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LSA 3: Describe Directory Structure

A directory structure is the hierarchical arrangement of directories (folders) on a storage device.

Windows uses a hierarchical directory structure where all directories and files fall under a disk volume’s root directory.

Windows identifies the root directory ( ) with all other files and directories stored under the root directory.

Windows file systems use a letter to specify which disk volume (disk/storage) is being used (C:, D:, etc.). Default Windows configurations install the Windows OS onto the C: volume.

  • Windows Folder - The default name of this folder may vary depending on the Operating System that is installed. The Windows folder contains folders and files of the specific Windows Operating System and is referred to as “system root”.

  • System 32 - critical components of the Windows operating system are stored here. The two most common file types you’ll see in System 32 are .dll and .exe

  • .dll - Dynamic Link Library - DLL file is a library that contains a set of code and data for carrying out a particular activity in Windows. DLL files are a lot like executable (EXE) files, except that DLL files cannot be directly executed in Windows.

  • .exe - Executables are files that install or run software applications. Every program you run on a Windows PC, is a .exe.

  • Program Files - This contains folders and files of installed software, like Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, Symantec Antivirus, or other optional third party and non-OS software.

  • Users Folder - This contains a subdirectory for each user who has logged on to the system. These subdirectories contain profiles, which contains user personal data and preferences.