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Copying multiple files with duplicates in OS X Lion

M

majorchestnut

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 21, 2010
11
0
In Snow Leopard, I was able to select multiple files, copy them to a different folder, and choose to copy just the unique ones. For example, if I have Image A, Image B, and Image C, and try to copy them to a different folder that already contained Image B, then I can copy just Image A and Image C over.

I don't know if I'm just overlooking something really simple in OS X Lion, but when I try to copy multiple files, the only 2 options I see are: 1) overwrite everything, and 2) copy all files, and if there are duplicates, maintain all duplicates as versions.

How do I get the old functionality back?
 
Guys,

On my Lion, when I try to copy a file from Downloads to Music, Lions wont let me do it.

If I drag the file is ok, but Copy & Paste is not working.....

is this thing happening with you too ?
 
majorchestnut said:
How do I get the old functionality back?
Click to expand...

You more than likely do not. Ever.

Apple knows how to make the perfect UI. You are just a lowly end-user so what could you possibly know about how to make a UI work better for you? You may think that having the option to choose one way or the other would be a perfect solution, but again you forget your place lowly end-user.

/sarcasm

Seriously though, you'll probably just have to get used to the way it is now. Personally I hated it when they made line selection in Finder full-line instead of just when you clicked on the filename like it was previously. I also really liked it when we could set the opacity of the menubar. I rarely use the menus of the menubar so I preferred having it quite translucent. There's no way to go back of course so I've just learned to live with the annoyance.
 
siorai... I agree with you, Apple made soe decision and we have to live with it.

Are you having the same problem that I am ? could you kindly do a test, just download any file from internet (could be a mp3), go to the Downloads folder, select the file, command+c, go to Desktop amd just do a command+v.

Did you copy the file or just listened to the sound of copy and the file didn't go to the Desktop ?


cheers
 
I'm having the same problem with combining two folders. One folder has 60 items which has all the updated items in it while the other folder has 57. In SL it was easy to just highlight all the items from the newer folder and copy into the old. I believe choosing the option "Apply to All" and click do not replace. With Lion trying to merge folders is a pain. I hope I am missing something.
 
Copying multiple files with duplicates in OS X Lion

I finally found out how to get more options when trying to copy multiple files and finder detects an existing file already there (it could be newer, older or different contents but named the same).

The options listed are keep both, stop, replace. I want to SKIP dangit!

To SKIP files when prompted, press and hold OPTION and you'll see one of the buttons change to what you're used to.

No very intuitive Apple, and most people, myself included wouldn't think to do that. Why not just show us all the options available? Good UI design shouldn't make you hunt for something simple especially for common operations that people are used to from previous versions of Mac OS X.

Anyway, I'm glad I finally found this option, hopefully this hint helps others avoid what I'm sure I've done, replaced files that were named similarly but were zero length or older versions because I didn't know SKIP existed.
 
Thanks for the tip!

Another thing I've found is that when you select "Skip", the size of the files being copied is the same as if you have selected "Replace".

Meaning: I have three files (A, B and C, all of them of 1MB) in Folder A. In Folder B I have only the files A and B. When selecting all three files from Folder A and copying it to Folder B, the amount to be copied still shows 3MB, not the 1MB it should display for only File C. And it shows the time it would take for the 3MB to be transferred.

Still, after only 1MB is transferred, the dialog box is closed.
 
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