UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

scott already told you: cp -r src dest

---------- Post updated at 12:25 PM ---------- Previous update was at 12:21 PM ----------

...and are still making us guess what you actually typed. If you don't want us to have to guess, tell us what you typed, word for word, letter for letter, keystroke for keystroke. I don't know why that's happening, mv should move entire folders fine. But then, I don't know how you used it either.

Sorry again. I typed

cp vendors /

I read about the -r command after I posted -- but can you tell me more about it? I'm not quite sure what it means. I'm assuming I have to use a new name for the target? I just thought that it would use the same name as the original directory if I didn't give it a new one.

Just type

Code:

 cp -R /Volumes/Name of your Thumb Drive/vendors  /

And it will copy it to the root of your Hard drive! cp -R stands for recursive copy, meaning folder and its contents will be copied.

Does your system even let you write to the root of your hard drive? I'm hoping you meant cp vendors /some/directory/or/other

If you can't write to the root of your hard drive, that'd also explain why mv didn't work -- though it should have printed a different error message.
it means "check inside and copy directories instead of complaining they're directories". If you give it a destination folder that doesn't exist yet (i.e. /directories/that/already/exist/newdir), it will create it. If you give it a destination directory that does exist, it will copy the contents into it.

This is only with -r, though. cp will never create directories unless you give it -r, so without -r it always expects the name of a dir that already exists.

Just to be clear: I cant just type the name of the directory I want to copy -- I also have to specify the name of the new directory as well?

I can't just type

cp -r vendors/ Desktop ?

I apologize -- I just didn't get it. But I think I get it now. Sorry for the confusion