Q174273: How to Copy Files and Maintain NTFS and Share Permissions

Article: Q174273
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): winnt:4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 09-AUG-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 
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SUMMARY
=======

The procedure in this article outlines a method for copying NTFS files or
directory structures while maintaining NTFS permissions and restoring Share
Level permissions. This method includes copying between partitions, hard drives,
or computers.

MORE INFORMATION
================

Copying multiple files and/or directory structures using the Windows NT Server
4.0 Resource Kit utilities Scopy.exe and PermCopy.exe in combination with each
other, allows for maintaining NTFS permissions and the restoring of Share Level
permissions. This procedure applies to the copying of directories and files
between NTFS partitions only. This procedure can be used for copying files and
directories across partitions, drives, or computers.

SCopy is a command-line utility used to copy files and folders from NTFS
partitions with their security intact. This utility can be found in the Windows
NT Server Resource Kit. Scopy syntax and available switches are listed as
follows:

  Scopy [source] [destination] [/o] [/a] [/s]

  Where: [source] specifies the source for files to be copied.
         [destination] specifies where to copy files to.

  Switches:

     /o     copies owner security information.
     /a     copies security auditing information.
     /s     copies all files in sub-folders.
     /?     shows all command-line options.

Scopy tries to use the following user privileges in these cases:

- The backup files and folders privilege allows you to copy files when
  ordinarily your access is restricted at the source.

- The restore files and folders privilege is needed to use the /o switch to
  copy files that are not your own (/o switch copies ownership information).

- The manage auditing and the security log privilege is needed to use the /a
  switch (the /a switch copies security auditing information).

NOTE: To copy your own files, you do not require any special user privileges. To
use the /o or /a switches (or to copy other users' files that you do not
ordinarily have access to), you must be logged on as a member of the
Administrators group. You must be logged on to both the computer you are copying
the files from and the computer you are copying the files to. Further
information may be found in the Windows NT Server 4.0 Resource Kit.

PermCopy is a command-line utility that copies share-level permissions (access
control lists [ACLs]) from one share to another. This utility can be found in
the Windows NT Server 4.0 Resource Kit. Syntax is as follows:

  Permcopy \\[source computer] [share] \\[destination computer] [share]

NOTE: Copying permissions to an administrative share located on an x86 computer
will cause Services.exe to crash. This notice and further information may be
found in the Windows NT Server 4.0 Resource Kit.

Procedure
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1. Use the command-line utility Scopy.exe with the /s switch (other switches
  optional) to copy all sub-directories and files from the root directory to
  the target directory on the new partition. Verify that all directories were
  copied correctly. Depending on the number of directories and files, the
  results are printed in the command prompt window.

2. The shares are not created or copied using SCopy. The shares must be
  recreated on the new directories before the share level permissions can be
  copied from the old share.

NOTE: If the entire directory structure is being restored to another server,
click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:

  Q141589 How to Restore Share Definitions to Another Server

3. You can create shares remotely using File Manager (Run: winfile).

  a. Open File Manager, click Disk on the title bar, and then Connect Network
     Drive.

  b. After you map a drive to the target computer, select the file, click Disk
     on the title bar, and then click Share As.

  c. Create the desired share and sharename.

4. Step three above is repeated for each share that needs to be restored.

5. Using the command-line utility Permcopy.exe, copy the share permissions of
  each original share to each new target share.

Additional problems may result when copying between domains. For more
information, please see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

  Q168470 SCopy Copies Local Domain Group to Other Domains.

NOTE: XCopy replaced SCopy in later versions of Resource Kits. Customers with
newer Resource Kits should search for XCopy instead of SCopy.

Additional query words: acl xcopy prodnt

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Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400
Version           : winnt:4.0
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbhowto

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