and programs dump files on it (for instance, Firefox defaults to putting downloads on the desktop) because it’s the easy option. However, they should not be left there for any reasonable length of time. In theory with a small number of files you can group them around the desktop (documents in the top left, game saves in the bottom right) but this is difficult to maintain over any reasonable amount of time. Plus the more clutter you have on the desktop the slower your PC runs. The only thing you should have on the desktop is a single dumping folder (or at least a shortcut to one). I personally call it ‘@trunk’. You can call it whatever you like though the name is apt because its a storage space for any items, temp files and general clutter that show up on your desktops
Personal files and documents
As for your personal files, forget about ‘my documents’ because too many programs stick their own files in there (games in particular like to stick their save games in it) and it just clutters everything up. Create a seperate folder called @files (The @ means the folder will always appear at the top of the list assuming everything is ordered alphabetically, plus it makes it stand out more). Where you create this folder is again entirely up to you, though for privacy reasons it’s suggested you keep it somewhere in your account name folder. From there you want to have the traditional subfolders for your files, such as ‘pictures’, ‘documents’, ‘websites’, etc.
Installed programs
Programs also get installed in a special folder. I personally have it under ‘program files’ and call it ‘user installed’ (to stick with the ongoing theme I will probably call it something like @installed when I do my next format). Its useful to keep programs you install separate from everything else for several reasons, such as having a central, easily accessible repository, and to keep track of what you actually have installed for reference.
Start menu
The default options for the start menu make it very messy. Right click on it and select properties. You should then be on the start menu tab. Click on the customize button and set the ‘number of progams on start menu’ to zero. I personally find that half the time this most used programs feature is inaccurate anyway. Now, make your own more accurate list by dragging your favourite programs onto the start menu to create shortcuts to them. With all your main programs and folders on the start menu you will probably find the ‘all progams’ section is redundant so apart from ‘accessories’ and ’startup’ clear the excess out there too.
Quick launch
While we have the start menu properties open click the taskbar tab and select ’show quick launch’ as this is the only section that is quicker to access than the start menu. While it’s not practical to have all your favorite programs on it like with the start menu, put the mostused ones on it (I personally have Firefox and Media Player there) plus any key folders such as my personal files folder (@files), my installed programs folder (@installed) and the desktop @trunk folder so that I have the most efficient access to my files.