I have one of those removable storage devices – it looks like a small cigarette lighter. I plug it into my computer and it pops up on the desktop. I grab my “My Documents” folder and drop it in the storage device window. All that happens is that a shortcut is created to my “My Documents” folder. The files within are not copied.
How do I get a complete backup of my files onto my removable storage devices?
Odd, I just tried it (Windows XP pro) but it doesn’t work for me either, at least not when you just try dragging and dropping or copying and pasting through Windows Explorer. I guess it has something to do with how the “My Documents” folder is set up… the obvious fix is to just create a new folder on the thumb drive named “My Documents” and then select everything in your My Docs folder and copy and paste (or drag and drop if you prefer).
Did you try right-clicking to drag it and choosing “Copy”? (The default may be “Create Shortcut Here.”)
The My Documents folder has some Windows magic to it, in that it doesn’t really exist as a folder directly on your desktop. It’s actually under the Documents and Settings/your user name/ folder on your hard drive.
So I think the “folder” you’re copying is actually just a link to the real folder. Naturally, when you copy that link, you just get another link.
You can open the folder, do a ctrl+A to select all, then copy the contents to a folder on your thumb drive.
Or use the Windows Briefcase function. I’ve never used it, but I believe it is designed to sync folders, including your “My Documents” folder, to another drive or system.
Thanks! Highlighting the enclosed folders and dragging those worked.