Computer Hot Rod

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The RECENT Files List is E-vil

Testing & Software It's been around for a lot of years. But it's a "crutch" or as a friend of mine would say, "it's a trick, don't do it!". The provided recent file list that so many different apps and even now Microsoft's flagship OS Windows 10 is promoting all over the place is many peoples downfall when it comes to using their computer.
recent files listOn the surface it seems like a really good idea. Pop up a list of the last 10 or 20 files that have been opened by this particular application or in Windows 10 the most recent files or programs accessed. While recent programs accessed isn't so bad, recent files opened is something that can turn around and bite you hard later on. So lets just assume you are a user of the recent files list. And boy is it handy. You are able to open excel or word and get right to any of the documents that you recently worked on. Or in the case of Windows 10 you can click on START or Cortana Search to pop open a list of recently accessed files. No having to hunt or remember folders or drives. It's right there for you every time! Well that's not true is it? How many times have you gone looking for that document or spreadsheet that you know you created 6 months ago? It's fallen off the recent files listing and now you have no idea where that file is or even what it's named... You search and search for it, wasting valuable time. Eventually you give up and just make a new one, wasting even more valuable time. You would be far better off using the File Explorer (called windows explorer in windows) and make your locations and folder structures and always go there to find your file. Double click on the file to launch the application with your file loaded. Now when you save you know "where" it is being saved. And because you are in the file explorer all the time constantly organizing or pulling up other files you are familiar with "where" thing (files) are. You will be more likely to remember where you put something 6 months ago than you would be had you been using the recent files listing. Windows 7 introduced something new and in between the recent files list called Libraries. I kind of like how Libraries work, but you need to be careful using them. You need to understand how they do what they do or you risk disaster one day. Libraries, like recent file lists, are pointers. And what is bad about them is they look like files and folders, but the reality is they are pointing to the real files and folders. When you copy or move a file in a Library listing you are relying on Windows to correctly deal with the files being pointed at. Some of you might think that I'm just blowing smoke here, but as someone who has managed desktop users in office environments for the last 25 years I can tell you with certainty that I've seen this kind of thing time and time again. People who repeated use the recent files listing repeatedly can't find a file they know they have made in the past and end up recreating the file or spend massive energy searching for it. OR, even worse, I've seen people open the recent files list after they looked in the folder they thought the file should be in and clicked and dragged the filename from the recent files listing into the folder they thought the file was supposed to be in but they couldn't find in. Guess what, they immediately clicked OK when the dialog box opened asking if it was OK to overwrite the file. What did they just do? The just overwrote a file containing a years worth of data with a file that is now simply a pointer to itself. OH SNAP! Now that's not to say that those of us who use the file explorers don't also lose track of where things are from time to time. It's simply that those who work with the files foremost tend to lose track of things less than those who work foremost with the recent files lists. And it's for that reason that I strongly urge you to go into your program options and set the "recent files listing" to zero! And get in the habbit of when you want to open a spreadsheet, rather than starting excel, start by locating the spreadsheet file first. Click your folders icon and go to where you keep spreadsheets of the type you are wanting to open, find the spreadsheet file and double click on it to open it in excel or whatever program you use. If you take my advice it won't be long before you will be working just as quickly and spending a lot less time trying to find that dang file that you know you created or edited and saved but just have no idea WHERE it was saved. AND FOR PETE SAKE, ALWAYS READ AND UNDERSTAND DIALOG BOXES THAT POP UP BEFORE YOU CLICK OK! Find me on MeWe.

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