How do you copy files in Windows 7?

[Steve Hayes]

I wanted to copy some photos to an external disk.

I marked them to copy -- difficult, because it only seems to have icon view,
and not list view, so one has to go Ctrl-C and click on every one.

But when I had marked about 5, it began tyo copy them to somewhere else on the
SAME disk.

I try again, and it starts makinigt aother copy of the files on the SAME disk.

As a result there is a HUGE waste of time, having to delete these folders
individually, and instead of making backups I've probably deleted some of the
originals as well.

Something that takes 30 seconds in XP is going to take me 30 hours in Windows
7.

Why to Microsoft have to make every new version more difficult to use than the
last?

[Felix Palmen]

Post by Steve Hayes
I marked them to copy -- difficult, because it only seems to have icon
view, and not list view, so one has to go Ctrl-C and click on every
one.

This is REALLY NOT the case. Try hitting "Alt", use the menubar that
appears as you always did...

Post by Steve Hayes
Why to Microsoft have to make every new version more difficult to use
than the last?

Why have so many people problems with even the slightest changes in user
interfaces?

Regards, Felix

[Don Stauffer]

Post by Steve Hayes
I wanted to copy some photos to an external disk.
I marked them to copy -- difficult, because it only seems to have icon view,
and not list view, so one has to go Ctrl-C and click on every one.

What program are you using- Windows Explorer? There is an icon, a
grid-like symbol, at top right, that allows you to change views from
list to icons to thumbnails, etc.

Post by Steve Hayes
But when I had marked about 5, it began tyo copy them to somewhere else on the
SAME disk.
I try again, and it starts makinigt aother copy of the files on the SAME disk.
As a result there is a HUGE waste of time, having to delete these folders
individually, and instead of making backups I've probably deleted some of the
originals as well.
Something that takes 30 seconds in XP is going to take me 30 hours in Windows
7.

I use the same techniques that worked on XP and Vista, still works fine
on 7.

Post by Steve Hayes
Why to Microsoft have to make every new version more difficult to use than the
last?

Finding that view-changing icon is the only new thing.

[Steve Hayes]

Post by Don Stauffer

Post by Steve Hayes
Something that takes 30 seconds in XP is going to take me 30 hours in Windows
7.

I use the same techniques that worked on XP and Vista, still works fine
on 7.

I've never known XP to begin making copies of files on the same disk before
you've finished marking the ones you want to copy.

Post by Don Stauffer

Post by Steve Hayes
Why to Microsoft have to make every new version more difficult to use than the
last?

Finding that view-changing icon is the only new thing.

No, there's the automatic copying thing.

[Char Jackson]

On Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:10:02 +0200, Steve Hayes

Post by Steve Hayes

Post by Don Stauffer

Post by Steve Hayes
Something that takes 30 seconds in XP is going to take me 30 hours in Windows
7.

I use the same techniques that worked on XP and Vista, still works fine
on 7.

I've never known XP to begin making copies of files on the same disk before
you've finished marking the ones you want to copy.

Post by Don Stauffer

Post by Steve Hayes
Why to Microsoft have to make every new version more difficult to use than the
last?

Finding that view-changing icon is the only new thing.

No, there's the automatic copying thing.

My guess is that it was a simple user error. Did it happen more than
once?

[Thor Kottelin]

Post by Char Jackson
On Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:10:02 +0200, Steve Hayes

Post by Steve Hayes
I've never known XP to begin making copies of files on the same disk before
you've finished marking the ones you want to copy.

Post by Don Stauffer

Post by Steve Hayes
Why to Microsoft have to make every new version more difficult to use than the
last?

Finding that view-changing icon is the only new thing.

No, there's the automatic copying thing.

My guess is that it was a simple user error.

Assuming Windows Explorer, were one's finger to slip from the C key, said
finger might hit the V key, causing copies to be created in the same
directory.



(There is an alternative to GUI drag-and-dropping: xcopy.exe.)

[Steve Hayes]

Post by Thor Kottelin

Post by Char Jackson
On Tue, 17 Aug 2010 05:10:02 +0200, Steve Hayes

Post by Steve Hayes
I've never known XP to begin making copies of files on the same disk before
you've finished marking the ones you want to copy.

Post by Don Stauffer

Post by Steve Hayes
Why to Microsoft have to make every new version more difficult to use than the
last?

Finding that view-changing icon is the only new thing.

No, there's the automatic copying thing.

My guess is that it was a simple user error.

Assuming Windows Explorer, were one's finger to slip from the C key, said
finger might hit the V key, causing copies to be created in the same
directory.
(There is an alternative to GUI drag-and-dropping: xcopy.exe.)

Something I would MUCH rather use, if you can find where Windows 7 keeps its
stuff in the first place.

It puts pictures in a "library", but it doesn't show the path so that you can
tell xcopy where to find the file.

[Thor Kottelin]

Post by Steve Hayes

Post by Thor Kottelin
(There is an alternative to GUI drag-and-dropping: xcopy.exe.)

Something I would MUCH rather use, if you can find where Windows 7 keeps its
stuff in the first place.
It puts pictures in a "library", but it doesn't show the path so that you can
tell xcopy where to find the file.

Windows Explorer provides at least two ways around this: "Open folder
location" (which opens the folder location) and "Properties" (which shows
the path to the object).

I haven't checked whether there is a way to disable the library
functionality entirely. One would make sense.

[Roger Blake]

Post by Steve Hayes
I wanted to copy some photos to an external disk.

Trivial. Pull up a command prompt, cd to the directory where the photos
are located and enter the command "copy *.* x:\destination" where "x" is
the drive letter of the external disk and "\destination" is the path to
the target directory on that disk.

If you have subdirectories to deal with you can use do as above, but
to copy the files use "xcopy . x:\destination /s/e" instead.

Couldn't be simpler.

[Steve Hayes]

Post by Roger Blake

Post by Steve Hayes
I wanted to copy some photos to an external disk.

Trivial. Pull up a command prompt, cd to the directory where the photos
are located and enter the command "copy *.* x:\destination" where "x" is
the drive letter of the external disk and "\destination" is the path to
the target directory on that disk.

And just HOW do you find the directory where the photos are located?

Post by Roger Blake
If you have subdirectories to deal with you can use do as above, but
to copy the files use "xcopy . x:\destination /s/e" instead.
Couldn't be simpler.

IF you can find the directories.

File Commander is simpler still, but again, you need to find where Windows 7
hides the stuff.

[Roger Blake]

Post by Steve Hayes
And just HOW do you find the directory where the photos are located?

Just cd to root of drive and enter "dir /s *.jpg" (or whatever file
pattern is suitable).