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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
I have an external hard drive connected to USB2 port on 64-bit W7 Home
Premium. I use it to make backup copies of my data using windows explorer copy/paste. My data is in a separate folder called coincidentally My_Data. I initiated a copy/paste from My_Data on the W7 drive to a same-name folder on the external drive. I see the transfer is said to be 8MB/sec. Then I initiated a second copy/paste of my three 'desktop', 'downloads' and 'documents' folders on the W7 drive to same-named folders on the same external drive. The transfer is said to be 19MB/sec. Why the different speeds? I certainly would prefer the faster speed. As it is, the slower transfer will take more than a day to complete. Not good. Thanks ME |
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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
In message , Stan Brown
writes: On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 08:34:43 -0400, wrote: I initiated a copy/paste from My_Data on the W7 drive to a same- [] I can't answer your question, but if you really mean Copy/Paste, you're putting a huge amount of data on the clipboard. As an [] Does it really? I've often got the impression that cut, at least, from Windows Explorer _doesn't_ actually cut until you do the paste (at least if it's between drives), and I think similarly with copy. I _think_ the only things that get cut/copied when you do Ctrl-C (or select Copy from a menu) are the filenames (and pointer data). I guess it'd be fairly easy to check: initiate a cut or copy (without doing a paste) of the largest file you can find; if there is (much!) disc activity _at the point you select/initiate copy_, then I'm wrong. Of course, it _could_ still go via some notional clipboard when you finally do the paste, but I don't think so, I think it copies the files direct. -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. -Ambrose Bierce, writer (1842-1914) |
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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 15:52:19 +0100, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , Stan Brown writes: On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 08:34:43 -0400, wrote: I initiated a copy/paste from My_Data on the W7 drive to a same- [] I can't answer your question, but if you really mean Copy/Paste, you're putting a huge amount of data on the clipboard. As an [] Does it really? I've often got the impression that cut, at least, from Windows Explorer _doesn't_ actually cut until you do the paste (at least if it's between drives), and I think similarly with copy. I _think_ the only things that get cut/copied when you do Ctrl-C (or select Copy from a menu) are the filenames (and pointer data). What you say sounds reasonable, as I think about it. I think most likely you're right and I was wrong. Others have already given a believable explanation for the speed difference: the penalty from doing seeks for lots of files. -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://BrownMath.com/ http://OakRoadSystems.com/ Shikata ga nai... |
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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 08:57:14 -0400, Stan Brown
wrote: On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 08:34:43 -0400, wrote: I initiated a copy/paste from My_Data on the W7 drive to a same- name folder on the external drive. I see the transfer is said to be 8MB/sec. Then I initiated a second copy/paste of my three 'desktop', 'downloads' and 'documents' folders on the W7 drive to same-named folders on the same external drive. The transfer is said to be 19MB/sec. Why the different speeds? I can't answer your question, but if you really mean Copy/Paste, you're putting a huge amount of data on the clipboard. As an alternative, consider Robocopy, which is blindingly fast -- it's already on your computer as part of Windows. Of course you're limited by USB2 speeds, but when I copy to my USB2 external hard drive, just by dragging files from one Explorer window to another, I get 20+ MB/s. So I wonder if going through the clipboard is what is slowing your speeds by so much. Bare-bones robocopy documentation: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/...(v=ws.11).aspx Intro to Robocopy: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/whats-...ows-7-robocopy There's also a Microsoft GUI, which I haven't tried: http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...8a1-4f71-8546- 25c359cc0842/UtilitySpotlight2006_11.exe Robocopy worked fine for me in my W7. A little tricky, but a lot faster. Thanks me |
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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
On Sun, 25 Sep 2016 05:03:06 -0400, wrote:
Robocopy worked fine for me in my W7. A little tricky, but a lot faster. Glad you like it -- I'm a big fan. It was recommended to me here a year or so ago, and I use it to keep my home computers. It's a little tricky, as you say, but I dedicated a couple of hours to reading the documentation carefully and then stored the options I always want to use, in an alias "robu". BTW, there's a user manual, which I didn't realize I had a link for: http://theether.net/download/Microso...s/robocopy.pdf -- Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA http://BrownMath.com/ http://OakRoadSystems.com/ Shikata ga nai... |
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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 15:52:19 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote: In message , Stan Brown writes: On Sat, 24 Sep 2016 08:34:43 -0400, wrote: I initiated a copy/paste from My_Data on the W7 drive to a same- [] I can't answer your question, but if you really mean Copy/Paste, you're putting a huge amount of data on the clipboard. As an [] Does it really? I've often got the impression that cut, at least, from Windows Explorer _doesn't_ actually cut until you do the paste (at least if it's between drives), and I think similarly with copy. I _think_ the only things that get cut/copied when you do Ctrl-C (or select Copy from a menu) are the filenames (and pointer data). Actually, it seems it acts like the all of the upper level filenames are stored in a buffer someplace. Thus, if you select a small group directory entries then the selection operation will be pretty fast, but if you have 1000 files or folders selected then the operation will take a while. Contrast this operation with a command window COPY, where the names looked at only as the COPY operation gets to it. So, an "Explorer" selection takes linear in the number of files/folders/links/etc selected initially. The execution of the "Copy" or {"Cut" that requires a copy since it is to another device} and should be expected to run in linear time with the total amount of data that needs to be copied, with additional time linear in the total number of entries needing to be copied. I have not attempted to analyze why the speeds for copies of a single large file varies between all of the various methods that I use. I have noticed that some programs attempt to read large amounts of data then write large amounts of data, which obviously speeds things up on spinning disks and which also speeds things up considerably on SSDs and even more on many USB keys. (This is contrasted to using the "rookie" method of just using multiple large buffers, letting the "disk" order the operations, and sharing the buffers to avoid in memory moves.) I guess it'd be fairly easy to check: initiate a cut or copy (without doing a paste) of the largest file you can find; if there is (much!) disc activity _at the point you select/initiate copy_, then I'm wrong. Yes, that is what I confirmed after noticing the timing. Of course, it _could_ still go via some notional clipboard when you finally do the paste, but I don't think so, I think it copies the files direct. |
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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
On Sun, 25 Sep 2016 10:06:44 -0400, Stan Brown
wrote: On Sun, 25 Sep 2016 05:03:06 -0400, wrote: Robocopy worked fine for me in my W7. A little tricky, but a lot faster. Glad you like it -- I'm a big fan. It was recommended to me here a year or so ago, and I use it to keep my home computers. It's a little tricky, as you say, but I dedicated a couple of hours to reading the documentation carefully and then stored the options I always want to use, in an alias "robu". BTW, there's a user manual, which I didn't realize I had a link for: http://theether.net/download/Microso...s/robocopy.pdf Thanks Me |
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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
On Mon, 26 Sep 2016 01:43:11 +0100, Good Guy
wrote: On 24/09/2016 13:34, wrote: I certainly would prefer the faster speed. As it is, the slower transfer will take more than a day to complete. Not good. Thanks Use the command prompt and type something like this: xcopy *.* /s /v /e f:\ This assumes you are in your My_Data folder and your target drive is F:\ Now go and make yourself a cup of tea and also go for quick pee and then come back to see the progress. I will ME |
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Speeds of Data Copying in W7
On Mon, 26 Sep 2016 05:21:34 -0400, wrote:
On Mon, 26 Sep 2016 01:43:11 +0100, Good Guy wrote: On 24/09/2016 13:34, wrote: I certainly would prefer the faster speed. As it is, the slower transfer will take more than a day to complete. Not good. Thanks Use the command prompt and type something like this: xcopy *.* /s /v /e f:\ This assumes you are in your My_Data folder and your target drive is F:\ Now go and make yourself a cup of tea and also go for quick pee and then come back to see the progress. I will ME Damn! I just re-tried installing the driver and it seems to have worked. Device Manager is happy, and the task bar shows connection. Sorry to have bothered you guys Alan |
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