title: Computer files.
abstract: From what has been said, several recommendations can be made for users of small personal computers regardless of which operating system they use. If your computer has a large hard disk not specially required by any single application, organize the disk into a small number of volumes. You will then be using the computer as if it had several smaller disks, which will help you to create a logical file structure. The size of individual volumes has to be selected carefully with respect to the files kept in each volume. Otherwise, it may be that you will have too much space in one volume and not enough in another. In each volume, organize the structure of directories and subdirectories logically so that they correspond to the logic of your file content. Be aware of the fact that the directories suggested as default when installing new software are often not the optimum. For instance, it is better to put different graphics packages under a common subdirectory rather than to install them at the same level as all other packages including statistics, text processors, etc. Create a special directory for each task you use the computer. Note that it is a bad practice to keep many different and logically unsorted files in the root directory of any of your volumes. Only system and important service files should be kept there. Although any file may be written all over the disk, access to it will be faster if it is written over the minimum number of cylinders. From time to time, use special programs that reorganize your files in this way.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiological Sciences, St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malik
mesh_terms: D016248:Computer Storage Devices; D005371:Filing; D006801:Humans; D008838:Microcomputers