Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Resolved Question

Does Windows 7 keep file explorer copying logs?

Sep 2, 2014 11:56AM PDT

Does Window 7 keep any type of logs that would tell me if my files finished copying correctly with no errors?
The power in my house died while I was at work and I left my computer with a very large folder copying to an external drive. Multitudes of pictures, documents, and songs, and videos all in subfolders of subfolders. I am not even sure which folders I had copying, as I started multiple different copying tasks at different times before I left this morning.

Aside from having to either start the task again, or verifying the contents of every single document, etc., is there any way at all to check and see if the task completed or was interrupted?

Thank you so much for any help you guys offer!!! You're always a GREAT help!

Discussion is locked

Kingbandaid has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

- Collapse -
No.
Sep 2, 2014 12:09PM PDT

But the EVENT VIEWER can log such things. It's on the web so yell if you can't find it.
Bob

- Collapse -
Thank you.
Sep 2, 2014 3:03PM PDT

While I couldn't really find any direct implication that the file copying had completed, I did find a couple of event entries that gave me a time frame and I am assuming by those times that everything had copied correctly. Thank you very much!

- Collapse -
To complete your list of requirements.
Sep 3, 2014 12:54AM PDT

You would have to use a copy app that adds those to the logs. Again, such was discussed on the web so I left it out here.

But again, no, Windows File Explorer does not do this. And Windows doesn't log unless we turn on the logging. To get your verification, you'll have to get a bettery copy app that does what you ask along with a log report.
Bob

- Collapse -
Answer
How to find such an app?
Sep 3, 2014 1:11AM PDT
https://www.google.com/search?q=file+copy+app+with+logging to start. In the top 5 results I see http://www.tpcqpc.com/richcopy-microsofts-multi-threaded-file-copy-utility/ which notes Unstoppable File Copier which notes

"After a little bit of research, we discovered Unstoppable Copier which solved a lot of problems for us. First, the program was designed as a data recovery tool (in fact if you visit their website, you will find the download page under Data Recovery). As such, it has the ability to retry the copying of a file a number of times and if it continues to fail to copy a file, the program will log the damaged file and then skip the damaged file and move on. What this does is great because now we can start a large copy process at the end of the day and we know that it will be finished by the time we come in the next morning. No more crashed Xcopy transfers!"
Bob