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Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)

I spent some time with telephone support using ai and it was pretty interesting,but eventually corporate greed got on board and cancelled call after five minutes'.what is their correct number still having trouble with xcopy syntecx.

3 REPLIES 3
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@Philbroadstreet,

 

 

Thank you for posting. Sorry to hear about the rough phone experience. To get official help from HP in the U.S., the correct contact page is here: https://www.hp.com/us-en/contact-hp/contact.html.

From there you can enter your product details and be directed to phone, chat, or repair options. The main HP U.S. consumer support number is: 1 - 8 0 0 - 4 7 4 - 6 8 3 6  (1 - 8 0 0 - H P - I N V E N T).

 

Regarding your xcopy question:

 

  • The most common issue is a small syntax mistake.

  • General form:

 

xcopy source [destination] [options]

 

Example (copy everything in C:\Data to D:\Backup including subfolders):

 

xcopy C:\Data D:\Backup /E /I /H /Y
 
  • /E = copy subdirectories (even if empty)

  • /I = assume destination is a directory

  • /H = copy hidden/system files

  • /Y = suppress overwrite confirmation

 

That copies all files and subfolders from C:\Data into D:\Backup. If you share the exact command you tried and the error you’re seeing, perhaps I can help refine the syntax.

 

Kind Regards,

 

NonSequitur777


HP Recommended

One of my new issues is that previously I could see the files and folders and their names in CMD.It also told me that there was 110gigs

of free space on drive C:. My drive was named C:, but the file names were on F:  This drive listed zero amount of free space .now after attempting to follow instrunctions from microsft tech help, both drives now read 110 gigs of free space which tells me that windows no longer has access to those "lost files"I even got into x boot drive. I do have the usb recovery disk, but fear that it might override the files.The xcopy did work once and copied files from documents, but I wanted to copy all files and folders to sort through before attempting to reinstall windows as I get message saying, "operating system can not be found" CMD and diskpart are remarkable because I did use that when one of my external drives read "RAW" I used the assign and dismount to repair that and files appeared. The system works its just the knowledge that I need..My user name is VESTA so these are some of the trys that almost worked... xcopy C:\users\Vesta\Documents\*.*E:Backup\/E/H/C/I.    I kept getting path and parameter not valid error messages.MY EXTERNAL DRIVE is D, SO WHEN YOU SEND ME THE CORRECT SYNTEX,PLEASE WRITE THE NUMBER 6 TO ILLUSTRATE WHERE A SPACE IS NEEDED. Also, in cmd I can see windows recovery and users. Is there anything of value in transferring those folders to the external drive? When attempting xcopy,should I  be in my original C: drive or F:?

HP Recommended

@Philbroadstreet,

 

Understanding the current situation from your description:

 

  • You have two drives, C: and F:, and now both report 110 GB free -suspicious, could be a drive letter remap or corruption.

  • xcopy worked once on Documents, but you got errors trying to copy everything.

  • You also tried diskpart successfully to fix a RAW external drive.

  • The system is functional, but Windows sometimes reports "operating system cannot be found" -this suggests boot issues but your files may still exist.

  • Your external drive is D : -intended as the backup destination.

  • Your username is VESTA.

 

Correct xcopy syntax for copying all files and folders:

 

Here’s a safe command to copy everything from Documents (or any folder) to the external drive.

 

General template (using 6 = space):

 

xcopy6[source]6[destination]6/options
 

Example for your Documents folder:

 

xcopy6C:\Users\Vesta\Documents\*.*6D:\Backup6/E6/H6/C6/I
 

Explanation of options:

 

Option Meaning
/ECopy all subdirectories, including empty ones
/HCopy hidden and system files
/CContinue copying even if errors occur
/IAssume destination is a folder if it doesn’t exist
/YSuppress overwrite confirmation

 

Notes:

  • Make sure D:\Backup exists. If not, create it first: mkdir D:\Backup

  • xcopy works from any drive. It’s easiest to stay in C: (or the drive containing the files you want). You can change drives in CMD with C: and F:

 

Here’s a single all-in-one xcopy command that will copy all the main user folders (Documents, Desktop, Downloads, Pictures, Music, Videos) in one go to your external drive. I’ve used 6 to illustrate spaces exactly as requested:


All-in-One Backup Command:

 

xcopy6C:\Users\Vesta\Documents6D:\Backup\Documents6/E6/H6/C6/I
xcopy6C:\Users\Vesta\Desktop6D:\Backup\Desktop6/E6/H6/C6/I
xcopy6C:\Users\Vesta\Downloads6D:\Backup\Downloads6/E6/H6/C6/I
xcopy6C:\Users\Vesta\Pictures6D:\Backup\Pictures6/E6/H6/C6/I
xcopy6C:\Users\Vesta\Music6D:\Backup\Music6/E6/H6/C6/I
xcopy6C:\Users\Vesta\Videos6D:\Backup\Videos6/E6/H6/C6/I

 

Notes:

  • This runs six separate copy operations, one for each folder, but you can paste them all at once into CMD and press Enter.

  • If your files are on F: instead of C:, simply replace C: with F: in all lines.

  • Make sure D:\Backup exists before running:

 
mkdir6D:\Backup

Optional: Copy the entire user folder in one command:

 

If you want to grab absolutely everything under VESTA (Documents, Desktop, Downloads, Pictures, Music, Videos, plus hidden settings), you can use:

 

xcopy6C:\Users\Vesta6D:\Backup\Vesta6/E6/H6/C6/I

 

This will copy all folders inside C:\Users\Vesta at once, including hidden files and subfolders. Use this if you want a complete backup.


Quick Tips:

 

  1. Run CMD as Administrator.

  2. Stay on the source drive (C: or F:) while running these commands.

  3. Avoid copying Windows or Program Files -focus on personal files first.

  4. After copying, double-check D:\Backup to confirm all files are there before attempting any reinstall or recovery.

 

Hope this resolves your situation.

 

Kind Regards,

 

NonSequitur777


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