Speed up file copying with TeraCopy

[tain]

I was reading this article recently: Speed up file copying with TeraCopy

and wondered if MSFN folks use such tools. The comments section of that page lists other tools that do similar things.

Here are some of the claimed benefits:

Copy files faster

Pause and resume file transfers

Error recovery

Pause/resume seems handy, but I wonder if these tools are really any/much faster and how handy the error recovery really is.

Does anyone use tools like these? How well do they perform?

[Zxian]

I use TeraCopy when copying large files or large volumes of files.

With large files, I can definitely tell a difference in speed compared to the built in copy/paste, but I usually have to change the buffer size in TC in order to see that. If I match the cache size of the hard drive I'm using, the file transfers typically go much faster (since there's less back and forth of the disk heads).

I haven't needed any sort of error recovery, but the pause and resume is nice.

The only downside to TeraCopy is that it puts all transfers in a queue. If you go to copy FileA, and then FileB, it'll only do FileA and then do FileB (regardless of different hardware, network locations, etc).

I have noticed though that in some cases, Windows copy functions are better - for example with flash drives. My Creative Muvo MP3 player (which connects to the system like a USB flash drive) had pretty horrible transfer speeds from TeraCopy (<1MB/s), while Windows seemed to be alright.

[aadipa]

I use Copy Handler. Works good.

Number of simultaneous copy jobs can be set, others are added to queue. It works better when I do multiple copying. I can go on and copy/paste files, and if unlike Windows copy which slows down if you are copying more than one file at a time, this completes much faster. Pause/Resume is also there.

[bledd]

they probably just use less error checking, so can copy quicker

nice looking tool though, will have to use that

currently i use 'unstoppable copier' for copying a lot of files over my hamachi network

[Zxian]

Copy Handler looks pretty nice, but it's a bit of a shame that it has to sit in the background all the time.

Unstoppable copier seems alright as well, but it's considerably slower than TeraCopy set with a large buffer. I think it's because UC was meant to recover files from damaged disks, rather than to copy files quickly.

I should do some simple file copying tests with my systems to compare various programs. I'll also be able to show the noticable difference between having the buffer set to 64KB vs 10MB (and everything inbetween).

[tain]

Thanks for all the input! I'll definitely try TeraCopy this week when I have a few days off work.

Has anyone tried Super Copier 2? I can't tell what the license is as most of the site is in French. A F/OSS product would be my preference so I'll have to check out Freshmeat before I start testing

[bledd]

teracopy seemed to mess up just now when i tried copying a mounted iso's contents.. wouldn't select all the subfolders for some reason :?

back to unstoppable copier for me

[tain]

You're the first to report that kind of problem that I've seen. Think I'll still give it a try.

[Lightbringer-]

TeraCopy is freeware whereas BurstCopy is shareware...

I have TeraCopy running on my system and it sure does accelerate file copying in windows...Just stumbled upon BurstCopy and was wondering if its any better??

Anybody has used/tested any of those softs?

I can vouch for teracopy tho! (I did a stop watch file copy test! and it really did accelerate file copying)

[KRYOGENIUS]

Hello

I have tested several software to accelerate windows transfer files. here is my opinion.

TeraCopy (free for basic version) is quite good for little files, good performance (possibility to adjsut the data rate of transfer file...)

So it has so few options in my opinion (no possibility to save the transfer list ...)

I don't know BurstCopy, perhaps it might be useful too !

Me, i used since 5 years, this software "supercopier" from www.sfxteam.org.

High Speed Transfert

Possibility to save the transfer list

Automatic data rate adjustment

...

So i recommended it ! and don't remember, as you ram is efficiantly as the transfer copy is fast !

++

[tain]

I've been using TeraCopy and it works pretty well. But it does have some problems when transferring data over LAN.

[Zxian]

What problems have you had with copying over the LAN? I've sometimes had problems with the files simply not being copied, but using right-click-drag and "TeraCopy Here" seems to solve the problem.

[tain]

Sometimes the transfers don't complete and they requre several attempts. I suspect the problem may have more to do with my finicky server than TeraCopy. I'll get off my butt and troubleshoot it one of these days

[tain]

I strongly recommand Total Copy

http://www.ranvik.net/totalcopy/

Total Copy is a improved version of Windows' copy-function. Here are some of the features:

Pause / Resuming : At any time you may pause the copy-prosess, and continue later.

Auto-pause on any error : If you run out of diskspace, the network goes down or some other error occur, copying is automaticly paused, and you may resume when the error is sorted out.

Resuming on powerfailure : If the computer is turned off during the copyprosess (ex. power-loss or system-crash), Total Copy let's you resume when you restart.

Speedlimit : Slows down the copyprosess, and frees resources to other tasks.

Faster than Windows : Copies slightly faster than Windows (approx. 10% localy, and 1% on network)

Small improvements : Shows copy-speed, a percent-bar and KBytes remaining.

Does not modify Windows' own copy-function : This program will not alter the existing windows-copy-function.

Does anyone else have experience with this one? Do you have any comments (pros/cons) on it, Fredledingue?

[Fredledingue]

Cons:

You have to read the "How to use" before because it's not obvious to copy-paste file by draging them with the right button of the mouse pressed.

There is no "Total Copy" menu in the normal mouse right button context menu, but there is one when you drag-drop with the right button. (Something I didn't know before). It would be better to have a Total Copy and then a Total Paste context menu, because I like to go to the folder where I want to copy the files to. Especialy for mass displacements.

There is also a limitation of 256 items you can select at a time (but you can select one folder with 100,000 items in it if you want). This is a Windows limitation with every drag-drop operation, not a Total Copy limitation.

Pro:

I didn't use it very often (I don't move hundreds of Mb everyday) but the few times I used it, it was perfect.

The speed limit is very useful if you want to work on other tasks. Thought you have to set it pretty low if you want to watch a divx movue in the meantime. But the pause button is a must.

If you need to urgently free resources during the transfer, it's the solution.

I never used in error recovery mode.