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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
February 1, 2009
Q.
Is it possible to add items to the "Send To"
list? It would make transferring files much
easier if it is.
A.
Not only is it possible, in many cases it is
highly desirable. To clarify what is being
referred to as the "Send To" list, when you
right click on a file, you have a choice
called "Send To". If this is selected, you
are given a list of several places that you
can send a copy of the file.
By
default, there will be items 'Compressed
(zipped) Folder', 'Desktop (create
shortcut', your removable drives and
possibly other items. To this list, you can
add choices of you own. Using this "Send To"
feature is much faster than locating a file,
copying it, then searching for the location
and then pasting it. This is especially true
if the file is to be included in another
application like an email.
Create a
folder that you will be using as a temporary
holding area. Ideally this folder should not
be located in the root "C" drive but in a
subfolder and possibly on another drive
entirely. (See *** below for how I do this).
If you only have the one C drive, then this
new folder can be created in the "My
Documents" folder because it is always easy
to find. Give this folder a name that causes
it to be listed at the top of the list.
Now we
need to add a shortcut to this new folder
you created to your Send To list. First, the
SendTo list is just a regular folder with
special privileges. As such, you can add
items to it or delete items from it. The
problem is finding the SendTo folder. In XP
the location is C:\Documents
and Settings\currentuser\SendTo. In Vista,
it isn't as easy as it is buried deeply in
the hierarchy. It is located in the
C:\Users\currentuser\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo.
NOTE:
The sendto folder is a hidden folder, so you
may have to change the Windows settings to
allow viewing hidden folders. To do this,
open My Computer, click Tools, then Folder
options. Click the View tab, locate the item
"Show hidden folders" and click the dot in
front of it.
When you
open this SendTo folder, all the items in
the Send To list will be there except for
the removable devices and drives. Windows
automatically puts these removable devices
and drives there in real time each time Send
To is selected.
Now, you
need to create a shortcut to this new
folder. To do this, assuming you created
your new folder in your "My Documents"
folder, open "My Documents" folder, locate
the new folder you created, right click on
it and choose 'Create Shortcut'. This will
create a shortcut in the "My Documents"
folder. Locate this new shortcut, right
click on it and choose cut. Locate the
SendTo folder, open it, right click on an
empty space and choose paste. This will put
the shortcut to your new folder in the
SendTo folder, and thus in the Send To list.
From then
on, when you right click a file and choose
Send To, the folder you just placed in the
list will be available for you to copy the
file into. Now let's suppose that you want
to send several pictures to someone. Most
likely, these pictures are located in
different places, You can locate the
pictures and use the Send To to place them
in one location. Then, in your email
program, attaching them becomes much easier
as they are easy to find and can be included
all at one time.
***
On a new computer I divide the hard drive
into three partitions, C, D and E. This may
be a carry over from the 'old' days when the
size of a drive was limited by the operating
system. The C drive is used for the
operating system, and all installed
applications. The D drive is used for all
the data created by the applications and is
where the "My Documents" folder is located.
The E drive is used for special
applications, and all temporary stuff.
The
advantages of this partitioning are that if
there is a problem with the Windows
operating system, the C drive can be
re-formatted and the OS re-install. The
computer is back in business without
affecting any of the data on the D drive.
Also, backups are easier as only the data on
the D drive changes and needs to be backed
up.
In the E
drive there is a folder called _AATemp that
is used as a temporary holding area. The
'_AA' part assures that it will always be
listed first and therefore easy to locate.
The 'Temp' part is self explanatory. All
downloads are configured to go there by
default making them easy to find and handle.
When the need arises to include files or
pictures in an email, they are placed in
this _AATemp folder using the Send To
feature making them easy to locate them from
within the email program. |
