Drag & Drop 'Creates Links'...

[Bob2348]

...instead of copying the files as it always has before (and by design, I might add).

I'm trying to drag from my laptop to external HD, which has never been a problem, and it won't copy. Instead, it says 'Create a link to...' wherever I try to drag it. I can't copy manually using Ctrl + C, or by right-clicking.

Drag and drop is enabled in Right-click start > Properties > Customize, etc.

If it matters, I'm running Windows 7 Home Premium.

Any help appreciated, my patience has already evaporated.

 

[manamaga]

Can you drag / drop on your latop without any problems? From Documents to Desktop for example.

 

[Lemur]

I wonder if it's a permissions issue? Instead of copying, can you create a new file on your external hd saved, for example, from a Word document?

** EDIT ** Also, is the external drive formatted as fat32 or ntfs?

 

[Bob2348]

Thank you for the replies.

@ Lemur
I created a new folder on the HD and copying the document from the laptop works fine. I tried the same with music, which is what I'm trying to copy in the first place, and it won't do it (saying 'create link' instead.

The HD is a Seagate formatted to NTFS.

@ Manamaga
I can drag and drop documents around the laptop with no issues. I can't move music around at all without it wanted to create a link or short cut instead of moving or copying.

 

[Bob2348]

Riiiiiight...

It's ten minutes after I posted the above and the music folder decided to take all the sub-folders out of all the bands with multiple albums folders and copy to the HD absolutely perfectly.

I have no idea. I'll be back if it decides to throw a tantrum again. Thanks for the help.

 

[Lemur]

good to hear!

 

[logicearth]

Is there a desktop.ini file in any of the problem areas?

 

[Bob2348]

And so, it's happening again.

This time, I'm trying to drag music onto my new HTC Desire and it's just creating links again.

No desktop.ini file that I can see.

 

[cobraa783]

Check you setting for you mouse if the buttons got switched it would cause that

 

[sassywassy123]

Fix for Short Cut problem

What you are going to need to do is rename NEW version of the file to a .a1 extension. So xxx.a1, then you are going to want to delete the OLD File, and then move the new .a1 extension file to where you want it. Then you are going to need to rename the file back to whatever extension it was previously, say back to a .txt