How to copy a Windows PC flash drive

[VinceM]

This is not specifically about modeling, except I've heard a few people lament about losing their models through a flash drive crash. I just learned how to copy a flash drive and thought I'd share the technique. This is on a Windows PC, I don't know what would be different with a Mac.

First, insert both the old and the new drives into separate USB ports. Using File Explorer, open the old flash drive. You should see all your files.
Press "control", then "a". This selects all of the files.
Press "control", then "c". This copies all of the files.
Next, open the new flash drive. Press "control", then "v".(Or, you could right click and select "paste"). This will copy all of the files.

[Loui]

it called keyboard shortcut... I found others keyboard shortcuts here... https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/126449

best regards, Loui

[ashevilleangler]

Just remember that flash drives are good for "temporary" storage. They are just too easy to damage and to easy to lose. It's a good idea to have multiple backups and refresh them often.

Curt

[Rubenandres77]

Just remember that flash drives are good for "temporary" storage. They are just too easy to damage and to easy to lose. It's a good idea to have multiple backups and refresh them often.

Curt

Exactly.

A friend recently reminded me: "always have several back-ups: your hard drive, an external hard drive, never throw away your burned CDs, and if possible upload to any storage service you have on-line (or cloud storage as they call it nowadays)".

Is better to play safe and have multiple copies of your important files. It may be time-consuming to keep all synchronized, but once a file is lost or damaged you'll never regret to have spent some minutes making security copies of it.

[jleslie48]

Exactly.

never throw away your burned CDs,".

Is better to play safe and have multiple copies of your important files. It may be time-consuming to keep all synchronized, but once a file is lost or damaged you'll never regret to have spent some minutes making security copies of it.

another invaluable tool is the Cathy directory lister:


Cathy - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com (http://download.cnet.com/Cathy/3000-2248_4-10057376.html)

what Cathy does is it make a directory tree listing on ANY disk and stores it. So when you burn a CD or DVD, you properly number them YYMMDD-HHMM.
Before putting the disk is some storage box or where ever, you run the disk through Cathy and this way Cathy records the directory tree and all the files that are on that disk. Cathy then allows you to search ALL of the disks that it has cataloged at once for a file. this way you don't have to keep popping in and out disks/cds/usb sticks, hard drives, whatever to find a file.

here are some screenshots, the first is the tab to add a disk to cathy and the second is a search of every backup I have ever made in the last 15 years of every CD/DVD/Hard drive I have ever had for a file that has "lunar...lander" anywhere in its file name

[John Bowden]

Just a heads up on CDs and DVDs......... the ones you burner yourself have an average shelf life of about 10 years (plus or minus) YMMV

Soooo these are really NOT good for long term storage.......... I mean 10 years will fly by faster than you realize.

This articles says even shorter........

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=846430055468091&set=a.113572452087192.18932.100003033122105&type=3&theater

[eric_son]

Just a heads up on CDs and DVDs......... the ones you burner yourself have an average shelf life of about 10 years (plus or minus) YMMV

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=846430055468091&set=a.113572452087192.18932.100003033122105&type=3&theater

And I think that these are the good quality, archival grade CD/DVD-Rs. The cheaper ones (bulk, generic) last shorter.