What happens to a file when you 'save' and 'copy'?


  1. Posts : 23
    Windows 7 32bit
       #1

    What happens to a file when you 'save' and 'copy'?


    Hello everyone here on this lovely forum!

    I have some questions I really hope you can help me with.

    I have edited my previous post, so this is now easier to understand:

    File A
    This file is created in 2010 and modified in 2012.
    File A
    Created: 2010
    Modified: 2012
    Accessed: 2012

    File B
    This file is a copy of file A, and is copied in 2014. When you copy a file, the copy-date becomes the ‘created’ and ‘accessed’ date.
    File B
    Created: 2014
    Modified: 2012
    Accessed: 2014

    Now we copy file B to ANOTHER hard drive, in 2015, and the new file on the other hard drive we call file C.
    File C
    Created: 2015
    Modified: 2012
    Accessed: 2015

    File A and file C is on DIFFERENT hard drives.
    Can file C be remade into the 2010 (first) version of file A? Before file A was modified.
    Does file C contain any information about the 2010 (first) version of file A? For example the date, 2010?
    Does file C contain any data about the 2010 (first) version of file A?

    Best regards :)
    Last edited by EmilFrederiksen; 21 May 2015 at 14:14. Reason: Easier to understand
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2,774
    Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
       #2

    "...What happens to the original file (A) when I make changes to it and ‘save’ the changes (B)? Will the original file from 10.10.2015 be deleted or is it saved somewhere else on the computer?..."

    "...When you ‘copy’ a file, the copied file is the changes last made and the date it was last changed, and there is no connection to its original state when the file was CREATED?..."

    Yes, quite often, until overwritten eventually [sooner or later], each older "original" file still exists on the harddrive. If you have the right Rcycle Bin/3rd party extended undelete program, one can recover particular original[s]. This retrieve, change, save cycle can be quite regressive. :)
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 23
    Windows 7 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #3

    But the file that has been copied to a NEW hardrive, does it have "info" about the file that was first created (10.10.2015)?
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 23
    Windows 7 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #4

    But the file that has been copied to a NEW hardrive, does it have "info" about the file that was first created (10.10.2015)?

    By info I for example mean: data from previous versions of the file or a DATE (10.10.2015, the date the first file was created in the start).
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 23
    Windows 7 32bit
    Thread Starter
       #5

    EmilFrederiksen said:
    But the file that has been copied to a NEW hardrive, does it have "info" about the file that was first created (10.10.2015)?
    By info I mean for example: Data containing previous versions of the file? The file has somewhere the date the first file was created (10.10.2015)?
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 2,774
    Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
       #6

    I'm not sure. Probably depends upon what program is being used to create, change, save particular files. I think MS Office Suite has some of that ability.
      My Computer


 

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