Filename(s) Relating to Copy Files Error.

Hi,

I recently copied a folder with many sub-folders and around 10,000 files
total to an external HD plugged into USB port. I use the Copy and Paste
method.

An error occurred about a file already exists! This happened more than
once. I selected "Copy, but keep both files. The file you are coping will be
renamed......".

I know Windows 7 has an "Event Viewer", but I did not find out how to see
the name(s) of the files "that already exist" in the destination.

Thank You in advance, John

In message ,
writes:
Hi,

I recently copied a folder with many sub-folders and around 10,000 files
total to an external HD plugged into USB port. I use the Copy and Paste
method.

An error occurred about a file already exists! This happened more than
once. I selected "Copy, but keep both files. The file you are coping will be
renamed......".

I know Windows 7 has an "Event Viewer", but I did not find out how to see
the name(s) of the files "that already exist" in the destination.

Thank You in advance, John


Well, the new copies will have something appended to their name - I
_think_ it uses "(number)", so if you try to copy "file.ext" to where
there already is a "file.ext", you'll find (in the destination) the
original file.ext, and file(1).ext. So the ones that already exist will
be the ones where there's another file with (1) added. [If there's
already a file(1).ext, I think it'll make a file(2).ext, and so on.]

Try it with one you _know_ already exists, to see what the naming policy
is.

If you want to see all the duplicates in one list, the "Everything"
search utility (www.voidtools.com) will probably do (just search for
"(1)" or whatever the syntax is).
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"Who came first? Adam or Eve?" "Adam of course; men always do."
Victoria Wood (via Peter Hesketh)

jaugustine wrote:

I recently copied a folder with many sub-folders and around 10,000
files total to an external HD plugged into USB port. I use the Copy
and Paste method.

An error occurred about a file already exists! This happened more than
once. I selected "Copy, but keep both files. The file you are coping will be
renamed......".

I know Windows 7 has an "Event Viewer", but I did not find out how to see
the name(s) of the files "that already exist" in the destination.

Thank You in advance, John

Don't use Windows Explorer (WE) if you want details about an exception
or error. You won't get any info from WE. Use the 'copy' or 'xcopy'
command from a shell (aka command prompt) where you can see the results
of the copy operation for each file. Those won't offer you an
interruptive prompt on how to handle naming conflicts. They will error
on that copy unless you specify a parameter to force overwrite.

If you want better control over file copying, well, that's why 3rd party
software exists: give you something more or different than what comes
bundled in the OS.

For WE, you know what file name is in conflict because it tells you in
that prompt. A "(X)" gets appended if you decide to keep both files
instead of overwriting the source file onto the target file. If you
elect to apply the same chosen action to all further name conflicts, you
won't know what names were in conflict. Your choice is to do the
conflicts one at a time or sweep them all at once without prompt which
means no info about which source files got renamed at the destination.
Of course, you could look in the destination folder(s) to see which
files have "(X)" appended onto their names assuming that index postfix
didn't already exist on the source file(s).

If you're going to sync files from a source to target and do it often,
you might want to use a sync tool, like Syncback Free or FreeFileSync.
If you just want to occasionally copy a bunch of files but want more
control and logging for naming conflicts or other errors, use a 3rd
party copy tool; e.g., TeraCopy (even supports your drag-n-drop modus
operandi with a prompt about which copy program to use, and will copy
inuse files using VSS rather than issuing an access denied error).
The alt.comp.freeware newsgroup is probably a better choice to inquire
on what others think is the best 3rd party copy tool.

SNIP
Well, the new copies will have something appended to their name - I
_think_ it uses "(number)", so if you try to copy "file.ext" to where
there already is a "file.ext", you'll find (in the destination) the
original file.ext, and file(1).ext. So the ones that already exist will
be the ones where there's another file with (1) added. [If there's
already a file(1).ext, I think it'll make a file(2).ext, and so on.]

Try it with one you _know_ already exists, to see what the naming policy
is.

If you want to see all the duplicates in one list, the "Everything"
search utility (www.voidtools.com) will probably do (just search for
"(1)" or whatever the syntax is).

Hi,
I did elect to keep the file that already "exist" in destination
and have the file to be copied renamed with "(2)" added as part of it's
base name.

However, in reality, the file DID NOT EXIST since I am "duplicating" the
folder into another drive that did NOT have that folder to begin with..

The root of the problem has to do with the original source of those files
from a computer (WIN98) that supports both 8.3 (DOS) filenames along with
LFNs. One of the two files, that had the same filename beginning, lost it's
LFN, but only the 8.3 remained. "PORTEG~1.PDF" (lost LFN). This can happen
when you copy a file in REAL DOS mode where there is no LFN support.

Again, Thanks for your replies, John

VanguardLH wrote:

Don't use Windows Explorer (WE) if you want details about an exception
or error. You won't get any info from WE. Use the 'copy' or 'xcopy'
command from a shell (aka command prompt) where you can see the results
of the copy operation for each file.
...

Another one usable from the command shell is robocopy.exe. Unless you
want it to perform a nearly infinite number retries on an error when
copying a file, be sure to lower the values for retry count (/r:n
parameter, default n is 1 *million*) and retry interval (/w:n
parameter, default n is 30 seconds).