"It's here but I just can't find it." If you have ever experienced the frustration of knowing a file was on your computer but couldn't find it, you're not alone. One of the most common mysteries among computer users is how and where things are stored on their computers.

With REALTORS� using digital cameras more often, it has become more important to know where the picture goes when it leaves your camera and is stored on your computer. For that reason, this weeks article is dedicated to creating a better understanding of the directory system of your computer and some quick ways to locate files without feeling like you are searching for a needle in a haystack.

The first thing to grasp is the concept of the directory system of your computer. You should visualize it as a file cabinet. It may have only one drawer or it might have several. If it only has a "drawer", the name is probably "C:". Technically, it is called the C: drive but for our purposes, let's just think of it as a drawer.

If your hard drive was partitioned or if you had multiple hard drives on your computer, there would be more "drawers" in your file cabinet. The address of A: is usually reserved for the diskette drive. D: is usually the CD ROM. Additional hard drives might be addressed E:, F: and so on.

To continue with the analogy, there may be many file folders inside the drawer. And sometimes, similar to an accordian-type file folder, there may be other folders within a folder. However, eventually, there will be files inside the folders. These folders are correctly referred to as directories and sub-directories.

The names of the folders or directories are sometimes the names of programs you are using and other times, they may be descriptive as to what they may contain. The Windows systems directory is simply called "Windows". The PREP™ Software directory is called Winprep3 to distinguish it as a Windows program in the 3.0 version.

Let's go back to the digital camera example. When you open the camera to download the pictures, you are usually doing that in the software that came with the camera. Once you have looked at the pictures and want to save them to your hard drive, you will click the save button.

By default, that software application will probably save them to a folder inside the main program folder, in other words, a sub-directory. For instance, the Epson Photo PC 500 saves the pictures automatically in the photos sub-directory in the PhotoPC5 directory.

Pay attention when saving pictures and you will see exactly where they go so that when you are trying to use that picture later in a presentation or contact manager program, you will know where to find it.

A simple suggestion might be to not accept the default setting that the camera software wants to save it to. Instead, save it to a sub-folder inside the application folder you are going to use the picture in. For example, create a folder in the Winprep3 directory called photos. When you save a picture from the camera to the computer, save it in the photos folder of the Winprep3 directory. It will be in the directory where you will use it to create flyers.

If you have been wanting to attach files to an email, knowing where the files are located is very helpful. This can be more motivation to learning how to get around your hard drive. A great use for this would be to send a color photo of a new listing to an out of town prospect. They'll know you are working for them and can see exactly what you want to show them. It is so much better than a fax and will be delivered immediately with no overnight delivery charge.

One more important reason for learning about the directory system of your computer is to free disk space by eliminating unneeded files. That topic may be discussed in a future newsletter.

Quick Tips

When trying to locate a file in Windows 95, use the "Find, Files or Folders" selection from your Start button. If you don't know the complete name, you can use a wildcard (*) before or after the part that you know. For instance, if you know it is a .jpg image you are looking for type: "*.jpg". If you know you are looking for a photo taken on May 12, and the picture was stored by date name, type: "May12*".

Pat Zaby is the President of PREP™ Software, developers of the REAL Suite that includes contact management, presentation, financial, and multimedia in one integrated package. He has been a REALTOR� since 1968 and has been involved with automating real estate agents for over 12 years and speaks to tens of thousands of people a year on the subject.

PREP™ Prospecting is easy-to understand, requires less keystrokes, and gives you more control than any other contact manager. It comes loaded with valuable letters, postcards, action plans, and telephone scripts that you can start using immediately. Wizards guide you through tasks effortlessly that are tedious routines in other programs. The data moves seamlessly throughout the entire PREP™ suite of products.

If you are thinking of changing from another contact manager, PREP™ Prospecting has automatic imports to transfer your data effortlessly so you can start enjoying the marketing power you expect from PREP Software. For information on competitive upgrades, phone 972-991-1998 or [email protected] or the website at http://www.prepsoftware.com.