Moving files on your computer

[Guest Computer Questions]

I have a real basic simplistic understanding of how files are saved/stored

on your hard drive. I understand about how they are broken down and stored

in clusters and how that information is written to the File Allocation Table

so those files don't get over written by new files.

 

I understand how a deleted file, even though it no longer shows up in any

folder is still physically present on your harddrive until at some unknown

point in time it gets over written.

 

But I have been pondering something for a while and thought I'd ask the

experts.....

 

Lets say I have a file on my computer. Now I drag/drop that file from Folder

A to Folder B. Is that files physical location on the harddrive simply

updated in the FAT or do I end up with 2 copys of the file, one which shows

up in the new location, and one which does not appear in either floder, but

is none the less still physically present on my harddrive?

[Guest Malke]

Re: Moving files on your computer

 

Computer Questions wrote:

> I have a real basic simplistic understanding of how files are saved/stored

> on your hard drive. I understand about how they are broken down and stored

> in clusters and how that information is written to the File Allocation

> Table so those files don't get over written by new files.

>

> I understand how a deleted file, even though it no longer shows up in any

> folder is still physically present on your harddrive until at some unknown

> point in time it gets over written.

>

> But I have been pondering something for a while and thought I'd ask the

> experts.....

>

> Lets say I have a file on my computer. Now I drag/drop that file from

> Folder A to Folder B. Is that files physical location on the harddrive

> simply updated in the FAT or do I end up with 2 copys of the file, one

> which shows up in the new location, and one which does not appear in

> either floder, but is none the less still physically present on my

> harddrive?

 

The location is simply updated. There are not two copies of the file, just

one.

 

Malke

--

MS-MVP

Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!

FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Moving files on your computer

 

 

"Computer Questions" <greg@cccccccccccccccccccc.com> wrote in message

news:YbmdnQSgHeURcvHVnZ2dnUVZ_hOdnZ2d@centurytel.net...

>I have a real basic simplistic understanding of how files are saved/stored

>on your hard drive. I understand about how they are broken down and stored

>in clusters and how that information is written to the File Allocation

>Table so those files don't get over written by new files.

>

> I understand how a deleted file, even though it no longer shows up in any

> folder is still physically present on your harddrive until at some unknown

> point in time it gets over written.

>

> But I have been pondering something for a while and thought I'd ask the

> experts.....

>

> Lets say I have a file on my computer. Now I drag/drop that file from

> Folder A to Folder B. Is that files physical location on the harddrive

> simply updated in the FAT or do I end up with 2 copys of the file, one

> which shows up in the new location, and one which does not appear in

> either floder, but is none the less still physically present on my

> harddrive?

 

When you move a file then its location is updated in the source and

target folder. No data is copied or moved unless the move involves

different disk drives. You can easily verify this yourself: It takes the

same amount of time to move a 1kByte or a 1 GByte file.

 

When moving data from one drive to another then the data on the

source drive will linger for some time, until overwritten by new data.

[Guest Terry R.]

Re: Moving files on your computer

 

The date and time was 7/3/2008 8:26 AM, and on a whim, Computer

Questions pounded out on the keyboard:

> I have a real basic simplistic understanding of how files are saved/stored

> on your hard drive. I understand about how they are broken down and stored

> in clusters and how that information is written to the File Allocation Table

> so those files don't get over written by new files.

>

> I understand how a deleted file, even though it no longer shows up in any

> folder is still physically present on your harddrive until at some unknown

> point in time it gets over written.

>

> But I have been pondering something for a while and thought I'd ask the

> experts.....

>

> Lets say I have a file on my computer. Now I drag/drop that file from Folder

> A to Folder B. Is that files physical location on the harddrive simply

> updated in the FAT or do I end up with 2 copys of the file, one which shows

> up in the new location, and one which does not appear in either floder, but

> is none the less still physically present on my harddrive?

>

>

>

 

Hi CQ,

 

Just from the speed of the process, I'm sure only the pointers to the

location of the files are changed and the data is not moved from its

disc location (there's no reason to really). When you move a large

group of files from one folder to another on the same drive, it happens

very quickly. But if you move them from one drive to another, it takes

much longer.

 

--

Terry R.

 

***Reply Note***

Anti-spam measures are included in my email address.

Delete NOSPAM from the email address after clicking Reply.

[Guest Bob I]

Re: Moving files on your computer

 

 

 

Terry R. wrote:

> The date and time was 7/3/2008 8:26 AM, and on a whim, Computer

> Questions pounded out on the keyboard:

>

>> I have a real basic simplistic understanding of how files are

>> saved/stored on your hard drive. I understand about how they are

>> broken down and stored in clusters and how that information is written

>> to the File Allocation Table so those files don't get over written by

>> new files.

>>

>> I understand how a deleted file, even though it no longer shows up in

>> any folder is still physically present on your harddrive until at some

>> unknown point in time it gets over written.

>>

>> But I have been pondering something for a while and thought I'd ask

>> the experts.....

>>

>> Lets say I have a file on my computer. Now I drag/drop that file from

>> Folder A to Folder B. Is that files physical location on the harddrive

>> simply updated in the FAT or do I end up with 2 copys of the file, one

>> which shows up in the new location, and one which does not appear in

>> either floder, but is none the less still physically present on my

>> harddrive?

>>

>>

>>

>

> Hi CQ,

>

> Just from the speed of the process, I'm sure only the pointers to the

> location of the files are changed and the data is not moved from its

> disc location (there's no reason to really). When you move a large

> group of files from one folder to another on the same drive, it happens

> very quickly. But if you move them from one drive to another, it takes

> much longer.

>

 

Correct, the pointers/index is all that is changed as long as the move

remains in the same partition. (a drive can be partitioned)

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: Moving files on your computer

 

On Thu, 3 Jul 2008 08:26:00 -0700, "Computer Questions"

<greg@cccccccccccccccccccc.com> wrote:

 

> Lets say I have a file on my computer. Now I drag/drop that file from Folder

> A to Folder B. Is that files physical location on the harddrive simply

> updated in the FAT

 

 

Yes.

 

> or do I end up with 2 copys of the file, one which shows

> up in the new location, and one which does not appear in either floder, but

> is none the less still physically present on my harddrive?

 

 

No.

 

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[Guest Computer Questions]

Re: Moving files on your computer

 

Thanks guys..... Thats kind of what I figured, I just wanted to get my

thought verified.

[Guest Tim Slattery]

Re: Moving files on your computer

 

"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote:

>On Thu, 3 Jul 2008 08:26:00 -0700, "Computer Questions"

><greg@cccccccccccccccccccc.com> wrote:

>

>

>> Lets say I have a file on my computer. Now I drag/drop that file from Folder

>> A to Folder B. Is that files physical location on the harddrive simply

>> updated in the FAT

>Yes.

 

My understanding is that:

 

1. a new copy of the file is made (meaning a new entry in the FAT),

and one or more entries are made for that file in the target

directory.

 

2. The original file is deleted, meaning the FAT and the source

directory are updated.

 

It would be considerably more efficient if only the directories were

updated, so that the entries in the original directory are basically

moved to the new directory (so the entries in the new directory point

to the same place in the FAT)

>> or do I end up with 2 copys of the file, one which shows

>> up in the new location, and one which does not appear in either floder, but

>> is none the less still physically present on my harddrive?

 

The data is still physically present, that's why file recovery

programs can work sometimes. The space that data occupies is now part

of the free space chain, which means that it may be overwritten at any

time.

 

--

Tim Slattery

MS MVP(Shell/User)

Slattery_T@bls.gov

http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

[Guest Bill in Co.]

Re: Moving files on your computer

 

Tim Slattery wrote:

> "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@this.is.an.invalid.domain> wrote:

>

>> On Thu, 3 Jul 2008 08:26:00 -0700, "Computer Questions"

>> <greg@cccccccccccccccccccc.com> wrote:

>>

>>

>>> Lets say I have a file on my computer. Now I drag/drop that file from

>>> Folder

>>> A to Folder B. Is that files physical location on the harddrive simply

>>> updated in the FAT

>

>> Yes.

>

> My understanding is that:

>

> 1. a new copy of the file is made (meaning a new entry in the FAT),

 

No, those are two different things. A copy of the file is different than

a new entry in the FAT or MFT.

> and one or more entries are made for that file in the target directory.

>

> 2. The original file is deleted,

 

Not the file itself.

> meaning the FAT and the source directory are updated.

 

Again, these are two different things.

> It would be considerably more efficient if only the directories were

> updated, so that the entries in the original directory are basically

> moved to the new directory (so the entries in the new directory point

> to the same place in the FAT)

>

>>> or do I end up with 2 copys of the file, one which shows

>>> up in the new location, and one which does not appear in either floder,

>>> but

>>> is none the less still physically present on my harddrive?

>

> The data is still physically present, that's why file recovery

> programs can work sometimes. The space that data occupies is now part

> of the free space chain, which means that it may be overwritten at any

> time.

>

> --

> Tim Slattery

> MS MVP(Shell/User)

> Slattery_T@bls.gov

> http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

[Guest Bill in Co.]

Re: Moving files on your computer

 

Ken Blake, MVP wrote:

> On Thu, 3 Jul 2008 08:26:00 -0700, "Computer Questions"

> <greg@cccccccccccccccccccc.com> wrote:

>

>

>> Lets say I have a file on my computer. Now I drag/drop that file from

>> Folder

>> A to Folder B. Is that files physical location on the harddrive simply

>> updated in the FAT

>

>

> Yes.

>

>

>> or do I end up with 2 copys of the file, one which shows

>> up in the new location, and one which does not appear in either floder,

>> but

>> is none the less still physically present on my harddrive?

>

>

> No.

 

Exactly.