If you have more than one computer, and the computers are networked, you probably want to share resources like files, folders, and printers over the network. As a rule of thumb it makes no difference if the network is wired, wireless, or both, or even if the computers connect through a router or access point, the computers only see network devices.

There are now printers that have an ethernet port, or a radio to wirelessly connect to an access point, but you may also have an old fashioned printer that connects directly to your computer through a USB or some other cable connection. Sharing a printer is simple.

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Folder navigation in Windows Vista was designed to be simple, but it’s not always obvious. The address bar has the ability to perform more than one function.

Knowing the directory path for the folder you are in can be useful, especially when installing a program that requires you to copy and paste that information into the setup. To find the path for any folder you are in click the drop-down menu arrow at the end of the address bar.

The address bar will change from this …

… to this.

As a shortcut you can backspace out some of the path like Program Files, and hit enter to go Up One Level in the directory tree. There two other ways to accomplish the same task here and here.

The Address bar can also be used to access the Internet by simply typing in a web address like www.nerdgrind.com and hitting enter.

In Windows Vista folder windows there is a handy back button to go back to the previous folder, but sometimes you’d like to go up one level in the directory tree. To accomplish this task go to View –> Go To, and click Up One Level.

If you’d prefer to have an Up One Level button to accomplish your task in one click, then click here to learn about a tool that can help. For those that want to avoid even a single click, the short cut key combination to go Up One Level is Alt+Up Arrow.