BitCopy

Remember the copy, xcopy, and robocopy MS-DOS commands to copy files, directories, and subdirectories?

BitCopy enlarges this basic functionality and wraps it up in a professional-looking interface so that you don’t have to go back to the command line. This comprehensive copy tool can schedule copy tasks, and offers a wide array of settings for you to customize any copy run.

Making the most of this tool is not as easy as learning the syntax of all those DOS commands, though. The possibilities are endless, and the program’s interface – despite its obvious advantages – may look a bit cryptic to the untrained eye. It is structured in three panels – a larger one on the top half where you can add as many copy sets as you wish, and two smaller ones in the bottom half to schedule your copy tasks and to keep track of all your copy runs, respectively.

Creating your first copy set (or copy task) may take you a few minutes and a couple of visits to the program’s FAQ, but once you’ve learnt how to use all the options at the “Add copy set” dialog, you’re ready to enjoy BitCopy’s main functionality. Apart from selecting the source and target folders (which, by the way, can be protected using “credentials”, i.e. user names and passwords), here you can add filters to your copy run and define if subfolders will be included in the task. Overwriting rules can also be customized, though you’ll have to go back to the program’s main interface to do so.

Copy sets need not to be executed right away – you can create as many as you need and the program will list them all for you in the upper half of the interface. You are advised to assign meaningful and clear names to your “copysets” to help you identify which does what. Here you can also create “copy groups” and “child copy sets” to fine-tune your copy tasks even further. You can then design a number of schedules and combine them with your copy sets, so that they launch automatically at the exact time and date you determined, even if that means waking up your computer to perform the task.

BitCopy takes copying files and folders to the next level. This is an inexpensive tool that will surely make life easier to anyone needing to perform backups or any other automated copy tasks of specific files, folders, and/or subfolders on a regular basis. It may require you to go through a learning curve to master this tool, but it is certainly worth the effort.