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CompTIA Tech+ 3.2 CompTIA Tech+ 3.1 CompTIA A+ Core 2 1.3
TechKnowSurge Catalog Interactives Where Does Windows Keep It?
InteractiveComputeFree

Where Does Windows Keep It?

Windows, Users or Program Files? Complete each path on the C: drive with the folder the file lives in.

⚑ Complete this interactive to capture a CTF flag worth 5 points.

About this interactive

The lesson opens File Explorer on a Windows 11 PC and looks at the C: drive. Three folders there hold almost everything that matters. C:\Windows is the operating system: the NT kernel (ntoskrnl.exe), its drivers, the fonts every app can use, and the tools that come with Windows, most of them in the System32 subfolder. You rarely need to change anything in it. C:\Users has one folder for every account on the PC, named after the account. Inside each one are that person's Desktop, Documents, Downloads and Pictures folders, so two people sharing a PC each keep their own files. C:\Users\Public is the shared exception: every account can use it. C:\Program Files is where installed software goes, each program in a folder of its own. On 64-bit Windows, older 32-bit programs go to a second folder, C:\Program Files (x86). Knowing which is which tells you where to look for a missing file, what to back up (Users), and what you should not delete (Windows). Type each folder name as File Explorer shows it, spaces included.

What you'll learn

Aligned to

CompTIA Tech+
3.2 Compare and contrast components of an operating system.
3.1 Explain the purpose of operating systems.
CompTIA A+ Core 2
1.3 Given a scenario, use features and tools of the Microsoft Windows 10/11 operating system (OS).

Key terms

Path
The full address of a file or directory location within a file system hierarchy, expressed as a sequence of directory names separated by slashes or backslashes.
Folder
A graphical user interface representation of a directory, used to visually organize files and other folders within an operating system.
NT Kernel
The core of the Microsoft Windows operating system, responsible for managing hardware and system resources; NT originally stood for 'New Technology.'
Operating System
OS
System software that manages hardware resources, provides common services for application software, and acts as an intermediary between users and computer hardware. Examples include Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Topics

Path Folder Windows File System Interactive Fill In

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