How to View What is on a Hard Drive

You can view your files on a computer's hard drive.

A hard drive is a physical disc where all data is stored in a computer. Each computer can have more than one hard drive installed, though usually only one contains the operating system, such as Windows, that runs the computer. Often, a second or third hard drive can be installed as backup or storage hard drives. If you need to access any hard drive on your computer, you can view the data by finding the hard drive in the "My Computer" screen.

Instructions

1. Click on the "Start" button to open your Start Menu.

2. Click on the "Computer" option in the Start Menu. This will open up the "My Computer" screen.

3. View the list of hard drives that are installed on your computer under the "Hard Disc Drives" section. Each hard drive will display a different drive letter. The default hard drive that includes the computer's operating system is usually "Local Disc C."

4. Double-click on a hard drive to open it. It will open just the same as a normal folder. Inside of this folder you will see the data on your hard drive.

5. Click on folders inside the hard drive window to browse through the data. You can open and view these folders the same as you would normally.

Tips & Warnings

• Files for programs that are installed on your computer are usually stored in the "C:\Program Files" folder.

• Individual user profiles are usually located in the "C:\Documents and Settings" folder for Windows XP or the "C:\Users" folder for Windows Vista or Windows 7. Profiles will be listed as an individual folder and will include the user's "My Documents" folder inside.

• The operating system is usually located in a folder such as "C:\Windows." Be careful not to delete or edit files in this folder as it could affect the way your computer runs.

References

• University of Virginia: Basic File Management