Description of the Windows Explorer Hierarchy
Windows Explorer -- which was renamed File Explorer in Windows 8 -- gives you a bird's-eye view of the contents of your computer's hard drive and your organization's network from one window. Windows Explorer includes various views that let you see your computer's files and folders from a view that makes sense to you.
Windows Explorer has multiple panes that let you "drill down" -- or access folders or files that are nested within other folders -- from left to right. For example, if you click or tap on an item in the Navigation pane, the contents or details about that item appear in the pane to the right of the Navigation pane. If you enable the Preview pane on the Windows Explorer View tab, you'll see a third pane at the right side of Windows Explorer that will show you a preview of the contents of a folder or a preview of a document if you click or tap one that Windows recognizes, such as Word documents or pictures.
Windows Explorer has several default libraries represented in the Navigation pane. Libraries are essentially shortcut views of certain folders on your hard drive that give you easy access to pictures, documents, videos, and music -- each of these categories has its own Library. The actual location of the files within these libraries is somewhere under the main drive (usually C:), but the files are more easily accessible via the library views. You can customize these libraries, adding or removing folders from the library view, and even create your own libraries and adding whatever folders you want to the library for easy viewing without having to drill down through your C: drive to find them.
Below the libraries in the Navigation pane of Windows Explorer is the Computer item. Click or tap the "+" sign to the left of Computer to view the various drives on your computer. The C: drive is typically your main drive, and all of the files and folders on your computer -- even the contents of libraries -- are underneath C: somewhere. For example, the files you view in the Documents library are actually in C:\Users\User_Name\My Documents -- libraries exist simply so you don't have to worry about the hierarchy of C:, which is pretty complex.
Above the libraries in the Navigation pane is a Favorites section with shortcuts to the desktop, recently accessed folders, and a Downloads folder where your downloaded files typically are saved by default. Below the Computer item in the Navigation pane are HomeGroup and Network items that allow you to view files and folders on other computers in your HomeGroup (a simple-to-configure home network) or your business' network if you have any network folders mapped as a drive on your PC.
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