2.5
File Management Commands:
XCOPY
Type: External
Syntax: XCOPY
[d:][path]filename
[d:][path][filename]
[/A][/D:(date)] [/E][/M][/P]
[/S][/V][/W][Y|-Y]
Purpose: Copies
directories, subdirectories, and files.
Discussion
XCOPY copies
files or groups of files to and from directories. Especially useful for copying
data to and from a fixed disk.
The first path
designation specifies the source
file(s); the second path designation specifies
the target
file(s). A source designation must always be provided. If you do not
enter a target designation, files will be copied to the current directory.
This command
provides a way to copy entire disks full of data, including all established
directories and subdirectories. This command should be used instead of the
DISKCOPY command when you want to create a disk with identical file structures,
but with a different disk format (for example, to copy all files from a 5 1/4
inch disk to a 3 1/2 inch disk).
If the source
is a directory, the directory will be copied onto the destination diskette. If
the source to be copied includes more than one file, the destination files will
be stored in a directory. You can add a backslash (\) to the end of the
destination filename to make it a directory.
If XCOPY does
not find a directory on the destination disk that matches a PATH specification
in the command format, the copying will stop. A message will be displayed
asking you to specify whether or not the destination file specification is to
be stored as a filename or a directory name.
XCOPY is a
much more powerful copying command than the COPY command. It is especially
useful when backing up your fixed disk. A common usage would be to use the /S
option along with the
/D:date option to back up only the files that have been
changed since the date of your last backup. If you are using XCOPY for this
purpose, you will probably want to make a copy of the program
(XCOPY.EXE) in
the root directory of your fixed disk (remember, when you use the /S option,
XCOPY only copies files from subdirectories found WITHIN the current
directory).
After you enter the XCOPY
command, the program may display
Does (filename) specify a file
name or directory name on the target
(F = file, D = directory)
This means
XCOPY cannot determine if you want the specified path designation entry to be
sent to a filename on the target disk or to a directory.
NOTE:
Some versions
of DOS provide a way to avoid this prompt. It is done by renaming the XCOPY.EXE
command to
MCOPY.EXE. When using
MCOPY, DOS will automatically check to
determine if the target is a filename or a directory name and carry out the
copy accordingly. To change the name of the command to
MCOPY, enter
copy xcopy.exe mcopy.exe
Then, you can
use the new MCOPY.EXE program just as you would use
XCOPY.EXE. The only
difference is that MCOPY will automatically determine whether the target is to
be a file or a directory.
If an error is
encountered during the XCOPY process, the program returns one of the following
exit codes:
0 - Copying was completed
without error
1 - No files found
2 - User terminated the copy
4 - Initialization error (not
enough memory, invalid syntax, path not found)
5 - Copy terminated due to INT
24 error reading or writing disk
Options
/A -
Copies only files that have been set as archive files (using the ATTRIB
command). The copied files will still be marked as archive files in BOTH the
source and destination files.
/D - (date)
- Copies only those files in the source directory that have been changed on or
LATER than the specified date.
/S -
Copies all files in the current directory and in any subdirectory within it.
/E -
Copies subdirectories, even if they are empty. If you use this option, you must
use the /S option also.
/M -
Copies the same marked archive files as specified in the /A option; however,
the files on the destination disk are no longer marked as archive files. This
switch checks the archive attribute of a file: if the file`s archive attribute
is set to off (-A), the file will not be copied.
/P -
Does not copy the file until you respond to a prompt that asks you to confirm
that you want the file copied. However, if you are using the /E option, you
will not be prompted before an empty subdirectory is copied.
/V -
Each file copied is verified to be sure the file stored on the destination disk
is identical to the original on the source disk.
/W -
Copies only after you respond to a prompt to begin copying (if this option is
omitted, the copying begins as soon as you enter the XCOPY command and press
the Enter key).
/Y - Causes XCOPY to
replace existing files without a confirmation prompt.
/-Y - Causes XCOPY to give
you a confirmation prompt before replacing an existing file.
Example
To copy all files and directories
(except empty directories) from drive D to drive A, enter
xcopy d: a: /s
|