need some windows 7 CMD line help.

so my google-fu has failed me and i can not seem to find the cmd to use to show hiden folders. im tring to copy my user account from the main drive to a backup drive. it looks like it copys but then i get the message access denied. im using the Xcopy command with /i /e/ /h to make sure i get all the files. what im really after is my emails in thunderbird which is in a hidden folder, thus my problem. i have gotten everything else copied over but my emails.

To make sure, i need to know the cmd to show hidden folders. then what ever commands i need to do to gain acces to the folder. im using the CMD line from the windows 7 bootable DVD.

now your asking why not do it in windows or in safe mode. well im not sure what happened, i restarted my system one night. then i get this blank screen with the cursor, no login screen like normal. safe mode is the same way, doesnt matter how long each sit nothing is happening. well this did happen after avast said it was tring to delete a trojan or something labled as XXyXXU.DLL so what ever that file did, FUBAR!

did you come up with this page?

http://commandwindows.com/windows7-commands.htm

Have you tried robocopy yet? (http://ss64.com/nt/robocopy.html). Looks that you could use the /b switch to override file and folder permission settings.

I would try the attrib command and set the folder to unhidden (that is if you know where it is and what its called) A quick google shows it at:
C:\Users\[userName]\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird

Attrib -h C:\Users\[userName]\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\<foldername>

course thats if you havent tried it

TollhouseFrank said:

did you come up with this page?

http://commandwindows.com/windows7-commands.htm

Click to expand...

yea i saw that which is how i came up with the xcopy command to copy the folder. what i dont know are the switches to use or how to change like suggested below for the attributes or permissions.

jevery said:

Have you tried robocopy yet? (http://ss64.com/nt/robocopy.html). Looks that you could use the /b switch to override file and folder permission settings.

Click to expand...

no i havent seen that before, im going to have to check that out. thanks!

psionic98 said:

I would try the attrib command and set the folder to unhidden (that is if you know where it is and what its called) A quick google shows it at:
C:\Users\[userName]\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird

Attrib -h C:\Users\[userName]\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\<foldername>

course thats if you havent tried it

Click to expand...

yea like i said above i dont know the switches for how to change attributes/perssions. which from looking back on it now is the whole issues im having trying to copy the thunderbird folder. i did know the location but couldnt get it copied for the life of me. last time i had to do copy of folders in dos was on fat32 and i was using a dos program my dad had around called "link". doubt that was the real name but it allowed a split screen for source and then destination, copy even hidden folders. i cant find it now nor do i think it would work on a different file system. if i run that attrib and do it to just the appdata folder will that unhide the rest of the folders under it?

ok so robocopy didnt work out for me i did finally get the folder i needed. i know someone else might be in the same situation at some point. what i did to get around the access rights or well i think i did any way. after using the attrib -h on the appdata folder. i was then able to copy out the thunderbird folder with the xcopy commamnd using /i /h /e to copy to my backup drive. seems that tring to copy the whole user folder wasnt gonna happen.

whenever you don't know what switches are allowed with a DOS command, you can do a /? and it will show you every switch available and give a description of it

you could copy32 the whole folder dir
"Copy32 [Source] [Destination]"
There are a few switches however i dont remember them at the moment you could just google them.
you could also try attribing the the folder containing the thunderbird files something like this:
Attrib -h C:\Users\[userName]\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird

hope this helps

thanks but i got then taken care of and all the info moved over.