Good morning! Guten morgen! Bonjour!
File Types and Sizes
1.What are computer files and why are they important?
A computer file is a block of arbitrary* information, or resource for storing information. They help keep things in order, and the Sims 2 is just basically one whole large system of files.
*Arbitrary means unlimited, unauthorized.
2. Then what are computer folders?
They store files just like real folders. They can be organized in any way they make sense to someone, and can be subsorted. For example, Projects/Math/Semester 1/Algebra Project/ . The folders themselves take up very little space on your hardrive, around 1kb* per each since they are merely directories. Files are
in folders.
*Kb= A byte. It is the second smallest unit of bytes. 1 Gb(Gigabyte)=1,000Mb(Megabyte)=1,000kb. 1Gb=10,000kb. Most laptops have about maybe 30 to 50 or so GB when bought, but you can always buy better hard drives. Desktops have maybe 60 to maybe 90 or so GB. Again, you can always buy better hard drives.
3. So what are file types?
They refer to the type of information they contain. Such as JPG for pictures. There are a couple hundred of file types, but there a just a few we need to concern ourselves with.
.rar=Compressed file
.zip=Compressed*, archive* file
.package=extracted* file
.exe=executable* file that self extracts*
.z=compressed
Those are a couple of file types a simmer might coincide with along their playing experience. If you're wondering what .exe and .z files are for, think of some programs, such as SimPe that might have those. .Exe and .z are known by a lot of Sims 2 custom content creators.
*Compressed=encoded information created so that fewer units of space can be used. They need to extracted to be used.
Archive=A collection of documentations, or files.
Extracted=to obtain or draw from a source, in this case with a use of a program
Executable=They cause a computer to perform indicated tasks
Self Extraction=Double click them and they have their own program to extract the file. You don't need something like Winzip, Winrar, etc to extract them. (You can if you want, though, but that cann cause complications and you may have to download again this time without your extraction program.)
4. What are file sizes?
Self explanatory. Look back at the second question. They are quite important though when it comes to custom content. Before you start going on a spree, check out how much space you have for all that downloading. For Windows, go to My Computer. The first icon should be local disk. Right click it and scroll down to Properties. From then on, you should find out how much space on your hard drive you have and if you need to possibly upgrade on your hard drive space. Think about the sizes of the files you are downloading, and the sizes of your Sims 2 folder and such.
Tip: Hover over the icon or folder or file to see some information. You can usually find the size and name and even more by just hovering over them.
I hope now you have a better feeling and idea for your computer. Any questions? Feel free to comment.
Stella
