# Windows overwrite file "no" - any enhancement to functionality? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 1, 2007, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-overwrite-file-no-any-enhancement-to-functionality/417715 "2007-09-01T11:28:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-overwrite-file-no-any-enhancement-to-functionality/417715/1 "2007-09-01T11:28:20Z")
I’ve got a 20 gig MP3 folder on an external hard drive, which I want to copy to my C: drive. My C: drive already has 2/3 of the MP3s on it, and I don’t want to overwrite them - just add the other 1/3. If I use Windows to copy the external drive’s MP3 folder over the top of the C: drive’s MP3 folder, I get the choice to overwrite all duplicate files automatically - but if I _don’t_ want to overwrite the files, I have to say “no” each and every time - which is a pain as there are thousands of MP3s. Is there a way to make Windows automatically ignore duplicate files and only copy the ones that don’t already reside on my C: drive? (Hope I explained that well enough. Thanks!) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-overwrite-file-no-any-enhancement-to-functionality/417715/2 "2007-09-01T11:38:41Z")
[Found here](http://www.youthtech.com/techstuff/techtips/winxp_tips/notoall.htm) in about 5 seconds via Google. > [@this page](#): > > When overwriting files in the Windows Explorer, there is an option for Yes To All. This would overwrite any files you would normally be prompted for. To have No To All, simply hold down the Shift key while you click on the No option ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-overwrite-file-no-any-enhancement-to-functionality/417715/3 "2007-09-01T12:56:20Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-overwrite-file-no-any-enhancement-to-functionality/417715/4 "2007-09-01T17:28:41Z")
In the future it might be better to use Robocopy for this kind of large copy operation. It’s a versatile utility that offers much more functionality than the Windows GUI. It automatically skips existing files and can resume failed transfers if the /ZB switch is used. The command line version can be downloaded as part of the [Server 2003 Resource Kit](http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9D467A69-57FF-4AE7-96EE-B18C4790CFFD), and the graphical version is [here](http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2006/11/UtilitySpotlight/). ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-overwrite-file-no-any-enhancement-to-functionality/417715/5 "2007-09-02T04:35:01Z")
Wow, I sure wish I’d known about this earlier. Now if only there were a “No to all” option for copy/xcopy from the command line… ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-overwrite-file-no-any-enhancement-to-functionality/417715/6 "2007-09-02T04:49:09Z")
Robocopy is packed in with Vista too, which is nice. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2007, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-overwrite-file-no-any-enhancement-to-functionality/417715/7 "2007-09-02T06:29:28Z")
[QUOTE=Number] In the future it might be better to use Robocopy for this kind of large copy operation. It’s a versatile utility that offers much more functionality than the Windows GUI. It automatically skips existing files and can resume failed transfers if the /ZB switch is used. The command line version can be downloaded as part of the [Server 2003 Resource Kit](http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9D467A69-57FF-4AE7-96EE-B18C4790CFFD), and the graphical version is [here](http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2006/11/UtilitySpotlight/). [/QUOTE] Microsoft’s own [SyncToy](http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/synctoy.mspx) tool would also do the job. It’s great for the sort of thing that the OP is doing. ---
**Author:** ![Hobohob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Hobohob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hobohob)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-overwrite-file-no-any-enhancement-to-functionality/417715/8 "2007-09-03T19:33:58Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] [Found here](http://www.youthtech.com/techstuff/techtips/winxp_tips/notoall.htm) in about 5 seconds via Google. > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by this page > When overwriting files in the Windows Explorer, there is an option for Yes To All. This would overwrite any files you would normally be prompted for. To have No To All, simply hold down the Shift key while you click on the No option [/QUOTE] Wow, that is just what I was searching for myself. I thought I’d have to go into batch mode to do that. I sure wish all these hidden features were on the visible options. Half of my favorite options are not on pulldowns or button names but some obscure thing that a frustrated programmer must have added for his own use after the specs were frozen.