2000 Server: moving large files?

[Lightngsvt]

Hello, I was wondering what the best way to copy large files on a Win2K server is? One of my servers is used as our main files server and has a directory structure that mimics our Org chart. The Org chart recently changed dramatically and we are changing the file share to match. But some of the directories have 15-20GB in them. What is the fastest and most efficient way to copy these to their new locations? Drag-n-Drop, XCopy, restore from tape backup? or...? Thanks!

[Brf]

If the files are remaining on the same harddrive you will not be actually moving the files, only their directory entries. Go ahead and drag-and-drop them in Windows Explorer on the server.

[Lightngsvt]

Sorry, I menat to type copy not move. I was just wondering if there was a quicker way, drag-n-drop will literally take hours to copy all of that data.

[BertImmenschuh]

Restore from backup may be the slowest, the process will require changing the 'paths' to where you want the restore to go since the folder names will be different.

I'd think drag-n-drop would work pretty good if the operation could be timed during low usage of the Server. Just open 2 instances of Windows Explorer and Tile them so you can see both the old and new.

If there's sufficient drive space I'd use the Copy process rather than Move, verify things are good, then delete the originals.

Bottom line, the Folder naming and copying files from the original to the new is going to be time consuming, not much way around that.

You could get fancy and create the new folders and add each one to the Send To menu, then all you'd have to do is select all the files in a Folder and right-click and choose Send To and pick the proper new Folder.

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