Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 50 Computer Service and Repair Th e Windows XP directory was simple in comparison to Windows Vista, which in- troduced the concept of a Public folder to make sharing easier for users. Th e Windows 7 directory structure is even more complex than previous versions. Windows 7 intro- duced Libraries and HomeGroup into the directory structure. Th e HomeGroup is an improved sharing feature, and Libraries allows easier access to fi les and folders lo- cated in multiple locations. Changes in the directory structure is one of the biggest reasons people have trouble locating their fi les after upgrading to a new operating sys- tem or buying a computer with a newer version of an operating system. In Windows 10, the Quick Access view was added in File Explorer that shows a list of recently accessed objects. Quick Access objects are not duplicates rather, they are simply shortcut links to the same fi les and folders under This PC and the C:\ drive views. Users will need to understand this new feature and how it works to avoid confusion. Windows File Names File names originally had to conform to DOS standards. DOS required that fi le names be no more than eight characters followed by a period and then an identifi er know as a fi le extension. A fi le extension consists of three additional characters that allows Windows to recognize the fi le type, such as .jpg for a jpeg image. In modern operat- ing systems, the fi le extension is not necessary but still helps with fi le identifi cation and mapping to a default application assigned to handle a given fi le type. Th e table in Figure 2-11 lists common fi le extensions and the type of program to which they are related. Th e fi le name structure allows for fi le names of up to 255 characters. Th is stan- dard is referred to as long fi le names. Long fi le names allow for the content of the fi le to be described in some detail. Th is provides relief from brief, cryptic, eight-character fi le names. For example, a fi le could be saved as Term1 Science Paper The Factors Affecting Ocean Tides. Th ere are certain characters or symbols that cannot be used in the fi le name. Th e characters that are not allowed in the long fi le name system are the following: | * ? : \ / “ File Extension Description .avi Audio video file .bmp Bitmap graphics file .com Executable file .doc Document file .exe Executable file (a program that runs when the file name is entered at the command prompt) .ini File containing configuration data .jpg Picture file .log File listing actions that have occurred or containing a brief record or collection of data .mpg Video file .tmp Temporary file (typically associated with Internet downloads and software installations) .txt Text file .wav Wave audio file .wmv Windows media video file .wps Microsoft Windows word-processor document Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 2-11 A fi le extension consists of three additional characters used to identify the fi le type.