MOVE - Move files

 Purpose:    Move files to a new directory and drive. 
             
 Format:     MOVE  [/A:[[-]rhsda] /C /D /E /F /H /M /N /P /Q /R /S /T /U 
             /V] source ... destination 
             
             source :  A file or list of files to move. 
             destination :  The new location for the files. 
             

             /A: (Attribute select)          /P(rompt) 
             /C(hanged)                      /Q(uiet) 
             /D(irectory)                    /R(eplace) 
             /E (No error messages)          /S(ubdirectory tree) 
             /F(orce delete)                 /T(otal) 
             /H(idden and system)            /U(pdate) 
             /M(odified files)               /V(erify) 
             /N(othing) 
 
 See also:  COPY and RENAME. 

 File Selection 

 Supports extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include 
 lists.  Date, time, or size ranges anywhere on the line apply to all 
 source files. 

 Usage 

 The MOVE command moves one or more files from one directory to another, 
 whether the directories are on the same drive or not.  It has the same 
 effect as copying the files to a new location and then deleting the 
 originals.  Like COPY and RENAME, MOVE works with single files, multiple 
 files, and sets of files specified with an include list. 

 The simplest MOVE command moves a single source file to a new location 
 and, optionally, gives it a new name.  These two examples both move one 
 file from drive C: to the root directory on drive A: 

 
         [c:\] move myfile.dat a:\
         [c:\] move myfile.dat a:\savefile.dat
 

 In both cases, MYFILE.DAT is removed from drive C: after it has been 
 copied to drive A:.  If a file called MYFILE.DAT in the first example, or 
 SAVEFILE.DAT in the second example, already existed on drive A:, it would 
 be overwritten.  (This demonstrates the difference between MOVE and 
 RENAME.  MOVE will move files between drives and will overwrite the 
 destination file if it exists; RENAME will not.) 

 When you move a single file, the destination can be a directory name or a 
 file name.  If it is a directory name, and you add a backslash [\] to the 
 end of the name, MOVE will display an error message if the name does not 
 refer to an existing directory.  You can use this feature to keep MOVE 
 from treating a mistyped destination directory name as a file name, and 
 attempting to move the source file to that name. 

 If you move multiple files, the destination must be a directory name. 
  MOVE will move each file into the destination directory with its 
 original name.  If the destination is not a directory, MOVE will display 
 an error message and exit.  For example, if C:\FINANCE\MYFILES is not a 
 directory, this command will display an error; otherwise, the files will 
 be moved to that directory: 

 
         [c:\] move *.wks *.txt c:\finance\myfiles
 

 The /D option can be used for single or multiple file moves; it checks to 
 see whether the destination is a directory, and will prompt to see if you 
 want to create the destination directory if it doesn't exist. 

 If MOVE creates one or more destination directories, they will be added 
 automatically to the extended directory search database. 

 You cannot move a file to a character device like the printer, or to 
 itself. 

 Be careful when you use MOVE with the SELECT command.  If you SELECT 
 multiple files and the destination is not a directory (for example, 
 because of a misspelling), MOVE will assume it is a file name.  In this 
 case each file will be moved in turn to the destination file, overwriting 
 the previous file, and then the original will be erased before the next 
 file is moved.  At the end of the command, all of the original files will 
 have been erased and only the last file will exist as the destination 
 file. 

 You can avoid this problem by using square brackets with SELECT instead 
 of parentheses (be sure that you don't allow the command line to get too 
 long -- watch the character count in the upper left corner while you're 
 selecting files).  MOVE will then receive one list of files to move 
 instead of a series of individual filenames, and it will detect the error 
 and halt.  You can also add a backslash [\] to the end of the destination 
 name to ensure that it is the name of a subdirectory (see above). 

 Advanced Features and Options 

 MOVE first attempts to rename the file(s), which is the fastest way to 
 move files between subdirectories on the same drive.  If that fails 
 (e.g., because the destination is on a different drive or already 
 exists), MOVE will copy the file(s) and then delete the originals. 

 If MOVE must physically copy the files and delete the originals, rather 
 than renaming them (see above), then some disk space may be freed on the 
 source drive.  The free space may be the result of moving the files to 
 another drive, or of overwriting a larger destination file with a smaller 
 source file.  MOVE displays the amount of disk space recovered unless the 
 /Q option is used (see below).  It does so by comparing the amount of 
 free disk space before and after the MOVE command is executed.  However, 
 this amount may be incorrect if you are using a deletion tracking system 
 which retains deleted files for later recovery, or if another program 
 performs a file operation while the MOVE command is executed. 

 When physically copying files, MOVE preserves the hidden, system, and 
 read-only attributes of the source files, and sets the archive attribute 
 of the destination files.  However, if the files can be renamed, and no 
 copying is required, then the file attributes are not changed. 

 Use caution with the /A: and /H switches (both of which can allow MOVE to 
 process hidden files) when you are physically moving files, and both the 
 source and destination directories contain file descriptions.  If the 
 source file specification matches the description file name (normally 
 DESCRIPT.ION), and you tell MOVE to process hidden files, the 
 DESCRIPT.ION file itself will be moved, overwriting any existing file 
 descriptions in the destination directory.  For example, if the C:\DATA 
 directory contains file descriptions, this command would overwrite any 
 existing descriptions in the D:\SAVE directory: 

 
         [c:\data] move /h d*.* d:\save\
 

 (If you remove the hidden attribute from the DESCRIPT.ION file the same 
 caution applies even if you do not use /A: or /H, as DESCRIPT.ION is then 
 treated like any other file.) 

 If you move a file from a FAT volume to an HPFS volume, and you do not 
 give an explicit destination name (i.e. you are moving the file to the 
 current directory, or your destination name is made up entirely of 
 wildcards), MOVE will look for a .LONGNAME extended attribute for the 
 source file.  If it finds that attribute, it will use the long filename 
 for the destination file.  If it does not, it will use the short name. 

 Similarly, if you MOVE files with long filenames from an HPFS volume to a 
 FAT volume, CMD.EXE will create the destination files with short, 
 FAT-compatible names and save the long filenames in the .LONGNAME 
 extended attribute.  The short name is created by replacing special 
 characters with underscores, adding numeric digits to the filename (if 
 necessary) to make the new name unique, and truncating the name to fit 
 with in the "8.3" FAT name structure. 

 Options 

    /A::    (Attribute select) Select only those files that have the 
            specified attribute(s) set.  Preceding the attribute character 
            with a hyphen [-] will select files that do not have that 
            attribute set.  The colon [:] after /A is required.  The 
            attributes are: 

               R  Read-only 
               H  Hidden 
               S  System 
               D  Subdirectory 
               A  Archive 
 

 If no attributes are listed at all (e.g., MOVE /A: ...), MOVE will select 
 all files and subdirectories including hidden and system files.  If 
 attributes are combined, all the specified attributes must match for a 
 file to be selected.  For example, /A:RHS will select only those files 
 with all three attributes set. 

 See the cautionary note under Advanced Features and Options above before 
 using /A: when both source and destination directories contain file 
 descriptions. /C:(Changed files) Move files only if the destination file 
 exists and is older than the source (see also /U).  This option is useful 
 for updating the files in one directory from those in another without 
 moving any newly-created files. /D:(Directory) Requires that the 
 destination be a directory.  If the destination does not exist, MOVE will 
 prompt to see if you want to create it.  If the destination exists as a 
 file, MOVE will fail with an "Access denied" error.  Use this option to 
 avoid having MOVE accidentally interpret your destination name as a file 
 name when it's really a mistyped directory name. /E:(No error messages) 
 Suppress all non-fatal error messages, such as "File Not Found."  Fatal 
 error messages, such as "Drive not ready," will still be displayed.  This 
 option is most useful in batch files and aliases. /F:(Force delete) This 
 option forces deletion of the source file without saving it to the DELDIR 
 directory (if DELDIR is not in use, /F has no effect).  /F is only 
 effective when MOVE must copy the source file(s) and delete the originals 
 (i.e., if the destination is on a different drive or the destination file 
 already exists).  If the files are simply renamed, /F has no effect. 
 /H:(Hidden) Move all files, including hidden and system files.  See the 
 cautionary note under Advanced Features and Options above before using /H 
 when both source and destination directories contain file descriptions. 
 /M:(Modified files) Move only files that have the archive bit set. The 
 archive bit will remain set after the MOVE; to clear it use ATTRIB. 
 /N:(Nothing) Do everything except actually move the file(s). This option 
 is most useful for testing what a complex MOVE command will do. 
 /P:(Prompt) Prompt the user to confirm each move.  Your options at the 
 prompt are explained in detail under Page and File Prompts. /Q:(Quiet) 
 Don't display filenames, the total number of files moved, or the amount 
 of disk space recovered, if any.  This option is most often used in batch 
 files. See also /T. /R:(Replace) Prompt for a Y or N response before 
 overwriting an existing destination file. /S:(Subdirectories) Move an 
 entire subdirectory tree to another location.  MOVE will attempt to 
 create the destination directories if they don't exist, and will remove 
 empty subdirectories after the move.  When /D is used with /S, you will 
 be prompted if the first destination directory does not exist, but 
 subdirectories below that will be created automatically by MOVE.  If MOVE 
 /S creates one or more destination directories, they will be added 
 automatically to the extended directory search database. 

 If you attempt to use /S to move a subdirectory tree into part of itself, 
 MOVE will detect the resulting infinite loop, display an error message, 
 and exit. /T:(Total) Don't display filenames as they are moved, but 
 display the total number of files moved and the amount of free disk space 
 recovered, if any. /U:(Update) Move each source file only if it is newer 
 than a matching destination file or if a matching destination file does 
 not exist (also see /C).  This option is useful for moving new or changed 
 files from one directory to another. /V:(Verify) Verify each disk write. 
  This is the same as executing the VERIFY ON command, but is only active 
 during the MOVE.  /V does not read back the file and compare its contents 
 with what was written; it only verifies that the data written to disk is 
 physically readable.