Irritating Windows "Feature"

[Ed]

Now and again I need to clean out files. Happened today when I copied a gizillion pictures inadvertantly and had to delete them. Windows, when you select multiple files, makes copies of the damn things if you don't do it fast enough. I sorta felt like Lucy on the choclate assembly line.

Can this stupid thing be turned off?

Am I being clear about the problem?

[TobiasTheViking]

I believe the problem is that while you select the files in question, you accidentally drag the icons(while the mouse button is down) a little bit, not enough to notice, but enough for windows to think you intend to copy them.

Atleast, that is what i've tried myself when i use windows machines, if that isn't hte problem, then i've never heard of it.

Personally, i just use bash for stuff like that, imo, vastly superior.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Stop using the stoopid Explorer graphical file hacker and fire up a DOS box. I promise that holding down various control keys and/or dragging the mouse a bit won't have any effect.

In case you can't remember the commands because you've been doing it graphically for too long:

copy: copies files
move: moves files
delete: deletes files

I know it's harder to remember than Ctrl-click-drag-drop, but that's life in the city of file manipulation.

~~ Paul

[Smike]

Press "Ctrl+A"

Press "delete"

Or is this not your problem?

[Ed]

I have say 200 files to delete. If I do them individually I hilight, press del and confirm with a click Pain.

If I highlight a bunch holding control then delete is confirmed only once except that it copies the damn files.

[hammegk]

In what directory are the copies placed?

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Ed, it must be the case that you are jiggling the files a bit. Can you select the first one and then Shift-select the last one? Then just right-click on the lot.

~~ Paul

[Anti_Hypeman]

Press Alt + F4

[Ed]

In what directory are the copies placed?

Same one.... thousands, all reproducing like mad just like that Peter Weller movie ......


arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg g:eek:

[Ed]

Ed, it must be the case that you are jiggling the files a bit. Can you select the first one and then Shift-select the last one? Then just right-click on the lot.

~~ Paul

I don't think jiggling. Happens every time. Shift-select is a good one, never knew that but it only works if they are sequential.

[Ed]

Press Alt + F4

Thanks dude. Just deleted a directory..;)

[jimlintott]

Can't you just ctrl+z, undo the copy? Also found in the edit menu.

[sophia8]

If you're having to select lots of files at once, right-click, draw a box around them with the mouse, hit Delete.
It also sounds like your mouse is responding too fast.Go into the mouse settings (probably in Control Panel) and slow down the double-click and/or pointer speeds.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Folks, what the hell is he seeing? I just used Explorer to select a bunch of files in the temp directory and delete them. No muss, no fuss.

I do have my mouse set to select on linger, if that makes any difference.


If you're having to select lots of files at once, right-click, draw a box around them with the mouse, hit Delete.
Huh?

~~ Paul

[hammegk]

Any known viruses do this? Why would an oversensitive mouse have anything to do with this "autocopy feature"?

It isn't an application program backing things up is it? :confused:

[Pyrrho]

Wetware problem.

Select+Control+Drag=Copy of file. Works exactly as intended.

If you see the little + sign attached to your cursor, release the Control button.

Slow down. Should solve the problem.

[moopet]

I don't think jiggling. Happens every time. Shift-select is a good one, never knew that but it only works if they are sequential.
Sort by modification date. Then they're sequential. Select the first one. Shift-select the last one. Press delete. Try to repeat the process without error :)

It's pretty easy to use keys for file control in explorer too. Once you learn keyboard shortcuts for things, you can do everything a lot faster - and often without having to actually look at the screen!

[CFLarsen]

Stop using the stoopid Explorer graphical file hacker and fire up a DOS box.

Norton Commander.

Sorry, I have to go find the Kleenex....I'm all emotional now....(sniffles)

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Actually, I use 4NT, which is a significantly enhanced DOS box.

~~ Paul

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Select+Control+Drag=Copy of file. Works exactly as intended.
But if he just jiggled the files a little, it would try to copy them into the same folder, which does nothing.


Same one.... thousands, all reproducing like mad just like that Peter Weller movie
It copies the files into the same folder? That's not possible.

This is starting to sound freakish.

~~ Paul

[Earthborn]

It copies the files into the same folder? That's not possible.

This is starting to sound freakish.It is possible, if you are holding down the [ctrl] key. It sounds to me like Ed's is stuck.

[Ed]

It happens in a folder when you use the "Thumbnail view". Little bastard copies pop up as you are watching. If a filename is ed.bmp you get "Copy of ed.bmp" as the file name.

Does not seem to happen with the detail view.

The edit-delete copies works, thank you.

I am shocked that this is not common among you guys.

Oh, Win XP, BTW.

If you have a directory with pictures (it might work with other types but pictures give me the problem) just use the thumb view, hold down the control key and click on a bunch of them.

Little copies start popping up.

I am not mad I tell you!!!!

[Ed]

It is possible, if you are holding down the [ctrl] key. It sounds to me like Ed's is stuck.

I'll stick you. It happens on all of the machines I have, all of them I tell you!!!!

[Earthborn]

Fire up good old Notepad. Type or paste in the following:
del "copy*of*.*
Select "Save As..." from the pull down menu. Chose "All types" (or whatever it is called) from the "Save As Type" selector. Type "DelCopies.bat" in the filename box. Save in the folder where you created all the copies.

You have now a small program in your pictures folder. By doubleclicking it in the Explorer window, all the pesky copies will be deleted at once. If you had any files that also start with "copy of" that you want to keep, those will be gone as well, but I'm betting that won't be the case. Everytime you accidentally make more copies, you can run it again.

If you have a directory with pictures (it might work with other types but pictures give me the problem) just use the thumb view, hold down the control key and click on a bunch of them.

Little copies start popping up.In the Windows Explorer, the [ctrl] key has two distinct functions: one is for selecting files one by one, the other is forcing a copy while dragging. If you are don't release the [ctrl] quickly enough after selecting files, or if the key doesn't respond very well because the age of the keyboard, you are forcing Explorer to copy when you drag the files just a little bit.

If you have less of problem with the detail view, use that instead.

[sophia8]

It happens in a folder when you use the "Thumbnail view". Little bastard copies pop up as you are watching. If a filename is ed.bmp you get "Copy of ed.bmp" as the file name.

Does not seem to happen with the detail view.

The edit-delete copies works, thank you.

I am shocked that this is not common among you guys.

Oh, Win XP, BTW.
Oh - WinXP. Explains a lot. I use W98. Never had that type of problem.

[Earthborn]

I think it has more to do with one's eating habits near the keyboard than the version of Windows. :)

Either that or Ed has a special mouse: some computer mice have an extra thumb button that works as an extra [ctrl] key, however if you hold it for too long or doubleclick it or whatever, it will cause the computer to behave as if [ctrl] is continually pressed. I had one ages ago, and it was indeed pretty annoying.

[Iconoclast]

It happens in a folder when you use the "Thumbnail view". Little bastard copies pop up as you are watching. If a filename is ed.bmp you get "Copy of ed.bmp" as the file name.

Does not seem to happen with the detail view.

The edit-delete copies works, thank you.

I am shocked that this is not common among you guys.

Oh, Win XP, BTW.

If you have a directory with pictures (it might work with other types but pictures give me the problem) just use the thumb view, hold down the control key and click on a bunch of them.

Little copies start popping up.

I am not mad I tell you!!!!You're NOT mad, but I think you might be getting a touch of the Parkinsons. As others have tried to tell you, while you're madly selecting all those files what's happening is that you accidently move the mouse while you''ve still got the left button down. If you move the mouse far enough with the left button down while it's over one of the files, you'll initiate a copy operation of all the files you've selected so far.

Believe it or not, Windows XP is extemely configurable. To control how far you need to drag the mouse before the "drag and drop" system fires:

1) Click Start -> Run
2) Type regedit to start up the registry editor
3) Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Control Panel -> Desktop
4) On the right hand pane you will see two interesting keys, DragHeight and DragWidth. The values of these keys control how far you need to drag the mouse in the vertical or horizontal directions respectively before a drag and drop operation will be initiated. The default values are 4 pixels each, which is really a little low for most people I'd think. If you change these values to (say) 10 pixels you wont have this problem. You need to restart your machine before the changes take affect as these values are only read on startup.

If you're not comfortable editing the registry, you can download a tool called TweakUI from Microsoft which lets you make the same adjustments from the comfort of a safe UI.

[Smike]

I've just managed to duplicate what Ed's doing. Either he has the shakes really badly, or he has failed to understand that "clicking" is press-and-release, not press-hold-for-a-few-seconds-wave-the-mouse-around-then-release.

Or, I suppose he could be having a problem with an optical mouse with dirt on the lens...

[Ed]

You're NOT mad, but I think you might be getting a touch of the Parkinsons. As others have tried to tell you, while you're madly selecting all those files what's happening is that you accidently move the mouse while you''ve still got the left button down. If you move the mouse far enough with the left button down while it's over one of the files, you'll initiate a copy operation of all the files you've selected so far.

Believe it or not, Windows XP is extemely configurable. To control how far you need to drag the mouse before the "drag and drop" system fires:

1) Click Start -> Run
2) Type regedit to start up the registry editor
3) Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Control Panel -> Desktop
4) On the right hand pane you will see two interesting keys, DragHeight and DragWidth. The values of these keys control how far you need to drag the mouse in the vertical or horizontal directions respectively before a drag and drop operation will be initiated. The default values are 4 pixels each, which is really a little low for most people I'd think. If you change these values to (say) 10 pixels you wont have this problem. You need to restart your machine before the changes take affect as these values are only read on startup.

If you're not comfortable editing the registry, you can download a tool called TweakUI from Microsoft which lets you make the same adjustments from the comfort of a safe UI.

I know that at this point my credibility is shot, like an abtuctee that is shown to have spent time in Creedmore as a guest of the State (Bedlam for you Brits).

I click carefully on each file, no shakes, no dragging. Bing, bing, bing ... the copies appear bing, bing, effing bing.

[ihaunter]

I don't know if your credibility is an issue, but the behavior your describing is classic drag-and-drop behavior. The only thing I can think of, other than Iconoclasts suggestion with the registry, is if you have an optical mouse on a reflective or semi-reflective surface. At work we get Dells with optical mice and the mouse pads they send with them are horrible for them. Does it ever look like your cursor is shaking when no one is touching the mouse? Does the cursor jump when you move it? Try a fabric-topped mouse pad if you have one available. Or a piece of paper. DEATH TO THE GLOSSY MOUSE PAD!

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Oh, it makes a copy under a different name! Why didn't you say so? I'm sitting here trying to figure out how it's going to make a copy of the file with the same name. Silly me.

Ed, follow Iconoclast's suggestion. It really sounds like your mouse is jiggling enough to make the copies. I just selected a few files really quickly and got two copies.

~~ Paul

[Soapy Sam]

Ed- it only happens to me on the Desktop and usually if I am using CTRL to individually select a lot of icons to delete. I use "details" view everywhere else and I'm sure it's just the extra physical distance between desktop icons which causes the implied "move"command to duplicate them. It's a pain, I agree. I find if I'm a bit slower (ie more deliberate) selecting each icon it does not happen.

[Underemployed]

There is also the possibility that Ed's PC is set to show hidden files and the system may be making .tmp copies of all selected files.

Ed, are these new files slightly greyed-out compared to the originals?

[gavqt]

There is also the possibility that Ed's PC is set to show hidden files and the system may be making .tmp copies of all selected files.

Ed, are these new files slightly greyed-out compared to the originals?

I think what is happening is the following (I do it constantly at work, which must have a sensitive LButton):

Steps to reproduce (W2000 PRO)
ctrl-sel a few files
Move the mouse a bit
Let finger off left button

viola.

Copy of... etc

Workaround: Hit Ctrl-C and go to the destination folder, then hit ctrl-v(instead of drag'n'drop)
Solution: Don't be as cack-handed as I am.

[Ducky]

Step 1: Download Ubuntu install CD.

Step 2: burn image to CD

Step 3: Reboot with CD in CD drive.

Step 4: install linux.

[Mongrel]

Step 1: Download Ubuntu install CD.

Step 2: burn image to CD

Step 3: Reboot with CD in CD drive.

Step 4: install linux.


This your new generic answer for any Windows problems Fowlsound? ;)

[Ducky]

This your new generic answer for any Windows problems Fowlsound? ;)


Solves all Windows problems!

[Beerina]

I was deleting about 15 build directories at work (I'm a programmer), each of which had tens of thousands of files, totalling over 40 gig. I dragged them to the trash can and it started deleting. The next morning, it hadn't even finished the first folder, and had popped up a warning window that memory was getting low and Windows would now expand the virtual memory blah blah blah.

So I poked around on the internet to find the shortcut key to delete, no questions asked. Shift-delete. Select all the files (shift-select is fine, but dragging a bounding rubber-band box around them is fine, too) and then just hit shift-delete.

Careful, though! Shift-delete is dragging to the trash can + emptying trash can all in one. So it's permanently gone (unless you want to get an undelete program and cross your fingers the file is still there in the available space area.)

With shift-delete, it still takes time to delete, but at least it can be done without invoking the implicit pre-copy of drag, or "placing it in the recycle bin".

[Beerina]

Actually, looking at the folder I'm currently using, the stats on it are:

10.2 GB
216,152 files

And I think I deleted about 60 gig of it across those 15 directories. (The above dir is rather large because of multiple output directories. Most had only a handful.)

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Beerina, geez d00d. Use a DOS box and the delete command. Skip the stoopid trash can entirely.

~~ Paul

[LordoftheLeftHand]

We had a user at work that was having this problem. Turns out he was inadvertently dragging the files every so slightly and dropping them (there by making copies). He kept doing it and managed to double the number of files a few times! I've never understood what's so hard about Ctrl+A, delete. All in all I think Fowlsound's solution is the best. :)

LLH

[Soapy Sam]

CTRL A is no use if you are selecting some files from a large number. That's why this tends to happen on the desktop. I think there's no doubt it's just a mouse movement problem. Slow and deliberate is the answer.