It doesn’t take long before most computer users find that their hard drives have neared capacity. This slows down your computer and makes it impossible for you to save important information. The easiest solution is to purchase an external hard drive that allows you to keep all of the files and programs without cluttering your computer’s memory. Using an external hard drive, however, can also present problems. Learning how to keep your files organized, however, makes it much easier to store and retrieve files whenever you need them.
Creating a System
Immediately after getting an external hard drive, you should create folders that help you organize all of your files and programs. Create folders based on broad categories. If you plan to store a lot of media files, then you might need folders named “music,” “movies” and “TV series.” If you play a lot of video games, then you might need folders named “RPG,” “puzzles” and “FPS” (first person shooter).
Nesting Your Folders
Nesting folders is the key to keeping an external hard drive organized. You’ve already made a broad category folder. Now you can make folders within them that help you further organize the information. If you started with a folder named “music,” then you might make several folders inside it that list the types of music you listen to, such as “jazz,” “rock” and “rap.”
Inside those folders, you can get even more specific. Group files by artist, then by album. This will make it easy for you to find any song that you want to hear as long as you know who recorded it.
Keep up the Habit
Most people start off meaning to keep their external hard drives organized. A few months later, though, they can’t find anything. Develop good saving habits to keep your files in their intended places. Give each file an appropriate name before you save it. That way you never have to worry about mislabeled information.