XCOPY Command

I received the following PM from Fay and decided to answer it here:

Quote :

Hi Repa,

Do you know much about the dos XCOPY command. I am trying to use it to copy some files. Seems to work pretty well except for DOCUMENTS and SETTINGS. To test - I am testing it on just that directory.
Here is my copy statement:
xcopy c:\"documents and settings"\*.* c:\testfay4\"documents and settings"\*.* /e /h /y /r /i /c

It copies the following folders:
(the user I log on with)
Network service
local Service
default users
administrator
and copies all the sub directories and files - so that I get the e-mail, but it only copies the one user.
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In this instance, you have specified that you want to copy Directories and Subdirectories, including empty ones, and System files and Hidden files. I don't quite understand what you mean by it only copies the one user unless you are talking about administrator. It should copy all folders and sub-folders within Documents and Settings, including your user directory and subdirectories as well. You might look at the syntac combinations used in examples at the following websites and try some of those:

http://www.computerhope.com/xcopyhlp.htm

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323007

http://commandwindows.com/xcopy.htm
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If I leave off the /h it copies the following folders
(2 test users I set up)
(the user I log on with)
allusers

But since I don't have the /h I don't get the e-mail etc.
If i don't use the /c - I get an error on one of the files - I think it was ntuser.dat and it quits copying. I am not really interested in that file so I put on the /c and it goes ahead and continues copying.
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Without the /h, you will not get hidden files and folders or system files and folders. And, without /c, copying will terminate if an error occurs. Default Users, Network Services and Local Services are hidden folders on XP Home. Not sure about XP Pro, if that is what you have - you need to look at the file and folder attributes of the files, folders and sub-folders in Documents and Settings to get a better idea of why certain folders were copied in the first instance and others weren't, as well as in the 2nd instance.
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Do you know anything about why this would be?
I don't expect you to spend time on this, just thought I would check and see if you knew. If you don't know right off the top, I'll try to play around with it again later.

Thanks,
Fay

Repa,

Thanks for the reply.

I have played around with this some more and it really doesn't make any sense to me.

The folders under C:\Documents and Settings are:
user3
user2
user1
NetworkService (hidden)
LocalService (hidden)
Default User (hidden)
All Users
Administrator


If I back up to C:\mybkup\Docments and Settings and use the /h I get

user1
Network Service
LocalService
Default User
All Users
Administrator

and all the folder under them
bit I do not get user3 or user2


If I take off the /h I get
user3
user2
user1
All Users

and the non-hidden folders under them
but I need the hidden files underneath the users so that will not work.

I have no idea why using the /h would cause it not to pull the other 2 users folders.

I played around with it and it seems that if I use the /exclude on the xcopy and exclude the hidden folders and some other things - then I can use the /h and it will pull all 3 user folders and the hidden folders beneath them. It also appears to work if I change the name of the directory I am backing up to a name other than Documenta and Settings - even with the /h without the exclude.

This makes no sense to me and at this point I can not be absolutely sure if the above will hold up or if I am getting inconsistent results.



Fay

UPDATE:

I am still not sure, but currently suspect the problem has something to do with trying to copy the TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES. When I created the exclude file to use in the exclude command that I mentioned previously I excluded those files. That may have been why the xcopy worked with the exclude. I am doing more testing to try to verify - still no absolutely sure it is consistent. And if it is those files- don't know why it would allow the other data to be copied for one users and not the others.

so still

but still working on it, but think I will put it aside for tonight

Fay

UPDATE 2

I downloaded the windows resource tool kit and am experimenting with robocopy. It may be what I want to use instead of xcopy. I am not sure why I am having the problems with xcopy. I found robocopy mentionned in some of the research I did trying to figure out my problems with xcopy. I often have trouble dropping things when they don't work - but I decided maybe I need to switch gears. Looks like ROBOCOPY may work ok, but I have to figure out how to set it up to exclude the things I don't want. I think (hope) it might be just what I need.

Fay

I have switched gears again. At least for now I have abandoned robocopy. I had some issues with it. When I was looking on the net for help for xcopy I found information about both robocopy and xxcopy. xxcopy is supposedly compatible with xcopy but with more features. Today I downloaded xxcopy and tried it out. I haven't explored the other features but at least for now it seems to work better than xcopy. If I run a the xxcopy command and xcopy command to copy c:documents and settings, and use the same parameters on each (using the /h /e /c and a few others, and not excluding anything) - the xxcopy copies all the users but the xcopy command does not. So for now I'll use the xxcopy. Tomorrow that might change

Fay

Thanks for that information, Fay. I was going to try using XCOPY this week to see what would happen on my computer when copying documents and settings. I use Maxtor's Maxtor Manager to do my backups to my Maxtor external drive, and it seems to do pretty well, but not without some errors. Keep us posted on xxcopy.

Hi Repa,

It all seems very strange to me. I can't imagine that everyone has the same problem and figure it must have something to do with the way I have things set up but I have no idea what. Actually I could probably use xcopy since it seems that excluding the temporary files (and maybe others) cause it to work. So, since I want to exclude the temporary files anyway xcopy would probably work. But, since I don't know why it didn't work with the temporary files, I don't trust it. Right now xxcopy seems to work, but I guess it could be dropping some files I am not aware of.

I think I posted somewhere (maybe in the post about by external hard drive) what happened when I tried to download and install the software IOMEGA makes available when you purchase their drive. I have no idea what happened there.

Anyway right now I have my backup setup to use xxcopy and will see how it goes.

Fay

ughhh NIES (nothing is ever simple)

It seems that it is will be a little more difficult to exclude the files/folders than I thought. I am using a .txt file to exclude and want to exclude all the temporary Internet files - and some other things under each users. Right now it appears that I will have to list each user separate - so if I add a user will have to remember to go back and change my exclude file to add all the files/folders I want to exclude for the new user.

I seem to be having lots of trouble with this and kind of flipping flopping back and forth a lot so unless someone lets me know they are interested in this . I'll probably make this may last post on this issue.

Fay

Fay, before I do my backups, I clear cache and history. I use ccleaner to delete cookies, temp internet files, and other temp files that are of no value for backing up. I do intend to get around to playing with XCOPY and XXCOPY just to see what they do on my computer.

Repa,

I have ccleaner but don't use it like I should. I tend to forget about it.

I found that xxcopy has a yahoo group. I posted a message there about what I wanted to do and got an answer rather quickly.

xxopy has an exclude file but it is a little different from the xcopy exclude file. I wanted to be able include an entry that would exclude a directory from each user in documents and settings. The xxcopy exclude file wasn't letting me do that. They said that the new beta release would allow it. I don't often go for beta releases but I decided to try it and it let me do what I wanted. I could probably use XCOPY since it seems to work if I eliminate the temporary files, which I want to do anyway. But since XXcopy works without eliminating them, it makes me not quite trust xcopy. Later I may find out that I can't trust xxcopy either.

I don't like the documentation that I have found so far on the xxcopy exclude file. To me it is confusing.

If you you try them later let me know what happens. I tried robocopy also - but didn't like it.


Fay