Windows 10: Calling Batch File People

The first line is the batch file command.

The second line is the feedback produced by that command - the name of the file xcopy attempts to copy.

Nothing is split here.

 

Calling Batch File People - Windows 10 Forums

 

And in which folder is this batch file located?

Judguing by the error message, this batch file is stored in C:\Windows folder. If so, then I don't understand how you expect this to work. If simply double-clicked in FIle Explorer, this batch file will nonchalantly attempt to copy your photos to C:\Windows. The latter is protected from unauthorized modification. In fact, it should not work in Windows 8 or Windows 7 either, for exactly the same reason.

(And I find it strange that someone would want to copy their photos straight to C:\Windows.)

 

Perhaps I wasn't clear earlier. The folder the batch file is in is an ordinary folder in a completely different internal drive from the C: drive Windows is in. Yes, the reason it's failing is because, for some bizarre reason, the batch file must think it's in the Windows directory and it's trying to copy to that directory which is forbidden.

This is the same batch file in the same folder, trying to copy from the same location that is in a drive completely unaffected by the upgrade that has been working perfectly for years before I upgraded to Windows 10

 

OK, that's indeed strange.

What happens if you do the same thing from Command Prompt (instead of File Explorer)? I.e. if you start Command Prompt, cd to your batch file's location on that other drive and run it manually from the prompt?

 

I'll do that if you want, but to get this file working I added a change to the drive and folder it's in at the beginning of the batch file. When I do that it works.

 

Here's another of several oddities that came with 10. The address (path?) bar at the top gives a network address rather than a local address. I don't know how to fix that or several others either.

 

Command Prompt: should open to your User Profile
(%UserProfile%)

Command Prompt (Admin): should open to C:\Windows\system32

Your Command screen shot indicates by the prompt that your command opens to C:\Windows
That is not normal.

How are you launching Command Prompt?
There are a number of different ways (Run dialog, Quick Access Toolbar ... aka X-menu, from search results, from File Explorer blue FILE menu).

Try Winkey

+X
Select Command Prompt
enter the following command

set
post a screen shot of the output
then you can exit Command

The easiest thing to do is what cerebus suggested, fully qualify the source and destination:

You could also pass the targetFolder as a parameter

batFileCopy.bat E:\targetFolder
You have to change the batch file to use the passed parameter

xcopy C:\sourceFolder %1 /D /E /C /R /H /I /K /Y

You would need to test that a parameter was passed
noParm decision > prompt for targetFolder
noParm decision > use a predefined default
You also might want to test that the targetFolder exists
noExist decision > offer to create it
noExist decision > error msg and exit

 

I just created a simple batch file that displays the current dir ('echo %cd%' command). Placed that file on a non-mapped network share ('\\FILES\Storage' in my case) and run it from there. I got this

The first part is a warning that CMD.EXE gave me when I started the batch file. The last bit - C:\Windows - is the output of 'echo %cd%' command.

I.e. when the current dir is specified by an UNC path, then the batch shell simply defaults to C:\Windows as the current dir. Apparently this is exactly what happens in your case.

There could be something else at work here (which is hard to figure out without knowing more about your setup), but the fact that you see "network" address as the path means that the current location will be specified by an UNC path. The rest follows.

 

Both do what they're supposed to do.

That was a lot of trouble. So, I sure hope it leads somewhere.

The image is large so I'm linking to it

 

Interesting! You may have hit upon a solution to my problem. When I ran your bat file entering the target directory by way of the drive letter I got this:

When I ran your bat file entering the target directory using my regular desktop shortcut I got what you got.

I've now created a new shortcut using the route that worked. I haven't tested it yet but will shortly.

 

This is so bizarre. The new shortcut no longer leads to a network path and the cardreader fetch bat file works. *BUT*, now the original shortcut still leads to a network path. In this network folder your bat file still fails and defaults to windows even though the cardreader fetch bat file now works in that folder too???????????