How to copy a directory from one hard drive to another with every single file?

Question

I have a folder I just luckily recovered sitting on:

/media/sdc1/Pictures

with a BUNCH of subdirectories and files that I need.

I want to copy these to a folder on:

/media/sdb1/Pictures

What command do I have to use in the terminal to make sure this happens? I know there is the cp command. But is that the best choice? And if so what options should I use to ensure I get every single directory and file?

amc · Accepted Answer · 2013-06-01T18:09:33.357

28

I would use rsync for this so that if there is an error (or you need to stop copying) partway through you can easily resume later, without having to recopy everything.

rsync -av /media/sdc1/Pictures/ /media/sdb1/Pictures/

edited Jun 01 '13 at 18:09

answered Jun 01 '13 at 01:21

amc

7,322

3

I'd remove the * since it will omit dotfiles at the first level. It may also cause it to exceed the ARG_MAX limit. – geirha Jun 01 '13 at 09:31
@geirha good point. edited. – amc Jun 01 '13 at 18:09
And to resume I need to use the same command again? – Pithikos Apr 14 '20 at 20:23
Yes, rerunning the command will reassess what’s changed and resume the transfer, effectively picking up where it left off previously – amc Apr 14 '20 at 20:25

score 12 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 01 '13 at 01:00

12

cp -r /media/sdc1/Pictures/* /media/sdb1/Pictures/some_dir

The -r is recursive, ^{read the man page...}
With /media/sdc1/Pictures/* the asterisk is to copy all the contents of /media/sdc1/Pictures/, but not the parent directory itself.
The some_dir of /media/sdb1/Pictures/some_dir is where you want to put it.

answered Jun 01 '13 at 01:00

demure

2,322

will this copy dotfiles and dotdirs as well? – farinspace Apr 28 '18 at 05:52

score 0 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 01 '13 at 18:41

0

If you need an exact image, use the command dd if=(path) of=(path)

edited Jun 01 '13 at 18:41

Kevin Bowen

20,125
57
82
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answered Jun 01 '13 at 18:12

RGS

156

4

Beware, this command could completely kill you computer if used incorrectly – MikeSchem Apr 10 '17 at 21:03
1

You can't copy directories with dd! – mook765 Aug 07 '18 at 08:11
WARNING: I don't have enough rep to downvote but this command is not suitable for copying directories, and in the worst case can trash your system. – PatS Feb 07 '23 at 21:34

How to copy a directory from one hard drive to another with every single file?

3 Answers3