Finding Files

Searching through folders (named storage locations) on a computer’s hard disk to try to find the file you want to work with sure can eat into your quality working time. If you’re using Office with Windows Vista, you can take advantage of a couple of shortcuts that help you find a file on your system.

As shown back in Figure 1-13, making an entry in the Start Search text box displays not only matching programs but also files with the search text in the filename or file contents. So, you can enter all or part of the filename or topic in the Start Search text box on the file menu and then click the name of the file to open. The application used to create the file opens with the specified file in it.

Alternatively, you can work in the Open dialog box for any Office program to search for a file. Use these steps when you’re already working in the application used to create the file:

1.	Click Office Button Open. The Open dialog box appears.
2.	Click the up arrow button beside the Folders heading. The folder tree appears.
3.	Select the folder that you think holds the file to find. Its contents appear in the dialog box. Tip If you’re not sure even of what folder holds the file, choose a higher-level folder or even a disk icon. Doing so will search more locations but means that the search may take more time.
4.	Type the name of the file to search for in the Search text box in the upper-right corner of the dialog box. As you type, the Open dialog box lists files with matching names or contents, as shown in Figure 1-15. Figure 1-15. You can search for a file in the Open dialog box for any Office application running in Windows Vista. [View full size image]
5.	Double-click the name of the file to open. The file appears in the application.