COPY command line command

[Ascii2]

On Windows 2000 and Windows XP family operating systems exist the COPY command. Its usage is given as the following:

Copies one or more files to another location.

COPY [/V] [/N] [/Y | /-Y] [/Z] [/A | /B ] source [/A | /B]
     [+ source [/A | /B] [+ ...]] [destination [/A | /B]]

  source       Specifies the file or files to be copied.
  /A           Indicates an ASCII text file.
  /B           Indicates a binary file.
  destination  Specifies the directory and/or filename for the new file(s).
  /V           Verifies that new files are written correctly.
  /N           Uses short filename, if available, when copying a file with a
               non-8dot3 name.
  /Y           Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an
               existing destination file.
  /-Y          Causes prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an
               existing destination file.
  /Z           Copies networked files in restartable mode.

The switch /Y may be preset in the COPYCMD environment variable.
This may be overridden with /-Y on the command line.  Default is
to prompt on overwrites unless COPY command is being executed from
within a batch script.

To append files, specify a single file for destination, but multiple files
for source (using wildcards or file1+file2+file3 format).

COPY with the /B argument should copy in binary mode; while COPY with the /A argument should copy in ASCII mode.

If an ASCII text file is used as a source copied using the /B argument with COPY, would the file be duplicated?

If an non-ASCII but not empty file is used as a source copied using the /A argument with COPY, would the file be duplicated?

What happens when a source file is copied using COPY without the /A or /B argument?

Edited September 11, 2008 by Ascii2

[Yzöwl]

The Binary and ASCII switches are generally used when your intending to append another file or copy multiple files to a single destination file. It's not the easiest thing in the world to explain, so I'll point you here instead, (read the Remarks section).

[Ascii2]

Thank you Yzöwl. The information satisfied my questions.