ARCHIVED: In Windows 2000 or XP, how do I copy a file and rename it?

For safety reasons, it is a good idea to make backup copies of your files. The location you choose for your backup files will determine which steps you follow below.

If a file is extremely important, you should save backup copies on multiple media (e.g., one copy on your hard drive and one on a flash drive or other removable storage media) and keep backups of the document at different sites (e.g., one copy on your computer and one in a locked storage cabinet in another building).

Making backup copies in a different location than the original

To make backups from your computer to a removable storage device, a network drive, or a different folder on the same drive:

1. Using My Computer or Windows Explorer, navigate to the file you want to copy, and click it.
2. From the Edit menu, found at the top of the My Computer or Windows Explorer window, select Copy.
3. Navigate to the storage device, drive, or folder to which you want to copy the file.
4. From the Edit menu at the top of the My Computer or Windows Explorer window, select Paste. The file should now show up in the current window.

Note: If you want to make backup copies to a recordable CD or DVD, you can use the above instructions, but in some cases you may need to use whatever CD/DVD recording software came with your computer. For some cases, such as recording to extended length media, using the recording software over Windows is necessary. To use the recording software, consult the manuals that came with the computer or recordable CD/DVD drive.

Making backup copies on the same drive and in the same folder as the original

To save your backup files on the same drive and in the same folder:

1. Using My Computer or Windows Explorer, navigate to the file you want to copy and click it.
2. From the Edit menu, found at the top of the My Computer or Windows Explorer window, select Copy.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the folder, or place the cursor in a white area that doesn't contain a file.
4. By default, the file will be named Copy of filename, where filename is the original name of the file. You can keep this name, or change it if you prefer. To rename the file, right-click the copied file and choose Rename. UITS recommends that you not change the extension (the three characters at the end of the filename that identify what program is used to open that file).

If you have multiple files to copy, or need to copy whole folders or hard drive volumes, you may want to consider using Windows backup, or the backup utilities in the recording software that came with your removable media drive, instead of copying individual files and folders.