No to all in windows xp

September 25, 2009

When you drag the files from the source to the target directory, Windows XP alerts you that a file exists in the target location with the same filename as one you’re trying to copy. It also asks you whether it should replace the existing file or not, as shown.

If you were working in Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Mac OS X, you could easily tell the operating system not to replace the duplicate file and to apply that action to all the other duplicates. Windows XP however, doesn’t give you a “No to All” or “Apply to All” option, just a “Yes to All”, which would replace all the duplicate files and isn’t the action we want.

Shift + No button

Luckily, there is a hidden solution. Hold down the Shift key when you click the No button. This will produce a “No to All” effect. Why Microsoft didn’t include a “No to All” or “Apply to All” option in Windows XP is beyond me, but at least this simple trick works.

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