In: Categories » Computers and technology » Windows Vista » Windows Vista: Copying a File or Folder to a Different Drive
To copy a file or folder to a folder on a different drive, use the technique described in the previous list, but don’t hold down the Ctrl key. When you drag a file to another drive, Windows automati- cally copies the file rather than moving it. Because it’s easy to get confused about which drive a folder is on, you may prefer to use the right-drag-and-drop technique described in the next section instead of the plain drag-and-drop technique.
Copying a File or Folder by Using Right-Drag-and-Drop
You can also copy a file or folder by using the right-drag-and-drop technique. Follow these steps:
1. Open an Windows Explorer window to the folder that contains the source file or folder.
2. Open another Windows Explorer window to the destination folder.
3. Right-click the file or folder in the source folder and right-drag it to the destination folder. Windows displays a context menu of options, as shown below.
4. Select the Copy Here item. Windows copies the file or folder.
The advantage of this technique over the plain drag-and-drop technique is that you can always choose whether to copy the file or move it.
Copying a File or Folder by Using the Copy and Paste Commands
You can also copy a file or folder by using the Copy and Paste commands. Follow these steps:
1. Open an Windows Explorer window to the source folder.
2. Select the file or folder.
3. Issue a Copy command by right-clicking and then choosing Copy from the context menu, or by pressing Ctrl+C.
4. Navigate to the destination folder, either in the same Windows Explorer window or in another Windows Explorer window.
5. Select the destination folder.
6. Issue a Paste command by choosing Organize Paste, right-clicking and choosing Paste from the context menu, or pressing Ctrl+V. Windows pastes the copy of the file or folder into the destination folder.
Copying a File or Folder by Using the Copy to Folder Command
If you’ve chosen to display the Windows Explorer menus, you have another way of copying a file or folder:
by using the Copy to Folder command. Take the following steps:
1. Select the file or folder you want to copy.
2. Choose Edit Copy to Folder. Windows displays the Copy Items dialog box, as shown here.
3. Navigate to the folder in which you want to create the copy of the file or folder. To create a new folder in the currently selected folder, click the Make New Folder button. Windows creates a folder named New Folder and displays an edit box around it. Type the name for the folder, and then press Enter. Windows renames the folder and leaves it selected.
4. Click the Copy button. Windows copies the file, and then closes the Copy Items dialog box.
Copying a File or Folder by Using the Send To Command
If you frequently need to copy files or folders to a particular location, using the Send To menu is usually the quickest and most convenient way to do so. For example, you might need to copy files or folders to another folder in order to burn backups of them to CD. To copy a file or folder via the Send To menu, right-click the file or folder, choose Send To from the context menu, and then select the location from the submenu, as shown here.
Moving a File or Folder
Windows’ drag-and-drop techniques for moving a file depend on whether the source folder the folder the file is currently in and the destination folder the folder to which you want to move the file are on the same drive or on different drives. The techniques for moving are closely related to the techniques for copying a file.
Moving a File or Folder to a Folder on the Same Drive
To move a file or folder to a folder on the same drive, take the following steps:
1. Arrange one or two Windows Explorer windows so that you can see the source folder and the destination.
2. Drag the file or folder from the source folder to the destination folder, and drop it there. Windows moves the file or folder.
Moving a File or Folder to a Folder on a Different Drive
To move a file or folder to a folder on a different drive, take the following steps:
1. Arrange one or two Windows Explorer windows so that you can see the source folder and the destination.
2. Select the file or folder.
3. Hold down the Shift key.
4. Drag the file or folder to the destination folder.
5. Release the Shift key and the mouse button. Windows moves the file.
This technique doesn’t work well for multiple files or folders, because holding down the Shift key and clicking the selected files or folders in preparation for dragging them changes the selection.
Moving a File or Folder by Using Right-Drag-and-Drop
You can also move a file or folder by using the right-drag-and-drop technique. Follow these steps:
1. Open an Windows Explorer window to the folder that contains the source file or folder.
2. Open another Windows Explorer window to the destination folder.
3. Right-click the file or folder in the source folder and right-drag it to the destination folder. Windows displays a context menu of options.
4. Select the Move Here item. Windows moves the file or folder.
The advantage of the right-drag technique is that it always produces a move operation, no matter whether the destination folder is on the same drive as the source folder.
Moving a File or Folder by Using the Move to Folder Command
If you’ve chosen to display the Windows Explorer menus, you have another way of moving a file or folder:
by using the Move to Folder command. Take the following steps:
1. Select the file or folder you want to move.
2. Choose Edit Move to Folder. Windows displays the Move Items dialog box, shown here.
3. Navigate to the destination folder. To create a new folder in the currently selected folder, click the Make New Folder button. Windows creates a folder named New Folder and displays an edit box around it. Type the name for the folder, and then press Enter. Windows renames the folder and leaves it selected.
4. Click the Move button. Windows copies the file and closes the Move Items dialog box.
Moving a File or Folder by Using Cut and Paste
You can also move a file or folder by using Cut and Paste commands. Follow these steps:
1. Open an Windows Explorer window to the source folder.
2. Select the file or folder.
3. Issue a Cut command by pressing Ctrl+X or by right-clicking and then choosing Cut from the context menu.
4. Navigate to the destination folder, either in the same Windows Explorer window or in another Windows Explorer window.
5. Select the destination folder.
6. Issue a Paste command by pressing Ctrl+V or right-clicking and then choosing Paste from the context menu. Windows pastes the cut file or folder into the destination folder.
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