Just move those files from one disk to another

Question

Copying and moving files with Windows Explorer is not reliable. Depending on what error you get, the action is interrupted and does not continue, even if you hit the "Skip" button. Here is an example I had several times during the last 2 weeks:

I am looking for a tool that

• moves files from one folder to another folder as the result of a drag'n'drop action like Windows Explorer

• is unstoppable, i.e. continues with the remaining files even in worst cases. Ideally it would even ask to reconnect the disk if the disk was accidentally ejected or had a power loss or other hardware failure

• asks to take over the permissions like Windows Explorer does with this dialog:

  

• is able to process system files like

  

• works with NTFS (which has all these security features)

• works on Windows 10

• is gratis or less than 10 €

The tool may

• ask once but always provide a "do this for all items" checkbox

The tool needn't

• copy the permissions. It would be ok if the destination file is world-readable (like 0777 on Linux).

Ideally, the tool

• reads $MFT directly, like Search Everything or WizTree. (Because Windows is soooo slow in finding files)

Basically, I want to move everything that I drag'n'dropped without much asking. The disks that I process are old, damaged or in some other way hardly usable. If the file system is damaged so hard, I am gonna use other tools, which require much more skill and will thus cost

I know that moving causes write operations which is not ideal. But I need to know which files have been processed an which have not. A file no longer being on the source disk is a clear indicator for "was processed" in this scenario.

Why not use a backup tool? I will exclude a lot of folders like Program Files, Program Files(x86), Windows, ProgramData, ... What I do is data migration, not a backup.

Answer 1

FastCopy does it and is super fast as well. The usability could be improved, but its speed is awesome! Where Windows Explorer moved files at 800 kB/s, FastCopy reached 60 MB/s.

For the requirements:

moves files from one folder to another folder as the result of a drag'n'drop action like Windows Explorer

This is a bit tricky, because that functionality is not enabled by default. You need to set it in the options ("Shell Extension"):

is unstoppable, i.e. continues with the remaining files even in worst cases.

It copied the History.IE5 folder without any issues.

According to this German blog post it will even process files that are owned by TrustedInstaller.

asks to take over the permissions

Not exactly. But it can run in normal or elevated mode.

is able to process system files

In elevated mode definitively.

works with NTFS

Yes, and you can even choose to copy permission information (ACL) and Alternate Data Streams (ADS)

is gratis

yes, although no longer available as source