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File Management on the Macintosh

| Copying with the Finder | Views with the Finder | Copying Using Drag and Drop | Selecting Multiple Files/Folders | Determine Size of a File/Folder | Identify Optical Drive Type | Burning CD's and DVD's | Erasing a CD-RW |

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Copying File(s) or Folder(s) with the Finder

1. Open the Finder by doing the following:

In OS X, click on the Finder icon on the Dock or double-click the Macintosh hard disk icon.
In OS 7-9.x, double-click the Macintosh hard disk icon.

2. Select a file or folder with the mouse.
3. Choose Edit > Copy from the Finder menu bar across the top of the screen.
4. Use the mouse and select the media and/or folder where you want the copy.
5. Choose Edit > Paste from the Finder menu bar across the top of the screen.
   
   

For more information:

Moving and Copying Files and Folders in Panther (Mac OS X 10.3)

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Views in the Finder

The Finderis the main file management application. The Finder provides various view options to sort and display your files, folders, and applications. This is useful for finding and organizing your data. In OS X, you can view as icons, as list or as columns. OS 9 provides viewing as icons, as buttons, and as a list.

In OS X, to switch views in the Finder click on the appropriate button.

OS X button	view as	purpose
	icons	Displays by icon.
	list	Displays an alphabetical listing.
	columns	Displays in columns. The columns to right display sub-folders of the selected folder on the left.

 

A Mac OS X 10.2. Finder Window in Icons view

In OS 7.x-9.x, to switch views in the Finder click on View from the Finder menu bar across the top of the screen then select as icons, as buttons or as lists from the drop down menu.

A Mac OS 9.x Finder Window in List View

For more information check these resources on the web:

Apple's Finder

 

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Copying Files and Folders using Drag and Drop

A popular method for copying files/folders is to select the file(s) and/or folder(s) with the mouse, drag them to the destination media and drop (release the mouse button thus copying the data to the disk or drive).

1. Navigate with the Finder to locate the file(s)/folder(s) that you want to copy.

2. Do one of the following:
   1. If new location is on a different drive (e.g., hard-drive to external firewire disk drive), click on the file(s)/folder(s) with the mouse and while holding down the mouse button drag the file(s)/folder(s) on top of the drive icon then let go of the mouse button.

   2. If new location is on the same drive (e.g., hard-drive to another location on hard-drive), click on the file(s)/folder(s) with the mouse and while holding down the mouse button, hold down the [Option] key and drag the file to the new location. (If you do not hold down the [Option] key, the original file will be moved rather than copied).

 

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Copying a File or Folder from the Hard Drive to a Floppy Diskette

Note: Newer Macintosh systems no longer come with an internal floppy disk drive. Use of a floppy diskette drive requires that you purchase a usb external floppy diskette drive.

1. Insert a floppy diskette into the floppy disk drive.
2. Double-click on your hard disk icon on the desktop.
3. Navigate through the Finder until you have located the file or folder you want to copy.
4. Hold the mouse down on the file or folder you want to copy.
   
5. Drag the file or folder onto the floppy disk icon. 
6. Release the mouse button.

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  Selecting Multiple Files and Folders

You can work with more than one file at a time. For instance, if you want to copy ten folders (or files) from your hard disk to another media, you can select all ten at the same time.

Selecting Non-Contiguous Files

1. Open the Finder and locate the files or folders you want to manipulate.
2. Select the first file or folder with the mouse.
3. Press and hold down the command key .
4. Use the mouse to select additional files or folders.
5. After you have made all your selections, release the command key.

Selecting Contiguous Files/Folders

Selecting continguous files requires that you are using the Finder to display files and folders in List view.

1. Open the Finder and locate the files or folders you want to manipulate.
2. In OS X, click on the List view icon ; in OS 9, select View > List from the Finder menu bar. The files and folders should automatically sort and be listed alphabetically.
3. Select the first file or folder with the mouse.
4. Press and hold down the [Shift] key.
5. Select the last file or folder in the list by clicking on it with the mouse.
6. After you have made all your selections, release the [Shift] key.

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How to Determine the Size of a File, Folder or Volume

Before backing up or copying data it is a good idea to find out the size of the data you wish to copy and the size of free disk space on your media. Make sure there is enough free disk space on the media to hold the data you are copying.

1. Highlight a file, a folder or volume (disk drive) by selecting it with the mouse.
   
2. From the Finder menu bar choose File > Get Info
   
   Alternatively, use the shortcut keys command + i (hold down the and press i).
3. Information regarding the file, folder or volume will be displayed.
   The Capacity field indicates the amount of data the file, folder or volume can hold.
   The Available field indicates the amount of free disk space.
   The Used field indicates the amount of data in the file, folder or volume.
   
   

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Identify the Type of Optical Drive in Your Mac

Burning to a CD-R or CD-RW requires a recordable CD drive. Apple refers to their internal CD recorders as combo drives. Burning to a DVD-R requires a recordable DVD drive. Apple refers to their internal DVD recorders as superdrives. Apple's superdrives will only record to a DVD-R disc, not a DVD+R disc.

To identify the type of optical drive installed inside your Macintosh:

1. In OS 10.3 or greater, open System Profiler (in OS 10.x -10.2.x choose Apple System Profiler) located in the Applications > Utilities folder.
   In OS 9, click on the Apple menu and select Apple System Profiler.
2. In OS 10.3 or greater, select ATA in the Contents pane under the Hardware section.
   
   In OS 10.x -10.2.x, click on the Devices and Volumes tab and look under the Bus section.
   
   In OS 9, click on the Devices and Volumes tab and look under the Internal ATA section.

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Burning CDs and DVDs

Note: If your CD-RW disc currently has data on it you must erase it first before adding additional data using Apple's Disk Utility application.

To copy files to your CD-R, CD-RW or DVD-R disk do the following:

1. Insert the blank recordable CD or DVD into a Macintosh computer.
2. The Finder will normally detect the blank CDR or recordable DVD and prompt you to label the disk.
   
3. In the Name field label the CD or DVD if you wish then click OK.
4. Drag and drop the files you’d like to burn onto the recordable CD or DVD.
5. For Mac OS X 10.3 or greater:
   Click the small Burn button on the left side of the Finder.
   
   For Mac OS X 10.2 or greater:
   
   1. Drag the CD to the Trash can located on the Dock.
   2. The Trash can icon will turn into the Burn icon .
      
   3. Let go of the mouse button.
   
   
   4. Click on the Burn button.
      

 

More Information from Apple:

• How to Burn a Disc Image
• How to Burn Previously Burned DVD-R Video Discs

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Use Apple's Disk Utility to Erase a CD-RW Disc

Even though a CD-RW disk is rewriteable it can not be used like a floppy disk. When writing data to a CD-RW disk, you can only write data once. To add additional data to the disk it must be erased first. Use Apple's Disk Utility application to erase your CD-RW disk before adding data to it.

1. Use the Finder and open Disk Utility in the Applications > Utilities folder.
2. Highlight the CD-RW disc volume on the left hand side of the Disk Utility window.
3. Click the Erase button.

The CD-RW disc is now ready for you to add data to it.

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Last Modified: 3 Feb 2004
doit@sfsu.edu