I am trying to add a new option to the context menu for folders in Windows. I have managed to add the option and specify its command as follows:
xcopy.exe "%0\*" "c:\Destination\" /EHY
This code is added to regedit.exe
I have a folder in the c: drive named Destination. I am trying to copy the folder that I right clicked to the Destination folder, without a command prompt window.
What is happening: xcopy is running and copying the content of the folder and in the foreground. Please help me with these two issues:
Run the xcopy command without showing a window.
Copy the folder to a new folder in Destination named after the copied folder.
Thank you.
The command that satisfies the two issues listed is at the very end. First, some notes of explanation.
When you add a shell command to the Windows Registry, you have several variables available to you (such as %1, %L, and %V). Now, you would like a new folder in Destination named after the copied folder. Parameter extensions (such as %~n1) can strip everything from the full path and give you the name of the directory leaf.
However, these are not available when using the shell command from the Windows Registry. The most straightforward way to get a plain directory name is to create a temporary batch script, run it, and delete the batch script afterwards.
The following will copy the selected directory as a sub-directory inside Destination:
cmd.exe /c echo #echo off>"C:\Destination\_tempxcopy.bat" & echo xcopy "%%~1\*" "C:\Destination\%~n1" /ECIQHY ^>nul>>"C:\Destination\_tempxcopy.bat" & call "C:\Destination\_tempxcopy.bat" "%1" & del "C:\Destination\_tempxcopy.bat"
This next part requires the use of a third-party utility.
The previous command will open a command window and leave it open as long as copying is in progress. To hide that window, use the tiny utility RunHiddenConsole
The following will copy the selected directory and hide the command window while copying:
"C:\Destination\RunHiddenConsole.exe" cmd.exe /c echo #echo off>"C:\Destination\_tempxcopy.bat" & echo xcopy "%%~1\*" "C:\Destination\%~n1" /ECIQHY ^>nul>>"C:\Destination\_tempxcopy.bat" & "C:\Destination\RunHiddenConsole.exe" /w "C:\Destination\_tempxcopy.bat" "%1" & del "C:\Destination\_tempxcopy.bat"
This could certainly be made more flexible and efficient, but the above command at least demonstrates the technique for accomplishing the task.
Related
I have a batch file that is in the same directory as the file I want to xcopy. But for some reason the file is not being found.
I thought that current directory was always where the batch file was located.
I run batch file as administrator. This occurs on a Windows 7 64-bit desktop computer.
Batch file:
#ECHO OFF
XCOPY /y "File1.txt" "File2.txt"
PAUSE
Error:
File not found - File1.txt
0 File(s) copied
Which directory is current working directory on starting a batch file with context menu item Run as administrator depends on User Account Control (UAC) setting for the current user.
This can be demonstrated with following small batch file C:\Temp\Test.bat:
#echo Current directory is: %CD%
#pause
With having selected in User Account Control Settings
Default - Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer
Don't notify me when I make changes to Windows settings
and using Run as administrator, Windows uses registry key
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\runasuser\command
This registry key does not contain a default string for executing the batch file. Instead there is the string value DelegateExecute with the CLSID {ea72d00e-4960-42fa-ba92-7792a7944c1d}.
The result is opening a dialog window with title User Account Control and text:
Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?
Program name: Windows Command Processor
Verified publisher: Microsoft Windows
After confirmation by the user, Windows opens temporarily a new user session like when using on command line RunAs.
In this new user session the current working directory is %SystemRoot%\System32 on executing now the command defined in Windows registry with default string of key
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\runas\command
which is:
%SystemRoot%\System32\cmd.exe /C "%1" %*
Therefore a console window is opened with title C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe and the 2 lines:
Current directory is: C:\Windows\System32
Press any key to continue . . .
After hitting any key, batch execution finishes which results in closing cmd.exe which results in closing the user session.
But with having selected in User Account Control Settings
Never notify me when
Programs try to install software or make changes to my computer
I make changes to Windows settings
the behavior is different as the user has already elevated privileges.
Now Windows uses directly the command
%SystemRoot%\System32\cmd.exe /C "%1" %*
according to default string of key
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\runas\command
in current user session.
The result is opening a console window also with title C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe, but displayed in window is:
Current directory is: C:\Temp
Press any key to continue . . .
The current working directory of the parent process (Windows Explorer as desktop) is used for executing of the batch file because no switch to a different user session was necessary in this case.
PA has posted already 2 possible solutions in his answer which I replicate here with a small improvement (pushd with directory in double quotes) and with adding a third one.
Change current directory to directory of batch file using pushd and popd:
pushd "%~dp0"
%SystemRoot%\System32\xcopy.exe "File1.txt" "File2.txt" /Y
popd
This works also for UNC paths. Run in a command prompt window pushd /? for an explanation why this also works for UNC paths.
Use directory of batch file in source and destination specifications:
%SystemRoot%\System32\xcopy.exe "%~dp0File1.txt" "%~dp0File2.txt" /Y
Change working directory to directory of batch file using cd:
cd /D "%~dp0"
%SystemRoot%\System32\xcopy.exe "File1.txt" "File2.txt" /Y
This does not work for UNC paths because command interpreter cmd does not support a UNC path as current directory by default, see for example CMD does not support UNC paths as current directories for details.
The error message is very self explanatory. The file file1.txt is not found.
Because the file name does not include an absolute path, the system tries to find it on the current directory. Your current directory does not contain this file.
Your misconception is that the current directory is not the directory that contains the bat file. Those are two unrelated concepts.
You can easily check by adding this two commands in your bat file
echo BAT directory is %~dp0
echo Current directory is %CD%
you can notice they are different, and that there is a subtle difference in the way the last backslash is appended or not.
So, there are esentially two ways to cope with this problem
either change the current directory to match the expected one
pushd %~dp0
XCOPY /y "File1.txt" "File2.txt"
popd
or specify the full path in the command
XCOPY /y "%~dp0File1.txt" "%~dp0File2.txt"
For the sake of completeness and obscurity, I add another workaround, confirmed as working under Windows 8.1 and expected to work elsewhere, as it relies on documented functionality:
You can change the runas command definition keys
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\batfile\shell\runas\command and
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\cmdfile\shell\runas\command into
%SystemRoot%\System32\cmd.exe /S /C "(for %%G in (%1) do cd /D "%%~dpG") & "%1"" %*
Which results in the bat or cmd file starting in its containing directory when started using the runas verb, respectively the "Run as Administrator" menu entry.
What the additions to the original command exactly do:
cmd /S strips away first and last (double) quote in command string after /C
for %%G in (%1) do enumerates its single entry, the %1 argument,
making it available for expansion as %%G in the loop body; the letter is arbitrary but some may be "reserved"
%%~dpG expands to the drive and path of %%G, the ~ tilde stripping away quotes if present, which is why we add them back explicitly
cd /D changes both the drive and directory to its argument, and finally
& runs the second command "%1" %* regardless of success of the first one.
You can use pushd which will even support UNC paths, but a stray popd would land any script in the system32 directory, not a behavior I would be fond of.
It should be possible to do this for the exefile entry as well, but frankly, I'd rather live with the inconsistency than to attempt this on my system, as any error there could break a lot.
Enjoy defeating the security mechanics of your operating system :)
I'm trying to change my group policies by replacing the scripts.ini file in C:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicy\Machine\Scripts by using a batch file. The batch file is on my desktop in a folder called replacer, the custom scripts.ini is in the same folder. When i right click the batch file and "Run as administrator" it suddenly can't find the scripts.ini file that's in the same folder. When i don't run as administrator it finds it, but can't replace the scripts.ini file in group policies.
Edit:
Here's the code(1 line):
xcopy /s/y scripts.ini C:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicy\Machine\Scripts
When you run a batch script by double clicking it, the current directory will be the folder where the script resides.
But when you run the script as Administrator by right mouse clicking, then the current directory is something else, typically C:\wINDOWS\system32.
Your script can use %~dp0 to get the full path of where the script is installed, so you can simply prefix your source file with that path:
xcopy /s/y "%~dp0scripts.ini" C:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicy\Machine\Scripts
If you have additional commands that depend on the current directory, then I suggest you use PUSHD to change your current directory instead
pushd "%~dp0"
xcopy /s/y scripts.ini C:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicy\Machine\Scripts
I've been trying to setup a batch script that can be run from the context menu inside a folder. The purpose of the batch script is to populate the folder with a predetermined folder structure.
This will need to be replicated on multiple computers(Windows 7-10), so my idea was to have a network share with two batch files and one .reg file. One of the batch files labeled "install.cmd" would copy the other batch file labeled "Subfolders.cmd" to a folder on the C drive, and run the .reg file to install a shortcut on the context menu to the "Subfolders.cmd" batch file.
I have created the "Subfolders.cmd" batch file and it works, but it has to be run from inside the folder I want the folder structure setup in. I would appreciate any help on how to create the "install.cmd" batch script that would create a folder on the C drive, copy the "Subfolders.cmd" script into it, and run the .reg file to create the item in the context menu that would allow the "Subfolders.cmd" batch script to be run in selected folder.
I'd appreciate any examples and/or suggestions of more efficient ways of doing this. Thanks!
Update: As requested, I have posted the code that generates the subfolders inside an opened folder. It's pretty simple.
md "Folder1" "Folder1/Sub1A" "Folder1/Sub1B" "Folder2" "Folder2/Sub2A" "Folder2/Sub2B"
There is no need for all this copying.
"\\computername\sharename\folder\file.bat"
Will run a batch file stored on another computer.
Ditto the reg command
regedit /s "\\computername\sharename\folder\file.reg"
You can do the above with the older mapped drives as well as UNC.
You need to show your second script so we can see why it NEEDS to be in the folder.
EDIT
You need to specify full paths.
To get the starting folder use %V in the registry command. So (and lets get rid of the reg file) (add your bat instead of echo)
reg add "HKCR\Directory\Background\Shell\Test Command\command" /ve /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d "cmd /k echo ""%V"""
In your batch use %1 to get the starting folder, and tilde (%~1) to remove quotes (see call /? for documentation). (remember create folders from the lowest level as higer levels get made automatically).
md "%~1\folder1\folder2"
i have run very simple script:
xcopy some.exe c:\folder\ /h/y and it works normally. but when i try to run .bat file with this code as administrator - cmd line opens for a moment but nothing happens (file not copied). Can anyone explain this issue?
i also tried to use echo xcopy instead of xcopy, but nothing had changed.
i need only admin running of .bat file, cause i want to copy file in \windows\system32 folder
when you start a batchfile as administrator, it's working directory is C:\windows\system32\. So your script doesn't find your file. Either work with absolute paths, or change the working directory.
You can change it to the directory, where your batchfile resides with:
cd /d "%~dp0"
Note: to keep the window open to read any errormessages, append a pause command.
I am making a batch file that needs to copy another batch file into the Start Menu Start Up folder (the one used when a program launches on login/start up). Since the path uses the user's computer name eg. C:\Documents and Settings\User Name I need the batch file to get the user's correct name instead of the "User Name" or * (wildcard). Wildcards doesn't work as the batch file comes up with "the filename directory name or volume label syntax is incorrect".
I hope this is clear enough.
You can also try this:
cd %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
It works in Windows 10. The %appdata% variable gives you your required username by default
Open a new command prompt window by executing cmd.exe or using the shortcut in Accessories in Windows start menu. Enter set and look on the list of environment variables predefined by Windows. You are mostly interested in USERPROFILE.
The following command can be used to copy a batch file with name AaRM.bat from a folder available for all users like the all users desktop folder to startup folder of the currently logged in user.
copy "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Desktop\AaRM.bat" "%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup"
The double quotes are important as the name of the batch file with path and the path to the startup folder both contain spaces.
Copying the batch file from your desktop folder to the startup folder of the other user is most likely not possible as the other user might have no permission to access anything in your user profile directory and below.
You can copy the batch file to distribute also to a different folder accessible for all users like "%ProgramFiles%" or %SystemRoot% as the batch file in all users desktop folder is visible for all user accounts on desktop.
Best would be to put the batch file into Windows directory (%SystemRoot% or %windir%) and create / copy a shortcut file (*.lnk) in / to startup folder of the other user accounts. The Windows start menu folders should contain only *.lnk files and not batch files and applications.
And last it would be also possible to create a shortcut in "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup" to the batch file in %windir% to execute this batch file for any user who logs in on this computer. Your batch file could contain at top something like if "%USERNAME%"=="your account name" goto :EOF 1 or more times with various user account names to prevent doing anything for 1 or more specific users.
try the following command if u r using win 7. never tried on win 8 though.
cd C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
works perfectly for me.
Stumped about nobody answering yet..
Why are we so lost?
echo %userprofile%
To know the name of current user
For copying
Copy /y %~f0 "%USERPROFILE%\%AppData%\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Alternative
copy "path of file you want to copy" "path of the directory where you want it copied"
copy path of batch file path of startup folder
Copy /y "File-Address-to-copy-here" "where-to-copy-to-here"
(as above)
then save file as .bat
and you have a batch file, run as admin if in system directories.
copy "C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Desktop\batch.bat" "C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\"
This should work.
This works:
#echo off
copy "C:\Users\%username%\Desktop\somefolder\example.bat" "C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\"
Try this:
copy "CopyPath" "%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup"
Also, if you want to skip the username for the copy path, then use %username% instead of the actual username.
#echo off
copy "%~n0%~x0" "%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup"
*Use this code!
i know the answer,
type this in your batch file:
copy "copy file path" "paste file path"
if the file path has a username than type %ALLUSERSPROFILE% instead of the username (it will fill up automatically the username for every windows pc)
example: copy "C:\Users%username%\Desktop\New folder\hi.txt" "C:\Users%username%\Desktop"
that did this:
Example to what it did when opened
final answer:
copy "Path of file" "C:\Users%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup"
that would work
This should work:
copy "anything.bat" "%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup"
this copies .txt, .exe, .bat, more into startup just change the .bat to anything else
I made this in Windows 10