Problem moving folders from external drives to a Windows 7 library

[bmanning43]

I have a new Dell computer (XPS 8500) running Windows 7 Professional. I have an old Western Digital My Book external drive (USB 2.0) and a new one (USB 3.0). The old drive has a cloned (Acronis) version of my old computer on it. The new computer had a little trouble finding the old drive but eventually did so, and no trouble finding the new drive. I was able to copy the folders I wanted from the old external drive to the new one but not from either the old or the new into a Library I created for stuff from my old computer. Of course I can link the folders to the Library, but not actually copy them to it- which is what I had planned to have old and new data in one place, reserving the new external drive for clones or backup. When I attempt to either drag the folder or do a copy, I get the red circle with a line through it. Any suggestions for what is going on?

 

[Brink]

Hello bmanning, and welcome to Seven Forums.

As a test, see if you will be able to drag them to your desktop first, then move them to where you like afterwards. Windows 7 has built-in security that prevents anything from being copied from an external source directly into a system folder. It has to be to a user folder (ex: desktop) first, then from the user folder to a system location.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[bmanning43]

Thanks Shawn - I was able to copy the folders into a new folder on the desktop, but they did not want to transfer from there to a library folder. But it is OK - I just wanted to get them onto the internal drive . Thanks for the advice. I was pulling out hair.

Bruce

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Bruce. Are you having any trouble with accessing the files, or with copying or moving anything else to this same library folder?

 

[bmanning43]

Yeah - actually I cannot copy or move anything from my old computer folder or from anywhere on the desktop into a libriary I create. Is some setting amiss?

 

[Brink]

As a test to see if this is just a issue in only your user account or not, create a new administrator account, log on to it, and see if you may be able to now.

 

[bmanning43]

Hi Shawn - I created a new user (administrator), logged on as that user, then created a folder on the desktop, and a test folder within it. Then I created a new library. I could not copy anything from the desktop into that library. So then I logged back in as my first user, where I discovered I could copy folders from my old computer folder into existing libraries, for example I was able to copy My Pictures from my old computer into the Pictures library. Still can't copy anything into the library I created. Must have something to do with the security level (probably a better word.....) when a new library is created?

 

[Brink]

Just a thought, but when you created a new library, did you include a folder to it afterwards? It will not let you copy anything into the library unless you did. If you are trying to copy a file from a folder that is already included in the library, then it will not let you either since it's already in it.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/583-new-library-create.html