Search

     Have you ever filed something, and then forgot where you filed it?  Have you been moving a file by holding down the left button a mouse and dragging the icon across the screen, and then you accidentally release the button and the file disappears?  Then "Search" is a function you must know how to use.

     If you click the "Start" icon in the bottom left corner of your screen, you'll see "Search" appear in the menu.  Choose "Search," and in the box provided, enter a word that was associated with your file.  If you remember when the document or folder was created, then you can narrow the search to documents or folders created or modified in that time frame.

     The only downside is that is can take sometime to find what you're looking for...and once "Search" finds it, you'll have to go find it according to the path that is displayed.

     You might want to download Google Desktop to your desktop.  If you're connected to the Internet, it displays a clock, a local synopsis of the weather, a photo slideshow of pictures stored on your computer, a scratch pad for quick notes, synopses of the most current headlines and a "search" box.  Since Google works on optimizing search technologies, the search box at the bottom of the frame will find folders and documents on your computer almost as fast as you type them in - or at least give you options as to what documents your looking for.