MS DOS Help > All Things Tech

Posted: 3/22/2008 7:52:21 PM EDT

I am trying to move one file from one dir to another in XP. Dos starts in C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop and I used the following

move C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop\source\test.txt C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop\destination

it says the syntax of my command is incorrect. I've tried different ways and I either get that or file cannot be found. What am I doing wrong?

Posted: 3/22/2008 8:13:10 PM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
I am trying to move one file from one dir to another in XP. Dos starts in C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop and I used the following

move C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop\source\test.txt C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop\destination

it says the syntax of my command is incorrect. I've tried different ways and I either get that or file cannot be found. What am I doing wrong?

Try..

move "C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop\source\test.txt" "C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop\destination\test.txt"

Posted: 3/22/2008 8:36:49 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I am trying to move one file from one dir to another in XP. Dos starts in C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop and I used the following

move C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop\source\test.txt C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop\destination

it says the syntax of my command is incorrect. I've tried different ways and I either get that or file cannot be found. What am I doing wrong?

Try..

move "C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop\source\test.txt" "C:\Documents and Settings\Justin\Desktop\destination\test.txt"

it says system cannot find the path specified

Posted: 3/22/2008 8:58:59 PM EDT

[#3]

One of your directories doesn't exist, did you make "destination"?

Here's my fooling around:

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop>dir
Volume in drive C is HP_PAVILION
Volume Serial Number is 6C44-B700

Directory of C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop

01/31/2008 08:41 AM <DIR> .
01/31/2008 08:41 AM <DIR> ..
04/29/2005 10:30 PM 1,646 DVD Decrypter.lnk
02/19/2006 01:22 PM 1,636 eBay Turbo Lister.lnk
01/16/2004 10:08 AM 1,675 Exceed.lnk
09/01/2006 09:07 AM 582 mstsc.exe.lnk
06/12/2004 04:41 AM 1,598 Net2Phone CommCenter.lnk
01/09/2004 07:28 PM 627 NetMeeting.lnk
12/30/2003 01:16 PM 717 Register with HP.lnk
10/01/2007 06:21 PM 2,092 Rhapsody Music Management.lnk
10/01/2007 06:21 PM 2,048 Rhapsody Play Music Free.lnk
12/31/2007 02:26 PM 840 Sametime Connect.lnk
02/26/2004 12:08 PM 639 VNC Viewer.lnk
11 File(s) 14,100 bytes
2 Dir(s) 120,888,463,360 bytes free

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop>touch test.txt

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop>notepad test.txt

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop>dir
Volume in drive C is HP_PAVILION
Volume Serial Number is 6C44

Directory of C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop

03/23/2008 12:54 AM <DIR> .
03/23/2008 12:54 AM <DIR> ..
04/29/2005 10:30 PM 1,646 DVD Decrypter.lnk
02/19/2006 01:22 PM 1,636 eBay Turbo Lister.lnk
01/16/2004 10:08 AM 1,675 Exceed.lnk
09/01/2006 09:07 AM 582 mstsc.exe.lnk
06/12/2004 04:41 AM 1,598 Net2Phone CommCenter.lnk
01/09/2004 07:28 PM 627 NetMeeting.lnk
12/30/2003 01:16 PM 717 Register with HP.lnk
10/01/2007 06:21 PM 2,092 Rhapsody Music Management.lnk
10/01/2007 06:21 PM 2,048 Rhapsody Play Music Free.lnk
12/31/2007 02:26 PM 840 Sametime Connect.lnk
03/23/2008 12:54 AM 4 test.txt
02/26/2004 12:08 PM 639 VNC Viewer.lnk
12 File(s) 14,104 bytes
2 Dir(s) 120,888,455,168 bytes free

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop>mkdir destination

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop>cd \

C:\>move "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\test.txt" "C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\destination\test.tx
t"

C:\>cd C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\destination

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\destination>dir
Volume in drive C is HP_PAVILION
Volume Serial Number is 6C44

Directory of C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\destination

03/23/2008 12:55 AM <DIR> .
03/23/2008 12:55 AM <DIR> ..
03/23/2008 12:54 AM 4 test.txt
1 File(s) 4 bytes
2 Dir(s) 120,880,590,848 bytes free

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\destination>

Posted: 3/22/2008 9:05:45 PM EDT

[#4]

"move" is no longer a XP Command.

Try "xcopy /?|more" and you should get a listing of available commands. You'll be able to copy over then you have to remove.

Posted: 3/22/2008 9:07:55 PM EDT

[#5]

you can always copy the file then delete the original copy, same thing as a move

if moving to the same directory, rename is the same as a move as well

Posted: 3/23/2008 11:31:26 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
"move" is no longer a XP Command.

Try "xcopy /?|more" and you should get a listing of available commands. You'll be able to copy over then you have to remove.

wtf do you get this?


Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Ry>move/?
Moves files and renames files and directories.

To move one or more files:
MOVE [/Y | /-Y] [drive:][path]filename1[,...] destination

To rename a directory:
MOVE [/Y | /-Y] [drive:][path]dirname1 dirname2

  [drive:][path]filename1 Specifies the location and name of the file
                          or files you want to move.
  destination             Specifies the new location of the file. Destination
                          can consist of a drive letter and colon, a
                          directory name, or a combination. If you are moving
                          only one file, you can also include a filename if
                          you want to rename the file when you move it.
  [drive:][path]dirname1  Specifies the directory you want to rename.
  dirname2                Specifies the new name of the directory.

  /Y                      Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to
                          overwrite an existing destination file.
  /-Y                     Causes prompting to confirm you want to overwrite
                          an existing destination file.

The switch /Y may be present in the COPYCMD environment variable.
This may be overridden with /-Y on the command line.  Default is
to prompt on overwrites unless MOVE command is being executed from
within a batch script.

C:\Documents and Settings\Ry>

Posted: 3/23/2008 2:02:43 PM EDT

[#7]

i hate to ask a stupid question. but does windows explorer not work? it would be easier to copy and paste.

dos is tricky. not for the weak at heart

Posted: 3/23/2008 2:25:04 PM EDT

[#8]

Also, try it with some test text files that are only one level away from each other to get the hang of it

Posted: 3/23/2008 3:37:35 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
"move" is no longer a XP Command.

BZZZZZ. Wrong.

It is still there.

-d

Posted: 3/23/2008 6:13:56 PM EDT

[#10]

try

move C:\"Documents and Settings"\Justin\Desktop\source\test.txt C:\"Documents and Settings"\Justin\Desktop\destination

folders with spaces need quotes around them when using them in a command line.

edit: it works. I accept PayPal and Target gift certificates.

Posted: 3/24/2008 8:04:45 PM EDT

[#11]

You can also use a 8.3 directory naming convention and it will work...

Posted: 3/24/2008 9:28:21 PM EDT

[#12]

To help with typing long paths you can type part of it in a DOS window and hit tab.. it will go to the nearest match...and if it isn't right, hit tab again and it will go to another match.

Try typing "cd do" and then hit tab

It even puts it in quotes too.

-d

Posted: 3/24/2008 10:06:12 PM EDT

[#13]

Warning

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