Copying
Files Around
A good 80% of what I do -
including data recovery - is copy files around. Pretty basic
stuff for an OS, but I find Windows isn't as good at this as you'd
expect it to be! Imagine how much nicer Windows would be if you
could:
- Drop a sick HD into a
system, knowing it would be safe from the risk of Windows
automatically trying to "fix" it, write to it (e.g.
new SR subtree) or automatically handle material on it (risk
of malware infecting the host)?
- Do a bulk file operation
and leave it unattended, without having to click through
ad-hoc prompts for each of read-only, is-executable,
system-file, etc. e.g. if you could pre-set those
responses in a single dialog at the start?
- Trust what you see to be
directly connected to file system reality - names not
"editorialized" a la name space, file sizes
that don't vary when the same material is copied from one
hard drive to another, a Properties that shows actual
file names including 8.3, etc.?
- Trust the OS to handle disk
errors gracefully, without locking up, bogging down in
retry loops, or trying to "fix" at-risk
material on the fly?
Here's how I'd try to deliver
the above...
- When a new HD is first
discovered, and before anything is done with it, pop up a
dialog that checkboxes whether the user wants to;
integrate the HD into the system (enables SR if HD is not
read-only), allow writes, and trust content. The last is
required before any auto-handling of content (\Autorun.inf,
desktop.ini, indexing services, persistent handlers,
display intrafile icons etc.) is enabled.
- Add a new "Fast / Safe
List View" that is is the fastest and safest way to
list large numbers of directory entries in a given window
size - perfect for bulk copy operations. This would have
no (x,y) icon position info bloat (like existing List
View), but also; no waiting for icons or other persistent
handlers, no malware risks from these, and no problems
with content lookahead bogging down on bad sectors. This
view would be the default in Safe Mode and where the
initial dialog box had marked a volume not to be
integrated into the system, and/or to be considered
unsafe for auto-content handling.
- Show actual file info as
part of Properties of a file (or, in Fast / Safe List
View, as tooltip), i.e. the raw info from the classic dir
entry, with no metadata or content processing. LFN and 8.3
name (yes, there are times when you need both), path,
size in bytes, etc.
- New confirmation dialog
that pops up which checkboxes responses to read-only, is
executable (hint: .DLLs are important parts of programs
too), is system file, already exists and is newer,
already exists and is older, etc. Resist the urge to make
these "sticky" for future file operations (dangerous).
Button to this dialog from the in-progress dialog, and
from the initial "are you sure you want to delete?"
dialog for deletions, where a "recycle bin"
checkbox is also present.
If all of the above were in
place, one could use Windows itself to do more tasks that
currently require a mOS (maintenance Operating System).
(C) Chris Quirke, 23 March 2005,
all rights reserved
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