Windows 10: Moving or Copying

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Yesterday when I first went to copy a file to another location, when I clicked on the copy-folder icon, instead of seeing a tiny button appear to the lower right of the icon saying "choose location" I'm getting this 10" drop-down window which strangely is displaying the contents of a folder that's on my External Drive F, and at the bottom are the words "choose location". When I click on that, a small square "Copy Items" windows opens saying "Select the place where you want to copy 'folder/file', then click the Copy button."

So I disconnect the {F drive & then start the copy procedure again. I get that same long drop-down window which is still displaying the F drive folder contents even though it's Not connected. I select the F drive as my copy destination and the copy transaction completes. What has then happened is the item being copied has ended up in my other External Drive G. Whenboth external drives are disconnected and I try to do a copy, the same long drop-down window appears showing the contents of the folder of thenow 'phantom' F drive. So I attempt to copy to one of the folders displayed and, no surprise, get the pop-up window saying "The drive or network connection that the shortcut " refers to is unavailable.of course it's unavailable. Make sure that the disk is properly inserted or the network resource is available, then try again."

Before yesterday, this small square window would open without this 10" drop-down window appearing.

Can anybody tell me why this is happening and how to fix it? Having no external drives connected to the computer makes no difference.

:)

 

How to clear the 'move to' and 'copy to' lists

Is there a way to delete the list of folders in the 'Move to' and 'Copy to' lists? I use the menu shortcut keys a lot but the drop down list of suggestions is becoming unmanageable. I usually scroll to the bottom and 'Choose location'

 

How to clear the 'move to' and 'copy to' lists

Is there a way to shorten the list of folders in the 'Move to' and 'Copy to' actions of Explorer's ribbon menu?

I use the menu shortcut keys a lot but the drop down list of suggestions is becoming unmanageable.

I have to scroll to the very bottom and 'Choose location'. This has been asked before but not answered well.

The best suggestion I've found is at this SuperUser.com link. Clear them in the View-Options-Folder settings.

How to clear "Move To" and "Copy To" Explorer Tool Bar on WIndows 10

 

not a copy and move any file USB to laptop

Hello Jay,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

Please provide some additional information, so that we can assist you better.

1. Are you unable to copy or move files from USB drive to laptop?
   
2. What is the complete error message you see on your computer incase if you’re trying to move files?
   
3. Were there any changes made on your computer prior to this issues?
   
4. What is the make and model number of USB and computer?
   
5. Is the USB drive detected in Windows PC?
   

However, if you’re referring to transferring files from USB to laptop, follow the steps as mentioned below.

1. Insert your USB device into your computer.
   
2. Open ‘Windows Explorer’ and select 'This PC'.
   
3. You should see your USB device represented as a drive letter (e.g.: D: or E: etc.)
   
4. Locate your USB device and double click it to
   view the contents.
   
5. If your photos are organized into folders already, and/or you can see the
   folders or files you want, proceed to the next step. If your photos are not organized or the photos are visible, you will need to browse the folders until you find them.
   
6. Once you can see your
   files, photos or folders select everything by clicking on the 'Home' tab in Windows Explorer and selecting the 'Select All'
   option.
   
7. With everything you want to import selected all the files, then click the 'Home' tab in Windows Explorer and select either
   'Move to' or 'Copy’.
   
8. Select a destination folder in the list or select the
   'Choose location' option at the bottom and navigate to where you want to move or copy the images to.
   
9. Wait for the move or copy process to finish.
   

Hope it helps.

Let us know if you got the help you needed by clicking ‘Yes or No’.

Harish

Microsoft Community – Moderator