Here’s a common problem: you download a file from the Internet, but then you can’t find it. Unfortunately, amidst the thrill of the download, it seems like a lot of people lose track of where they put that file they were so excited about. This problem can be further compounded if the file is a Zip file. You download the file okay, but then when you "unzip" it, the extracted files disappear in the cavernous void of your hard disk.
To keep up with all these files, here are a few tricks. First, when you are in your browser and begin a download, you see a dialog box. It asks you if you want to open the file or save it on your hard disk. When you click, "save to disk" it’s time to start paying attention. You see the standard Save As box. The thing that trips people up is that the Save As box remembers the last location where you saved a file, so it could be showing a folder deep in the depths of your hard disk.
To get back to the right place, click the Save In drop-down box at the top of the dialog box. You see a hierarchical list of all the drives and folders on your computer. So you can see where in relationship to your entire disk, the current folder is located. If you want to change folders, you can either highlight the correct folder in the drop-down box or click the Up One Level button next to it.
One easy way to avoid "losing" downloaded files is to always put them in the same place. For example, my hard disk is partitioned into three drives (C:, D: and E:). On my E drive, I created a folder called "downloads." I always put my downloaded files into my download folder. If I need to extract Zipped files, after I download a file into the download folder, I create a temporary subfolder (E:downloadtemp) that I extract the files into. After I’ve done whatever I’m going to do with the zipped files, I delete the temp folder to save hard disk space.
By taking a little time to think about where your files are going to land on your hard disk, you’ll never "lose" downloaded files again.