Copying folders, retaining dates?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tony
  • Start date Start date
T

Tony

On my Windows XP Pro machine, my HD has 2 partitions.

I need to copy the directory structure C:\DIR1 to a new D:\DIR1

But in doing so, I need to retain not just the file dates, but all the folder dates.too.

How can I do this???

Thanks!

Tony
 
Back up the directories and files in question with NTbackup, "Move" the
"C:" directory to D:, then restore "C:" from backup, it might keep the
folder dates from the backup.
 
Thanks, Bob. I tried that - the folder dates were today's date. But you've given me an
idea - maybe Norton Ghost will retain the dates.

Tony
 
Nah, Ghost didn't work. I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks, Bob. I tried that - the folder dates were today's date. But you've
given me an
idea - maybe Norton Ghost will retain the dates.

Tony


...
Click to expand...
 
The command line of WinZip used to have swathes to zip files and folders and
then when unpacking you needed another switch to put them back in proper
directory structure. Maybe that would retain folder dates?

Rich
 
I did a quick test and, using Winzip 9, if you zip up the dir and then
extract it to a different folder, all files WILL retain their original
dates. Interesting...

This seems to be its default behaviour, I did not see any configuration
setting in winzip 9 that alters how the date stamps are made.

-------

Note that all files have 3 dates: Creation, Modified, Last Accessed.

If you copy a file using Explorer, the Creation date gets set to today,
and the other two are retained. So, it may be "created" after it was
modified! I guess that makes sense, to some. So, it appears that winzip
goes back in to the file system and alters the Creation date to the
original's date, Cool.

Good Luck
 
Interesting. I've got Winzip 9 on my Windows 2000 & Windows XP SP2 computer.

Winzip under Windows 2000 keeps the folder dates, but with Windows XP it doesn't.

Did you test using Windows XP?
 
Tony said:
Interesting. I've got Winzip 9 on my Windows 2000 & Windows XP SP2
computer. Winzip under Windows 2000 keeps the folder dates, but with
Windows XP it doesn't.
Did you test using Windows XP?
Click to expand...

absolutely - But I was checking the FILE dates; are you saying the date on
the FOLDER is wrong? Let me check that... Yup, when it makes a new
FOLDER it gets the current date, not the date of the orginal folder, but
the files inside do get their orginal creation date.

That makes sense to me, a zip is an archive of files, it doesn't save a
folder's attributes, just the original path of each file; recreating that
path requires it to make new folder's and it apparently doesn't go back
and alter the creation data of the folder to be... what, the date of the
oldest file within? Not much logic either way really... I'm surprised
it's different in W2K too. Oh well...

So, you're half way there at least! Good Luck...
 
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