This isn't so much an idea as a wish that Microsoft would do the bleedin' obvious...

Consider this scenario, one which I have encountered many times: I want to move 10 gig of files from one location on my hard drive to another. So, I 'cut' the source folder containing them, and 'paste' them somewhere else. Then I retire for coffee or to just generally get on with my life. When I come back an hour later, Windows has copied about 10 files, then helpfully stopped to ask me the question: "Are you SURE you want to move this read only file?"

AARRGHHH! KILLLL!

So, here's the simple idea, which would appear to be beyond those brains at Redmond:

Have a 'force cut' option as well as cut. Or maybe a dialog that comes up when you paste, allowing you to say "Move read-only files without asking". Or something, anything better than this madness!

... I know, I know, 'use linux' etc. Or maybe the command line.
-- lardus, Feb 28 2003

Something in the options dialog box would seem to be a logical way to do this: specify to Explorer whether you want to always move/overwrite, never move/overwrite or get a prompt.

(Personally I find Explorer to be rather annoying in general, with a user-interface that's hard to control and configure. It's been built up randomly in small increments with no clear plan of what it should be or who it's for, and there are needless differences between different versions of Windows. Shame the command line interface is crappy as well.)
-- pottedstu, Feb 28 2003


C:\> Copy C:\SourceDirectory\*.* C:\DestinationDirectory /Y

-- phoenix, Feb 28 2003


You don't need to utterly eliminate the option to say no. What you need, is for the file copying to carry on independent of the alert. So when you start the copy it searches through for files it may need to alert you about and alerts you early - but while the box is on screen, the files that it can copy without confirmation it copies. A simple use of threading, and yet nobody seems to bother with it.
-- sadie, Apr 03 2003


While we're at it, how about "Yes / Yes to all / No / No to all" dialog(ue) boxes? Please?
-- friendlyfire, Apr 03 2003


Two more suggestions: (1) have the system pre-scan to determine whether there will be any questions to be asked before actual copying begins; (2) if #1 isn't done, or if an askable problem appears after copying begins (e.g. after copying starts a file appears at the destination with the same name as a file to be copied) provide an option to un-copy the files in question.
-- supercat, Apr 03 2003



random, halfbakery