copy

copy

[′käp·ē]

(communications)

To transcribe Morse code signals into written form.

To reproduce graphical material usually by an electrostatic device.

To reproduce information in a new location and possibly in a different form, leaving the source of the information unchanged.

(computer science)

A string procedure in ALGOL by means of which a new byte string can be generated from an existing byte string.

(graphic arts)

subject copy

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

copy

(1) To make a duplicate of the original. See Save As, shallow copy, Win Copy between windows, Win Copy/Move files/folders and XCopy.

(2) An internal DOS/Windows command for creating duplicate disk files. The Copy command, which uses a straightforward COPY-FROM-TO format, is widely used by programmers and power users. Following are several examples:

 COPY TO/FROM USB DRIVE E:

 copy *.* e:     all files to E drive

 copy e:\*.*     all files from E drive


 COPY FILES IN CURRENT FOLDER
 TO A DIFFERENT FOLDER

 copy *.gif \backupcopy sales.doc \sales


 COPY FILES IN ANOTHER FOLDER
 TO THIS FOLDER

 copy \images\*.gifcopy \sales\sales.doc


 COPY AND RENAME

 copy logo.png logo2.png


 COPY AND VERIFY

 copy *.gif \backup /v

Remember!

There is less to type if you are already in the folder you want to copy to. For example, if you want to copy into \budgets\2012, you can perform the operation from any command prompt, but if you change to the destination folder, there is less to type, as follows:

  C:\ABC>copy \xyz\*.*  \budgets\2012
  C:\ABC>copy \jkl\*.*  \budgets\2012
  C:\ABC>copy \mno\*.*  \budgets\2012

  C:\ABC>cd \budgets\2012
  C:\BUDGETS\2012>copy \xyz\*.* 
  C:\BUDGETS\2012>copy \jkl\*.* 
  C:\BUDGETS\2012>copy \mno\*.* 

Xcopy for More Options

The Copy command is very useful, but the Xcopy command can copy both files and folders and create new folders on the destination disk. See Xcopy.

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Copy

 

in law, an exact duplicate of the text of any document. In the USSR a notarized copy has the same legal power as the original. [13–37O-3]

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.