How do I copy from my pictures to external hard drive ?

[Adrian C]

Hi all, first time visitor so it may be a stupid question. I've been transferring pictures for years from my Windows XP pc, now I'm using the wife's lap-top more I've decided to copy pictures to the same external hard drive (a 1TB Iomegga) but I cannot seem to be able, nothing appears to give me the required function, can anybody help ?

I would like to keep them on the lap-top rather than transfer them, I'm only doing this as a back up in case anything goes wrong and they get lost.

Many thanks if you can help,

Adrian

 

[The Howling Wolves]

Adrian C,
Welcome to 7 Forums!

Have you tried Highlighting all the photo's and dragging them over to External Drive?
There are other ways such as Creating a "Photo" folder in external drive and then copy and paste them to
that drive.
Or use a thumb drive to put your pictures on and then transferring that way to EHD
THW

 

[Adrian C]

Thanks for the welcome THW. If I drag across the folder to the hard drive that will transfer them I think (it will do with XP, which I am far more used to).
I would like to copy not transfer.

Adrian

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Highlight.

Right click.

Drag in direction of destination folder.

Choose copy here.

 

[seavixen32]

You can also use keyboard shortcuts.

In the source folder: Ctrl + A selects everything. Ctrl + C copies your selection to the clipboard.

In the destination folder: Ctrl + V pastes your selection from the clipboard into the folder.

 

[Adrian C]

Nope, doesn't work, when you drag the folder across, it gives two options : create shortcut here or cancel.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I've gotten in the habit of the right click, but when dragging between drives, a simple left click and drag will produce a copy, not a move.

On my system. You may have a mystery system.

You should also have copy choices from the Edit menu.

 

[Adrian C]

Sorry Sea Vixen, tried your idea too, the same response appear.

 

[Adrian C]

I don't have an edit selection either high or low lighted !

 

[ignatzatsonic]

You don't have an Edit menu in Windows Explorer??

 

[seavixen32]

I keep forgetting, this is Windows 7 and there is no Edit button on the ribbon.

Open My Pictures and click Organize followed by Select All.

Go back to Organize and select Copy.

Go to your destination folder and open your Pictures folder that you created.

Click Organize then Paste.

Job done.

To use the keyboard shortcuts you need to click in the folder's right-hand pane first to give it the focus.

 

[Adrian C]

I'm in pictures/libraries, how does explorer help ?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

From the edit menu of Windows Explorer you can "select all" and then "copy to folder".

See pic below.

Libraries are only a complication to me. I avoid them.

 

[Adrian C]

Me too, I never use libraries in XP but when 7 was new to me my pictures went there automatically, I need to understand how to avoid this and get my picturies copied to the external hard drive. Any ideas ?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I need to understand how to avoid this and get my picturies copied to the external hard drive. Any ideas ?

Avoid what exactly?? It's easy enough to avoid libraries if you want to.

Can you or can't you use the edit menu in Windows Explorer as I described in my previous post?

If not, what happens when you try to do that?

 

[boohbah]

if you open the external and drag the window to the right it will fill half the screen , do the same with the pictures folder and drag it fully over to the left, this will fill the left hand side of your screen.
then in the pictures window go to organise /select all then left click a picture and drag it over to the external window.
you may want to create a folder called pictures in the external and have that folder open and filling half the screen thus allowing you to drag and drop all the pictures to your new external pictures folder,
it will say copy to folder as you drag it
e.g.

 

[devnulllore]

My favorite way it to download the Microsoft Sync toy: Download Details - Microsoft Download Center - SyncToy 2.1 and create a folder of the same name where your pictures are now on your destination drive. Then use Sync Toy to sync the folders. Original Folder on the left and destination on the right. Be sure to do an echo sync. Then whenever you want or when you've added or removed picture sync again and it will add or delete what you've changed.

 

[Adrian C]

Thanks Boohbah, I tried that but the description you have given and the screen shot make no sense to me, I have no idea where to go beyond dragging the external over to one side, that worked but I could not drag the pictures to the left, all that happened there was a stretch. Why can't I just highlight them and copy them to the external ?

 

[seavixen32]

From the edit menu of Windows Explorer you can "select all" and then "copy to folder".

See pic below.

Libraries are only a complication to me. I avoid them.

There is no Edit button in Windows 7's My Pictures folder or Windows Explorer.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If you use Windows Explorer menus, you don't have to drag or stretch anything. You just choose from a directory tree.