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I would like to copy my entire home directory to an external ssd. Happens to be a samsung. ..I get a wierd error that seems to be indicating that a given folder that I want to copy to doesn't exist. Of -course- it doesn't exist, it's a sub-folder, and I want you to create it! You will be creating possibly hundreds of them! It's a -file system-, has lots and lots of sub-folders!

..there must be a simple way of doing this..

..or is it actually super complicated? do I have to first re-create the folder structure, -then- copy all the files over?, arranging for all of them to go in the right folders, etc?

one way is the following: enter link description here

cp -r /path/to/directory /path/to/location/new-name

..what isn't clear, if this works, is why cntr-c, cntr-v doesn't work..

the problem with the recursive copy is that if you don't actually want -all- the directories, you would have to specify which ones to leave out, and this is much easier to do, I think, from the file-manager.

This is an ancient (dell latitude e7450) laptop running ubuntu.. probably 20.04..

enter image description here

Clarification: There are two questions here: 1) Why does copy-paste in the gui not work [is it possible that recursive copy-paste simply isn't implemented, and this is the first time I've attempted it? ..I can't believe that..], and 2) what is the simplest, most appropriate way of doing this (a suggestion with the command line is already in the comments)

juggler
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1 Answers1

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When using Linux, you can use two main ways to interact with the system:

The command line interface (CLI)

The graphical user interface (GUI).

While both serve the same fundamental purpose (allowing you to interact with your computer), they come about in very different ways.

The command line interface, a method based on typing commands into a terminal, is powerful and offers precision and control over system functions.

The graphical interface provides a visual environment with windows, icons, and menus that you can interact with using a mouse or touchpad. These are easier to use, but they tend to consume more system resources and do not offer the same level of control as the CLI.

When copying files using the command line, you use the resources built into the kernel, which are basically the same between kernel versions.

When copying files using the GUI, you use the resources and procedures of each graphical environment, which vary between different graphical environments and versions of them.

For manipulating files on the command line, there is Midnight Commander, with a graphical aspect.

I suggest you use the command line to manipulate files.

kyodake
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