How to stop the prompts for copy

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pam Besteder
  • Start date Start date
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Pam Besteder

Hi All

Please let me explain what I'm doing and why I want to not have to keep
answering the prompts questions.

I have an external hard drive that I copy my files to each night.

I have about 15 different folders on my hard drive that contain various
amounts of documents, photos, etc. that I need to copy to the hard drive each
night to back them up.

I want every file in every folder to be copied over and to overwrite what is
already on the external hard drive.

I will never want to copy some but not others that are in the folder.

On Windows XP, all I had to do was drag the folder to the hard drive, answer
ONCE that I want the folder to be copied over and that was it. I could leave
my desk and come back and it was all done.

Now with Vista, I have to wait until it thinks about it . . .

Then it opens a promt that asks if I want to copy the FOLDER and override
the one that's there. Yes I do.

Then a few moments (moments, not seconds later) it prompts to ask if I want
to override the files that are in the folder and then I have to check a box
that says to do all the same action for each one . . . which is to copy and
replace.

I want to override and replace everything all the time, which is why I'm
copying the files.

Now I cannot leave my computer and go eat dinner, I have to sit and wait for
the prompts for each of the folders to ask me two seperate times if I want
the folder to be replaced and then wait for the prompt to ask me if I want
the files to be replaced.

Very frustrating.

I am the only one using my computer. It's a home computer and when I turn
it on, I don't have to login or anything.

It's just me and only me. I guess that makes me the administrator.

Here's what I want.

Is there ANY way to tell my system that anytime I drag a folder to a hard
drive or to another place on my computer that I want it ALWAYS to assume that
everything will be overridden and not to prompt me?

Thanks, and I SO HOPE that there's a way to make this work.

Pam
 
from explorer, maybe not
i get easily frustrated with file copy and move myself sometimes
i often just use the command prompt
to do what you want, you can create a batch file that will use xcopy to copy
everything over - and use task scheduler if you want to run it always at a
certain time (2am for example.)

example - let's say you have drive C and D.
all your stuff is on c:\data and on your external drive D there is a folder
called data
you could create a batch file that would do what you want with one
command. - and not prompt to overwrite
it would look something like this:

xcopy c:\data\*.* d:\data /s /e /c /r

from the command line you could type xcopy /? to see all available options
i do agree my biggest annoyance under xp was explorer confirming you wanted
to copy/move a read only or hidden or system file.
 
Pam Besteder said:
Hi All

Please let me explain what I'm doing and why I want to not have to keep
answering the prompts questions.

I have an external hard drive that I copy my files to each night.

I have about 15 different folders on my hard drive that contain various
amounts of documents, photos, etc. that I need to copy to the hard drive each
night to back them up.

I want every file in every folder to be copied over and to overwrite what is
already on the external hard drive.

I will never want to copy some but not others that are in the folder.

On Windows XP, all I had to do was drag the folder to the hard drive, answer
ONCE that I want the folder to be copied over and that was it. I could leave
my desk and come back and it was all done.
Click to expand...

This might or might not be the answer you need.

Check out a very nice little program called Second Copy (Google it).
It will automate your copying and give you more options on how to do
it than you'd ever imagine... including deleting any files on the
destination drive that are no longer on the source drive.
 
Hello!
unfortunately I don't know how to get rid of the copy prompt, but I can make
your life much easier.

Open Notepad and create a new empty file, save it as:
myNightlyBackupScript.bat

For every folder, which you have to backup add a line like this:
robocopy /E /ZB /A-:A "C:\path to original source folder" "Z:\path to target
backup folder"
at the last line of the file, type:
pause
Save the file. You will have something like:
robocopy /E /ZB /A-:A "C:\path to original source folder1" "Z:\path to
target backup folder1"
robocopy /E /ZB /A-:A "C:\path to original source folder2" "Z:\path to
target backup folder2"
robocopy /E /ZB /A-:A "C:\path to original source folder2" "Z:\path to
target backup folder3"
pause

double-click on [myNightlyBackupScript.bat]
This will backup all of the folders and files, including empty ones. You can
also create a quick-backup script, that will only copy files that are
changed since the last backup. Just add the /M switch:
robocopy /E /ZB /A-:A /M "C:\path to original source folder" "Z:\path to
target backup folder"

save this one as [myQuickNightlyBackupScript.bat]

You can also add
/IS
to Include (replace) Same files.


in message
| Hi All
|
| Please let me explain what I'm doing and why I want to not have to keep
| answering the prompts questions.
|
| I have an external hard drive that I copy my files to each night.
|
| I have about 15 different folders on my hard drive that contain various
| amounts of documents, photos, etc. that I need to copy to the hard drive
each
| night to back them up.
|
| I want every file in every folder to be copied over and to overwrite what
is
| already on the external hard drive.
|
| I will never want to copy some but not others that are in the folder.
|
| On Windows XP, all I had to do was drag the folder to the hard drive,
answer
| ONCE that I want the folder to be copied over and that was it. I could
leave
| my desk and come back and it was all done.
|
| Now with Vista, I have to wait until it thinks about it . . .
|
| Then it opens a promt that asks if I want to copy the FOLDER and override
| the one that's there. Yes I do.
|
| Then a few moments (moments, not seconds later) it prompts to ask if I
want
| to override the files that are in the folder and then I have to check a
box
| that says to do all the same action for each one . . . which is to copy
and
| replace.
|
| I want to override and replace everything all the time, which is why I'm
| copying the files.
|
| Now I cannot leave my computer and go eat dinner, I have to sit and wait
for
| the prompts for each of the folders to ask me two seperate times if I want
| the folder to be replaced and then wait for the prompt to ask me if I want
| the files to be replaced.
|
| Very frustrating.
|
| I am the only one using my computer. It's a home computer and when I turn
| it on, I don't have to login or anything.
|
| It's just me and only me. I guess that makes me the administrator.
|
| Here's what I want.
|
| Is there ANY way to tell my system that anytime I drag a folder to a hard
| drive or to another place on my computer that I want it ALWAYS to assume
that
| everything will be overridden and not to prompt me?
|
| Thanks, and I SO HOPE that there's a way to make this work.
|
| Pam
 
Hi George

Thanks

When I go to Notepad and open a file and then save it, I save it named
myNightlyBackupScript.bat

But the file type comes in a .txt

When I save it, the icon for the document looks like a lot of wheels like a
machine.

When I double-click on the document to open it, I get this error message:

C:Users/Owners/Desktop/myNightlyBackupScript.bat
"The parameter is incorrect"

What am I doing wrong
 
It seems that the batch file does not contain the command using it's proper
syntax OR an invalid argument/switch option has been passed.

Hi George

Thanks

When I go to Notepad and open a file and then save it, I save it named
myNightlyBackupScript.bat

But the file type comes in a .txt

When I save it, the icon for the document looks like a lot of wheels like a
machine.

When I double-click on the document to open it, I get this error message:

C:Users/Owners/Desktop/myNightlyBackupScript.bat
"The parameter is incorrect"

What am I doing wrong
 
I only created the file and saved it, I didn't put any of the commands in the
file. Is that what I did wrong?
 
What George suggested was just an EXAMPLE of the contents of the file.You
will have to look up the help instructions for the commands manually to
check what is applicable for your system.Use the commands that George gave
as a template and not as a ready solution.

I only created the file and saved it, I didn't put any of the commands in
the
file. Is that what I did wrong?
 
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