Computer, sysadmin, Win10, Windows

The Ultimate Guide to Robocopy

Common Robocopy Syntax Reference

Why such a long blog post on a single utility? Just feast your eyes on the tables below. You have a lot of options to copy or move files with robocopy! You will more options in the individual sections.

These tables were built from the help syntax returned from robocopy /?. They’ve been broken up into more meaningful sections, added to over time and cleaned up to provide more useful info.

Source Options
Switch Explanation Default Behavior Equivalent Switch Notes
/S Copy subfolders
/E Copy subfolders including empty subfolders
/COPY:[DATSOU] Copy options /COPY:DAT D=Data, A=Attributes, T=Timestamps S=Security=NTFS ACLs, O=Owner info, U=aUditing info. File Data (D) always includes file Timestamps (T)
/SEC Copy files with SECurity /COPY:DATS
/DCOPY:T Copy directory timestamps
/COPYALL Copy ALL file info /COPY:DATSOU This will prevent dehydrating offline files and will instead copy the file’s tag (on emc VNX/Unity systems at least). This is not officially documented! If dehydration is what you need (reason i found this issue), you can’t copy the ACLs along your files. CREDIT: Monsieurx (Reddit)
/NOCOPY Copy NO file info useful with /PURGE
/A Copy only files with the Archive attribute set
/M like /A, but remove Archive attribute from source files
/LEV:n Only copy the top n LEVels of the source tree
/MAXAGE:n MAXimum file AGE – exclude files older than n days/date
/MINAGE:n MINimum file AGE – exclude files newer than n days/date If n < 1900 then n = no of days, else n = YYYYMMDD date
/FFT Assume FAT File Times 2-second date/time granularity. This replaces NTFS timestamps. Seems to be more reliable when transferring over a network.
/256 Turn off very long path (> 256 characters) support

Destination Options
Switch Explanation Default Behavior Equivalent Switch Notes
/A+:[RASHCNET] Set file attribute(s) on destination files + add
/A-:[RASHCNET] Remove file attribute(s) on destination files
/FAT Create destination files using 8.3 FAT file names only
/CREATE Create directory tree structure + zero-length files only
/DST Compensate for one-hour DST time differences

Copy Options
Switch Explanation Default Behavior Equivalent Switch Notes
/L List files only Don’t copy, timestamp or delete any files
/MOV Move files Delete from source after copying
/MOVE Move files and directories Delete from source after copying
/sl Copy file symbolic links instead of the target
/Z Copy files in restartable mode Survive a network glitch
/B Copy files in backup mode
/J Copy using unbuffered I/O Recommended for large files
/NOOFFLOAD Copy files without using the Windows copy offload mechanism https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-server-2012-R2-and-2012/hh831628(v=ws.11)
/EFSRAW Copy any encrypted files using EFS RAW mode
/TIMFIX Fix file times on all files, even skipped files
/XO Exclude older if destination file exists and is the same date or newer than the source – don’t bother to overwrite it.
/XC Exclude changed files
/XN Exclude newer files
/XX Exclude files present in destination but not source /XX
/XF file [file]… Exclude files matching given names/paths/wildcards
/XD dirs [dirs]… Exclude directories matching given names/paths. /XF and /XD can be used in combination e.g. ROBOCOPY c:\source d:\dest /XF *.doc *.xls /XD c:\unwanted /S
/IA:[RASHCNETO] Include files with any of the given attributes
/XA:[RASHCNETO] Exclude files with any of the given attributes
/IS Overwrite files even if they are already the same
/IT Include tweaked files
/XJ Exclude junction points from source /XJ
/XJD Exclude junction points from source directories
/XJF Exclude junction points from source files
/MAX:n Exclude files bigger than n bytes
/MIN:n Exclude files smaller than n bytes
/MAXLAD:n Exclude files unused since n
/MINLAD:n Exclude files used since n If n < 1900 then n = n days, else n = YYYYMMDD date
/MIR Mirror a directory tree /PURGE /E
/PURGE Delete dest files/folders that no longer exist in source
/XL Exclude files present in source but not destination
/SECFIX Robocopy /secfix fixes file security on all files, even skipped files. Specify the type of security information you want to copy by also using one of these options: /COPYALL /COPY:O /COPY:S /COPY:U /SEC
/ZB Use restartable mode; if access denied use Backup mode

Monitoring Options
Switch Explanation Default Behavior Equivalent Switch Notes
/R:n Number of retries on failed copies /R:1000000 Always try to set this option. I recommend setting this to 10-20 to not waste time retrying.
/W:n Wait time between retries /W:30 Always try to set this option to a lower number to retry more quickly. I suggest 5-10.
/REG Save /R:n and /W:n in the Windows registry as default settings
/RH:hhmm-hhmm times when new copies can be started
/TBD Wait for sharenames to be defined retry error 67
/PF Check run hours on a per file (not per pass) basis
/MON:n Run again when more than n changes seen
/MOT:m Run again in m minutes, if changed

Source: The Ultimate Guide to Robocopy

Browser, Mozilla, Software

Prevent new window from hiding addons in toolbar | Firefox Support Forum | Mozilla Support

Hi Jerl, you don’t need to explain the problem to me. I still have dom.disable_window_open_feature.toolbar set to true in about:config although it no longer does anything. As support forum volunteers, we don’t get special access to developers, we have to get in line like everyone else.

Did I post this before? The reason the toolbar buttons are hidden is a built-in style rule. So as an unofficial community developed workaround, you can inject an overriding style rule to make them visible again.

Setting this up is a little bit involved, so please set aside 10 quiet minutes to work through it.

(For anyone who already has a userChrome.css file set up, you just need to add the rule under (A) to your file.)

(A) Select and copy the following style rule code

/* Override Hiding of Toolbar Buttons in Limited Feature Windows */
*|*:root[chromehidden~="toolbar"] .chromeclass-toolbar-additional {
  display: -moz-box !important; /* default is display: none */
}

(B) Generate and download a userChrome.css file

Open the following page and paste the above rules into the editor, replacing the sample rule:

https://www.userchrome.org/download-userchrome-css.html

Then click “Generate CSS File” and save the userChrome.css file to your computer. (See first attached screenshot)

Use the downloads list on the toolbar to open the downloads folder directly to the new userChrome.css file. (See second attached screenshot)

Minimize that file browser window for later reference.

(C) Create a new chrome folder in your profile folder

The following article has the detailed steps for that (#1, #2, and I recommend #3)

https://www.userchrome.org/how-create-userchrome-css.html

I have videos for both Windows and Mac in case the text is not clear.

(D) Move the userChrome.css file you downloaded in Step B into the chrome folder you created in Step C

(E) Set Firefox to look for userChrome.css at startup — see step #6 in the above article.

The next time you exit Firefox and start it up again, it should discover that file and apply the rule.

Success?

Once you start tweaking the interface this way, you’ll probably find more and more things you want to do. I suggest bookmarking the pages where you get the code for future reference because changes to Firefox may break them and it’s easier to request an update if you can find the source.

Source: Prevent new window from hiding addons in toolbar | Firefox Support Forum | Mozilla Support

Browser, Mozilla, Software

A brief guide to Mozilla preferences – Mozilla | MDN

What is a preference?

A preference is any value or defined behavior that can be set (presumably, one setting is preferable to another). Preference changes via user interface usually take effect immediately. The values are saved to the user profile (in prefs.js), for both Firefox and Thunderbird.

A preference is read from a file, and can call up to four methods: pref(), user_pref(), sticky_pref() and lockPref(). All preferences files may call pref(), user_pref() and sticky_pref(), while the config file in addition may call lockPref().

Source: A brief guide to Mozilla preferences – Mozilla | MDN

Browser, Mozilla, Software

How to Create a userChrome.css File

How to Create a userChrome.css File

Updated May 24, 2019; Originally posted by jscher2000 on November 5, 2017.

Creating your userChrome.css file is the first step on your quest to make over Firefox’s interface. It takes a couple of minutes, but it’s important to take your time and get it right so Firefox loads and applies your style recipes on the first try.

At startup, Firefox will check for the userChrome.css file in a particular location: a folder named chrome inside your currently active profile folder. The profile folder is where all of your current settings and add-ons are stored. (If you want to learn more about that folder, see “Profiles — Where Firefox stores your bookmarks, passwords and other user data” on Mozilla Support.)

Here’s how you set that up (full details below):

  1. Open your currently active profile folder
  2. Create a new folder named chrome
  3. Create a desktop shortcut (alias) to the chrome folder for easier future access
  4. Make sure your OS is set to show you file extensions like .txt and .css
  5. Create a new text file inside the chrome folder named userChrome.css
  6. Change a preference in Firefox so it looks for your files at startup (in Firefox 69+)

Source: How to Create a userChrome.css File

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