Throw it Away!

Ever throw something away and only later you discover why you kept it in the junk drawer all these years?  Computing is a lot like that some days. The Recycle Bin offers you a way to retrieve those files you threw away and later discover you still need. 

When you delete files or folders from your hard drive (not a floppy or CD) the file is simply transferred to the Recycle Bin.  It remains on your hard drive and thereby accessible to you until you permanently delete it by emptying the Recycle Bin.

There's a couple of things you need to keep in mind:

• A file will continue to take up space on your hard drive even though it's in the Recycle Bin

• After you send a file or folder to the Recycle Bin you can always restore it to it's original location

• If you delete files from a floppy drive, the files do NOT go to the Recycle Bin and are NOT retrieveable.  They are gon-n-n-n-n-ne!

• If you delete a folder, that folder and ALL of its contents are deleted. 

  • When you delete a folder, check first to make sure you don't want to keep any of the files. 

  • If you do want to keep one or two of the files but not the whole folder, move the files out of the folder, put them somewhere else, and delete the remainder of the folder.

• If you want to look inside a file listed in the Recycle Bin in order to verify its content before you empty the trash, double click on the file name.  The application and the file will open and you can check it.  If you're sure you want to delete the file, close the document window, close the program window, and empty the trash.

Taking out the Trash

You've deleted a whole bunch of files but you realize that they're all still resident on your hard drive.  You want them off the hard drive permanently, as in forever.  Do this:

• Double click on the Recycle Bin on the desktop to open the window

• Verify that you do want to delete everything listed - at least glance at it for a second

• Click on File in the Menu Bar

• Click on Empty Recycle Bin

• You're Done!

Oops, I still want that file

You get ready to take the trash out and realize that a file is listed that you really want to click.  Do this:

• Highlight the file name by clicking on it once in the listing

• Click on File in the Menu Bar

• Click on Restore

• You just restored it to its original location and you're good to go!

Document Date: 07/02/98