Windows 8 to offer easier file management

Ever find it frustrating trying to copy or move files in Windows? Then
some long-overdue improvements in Windows 8 should be welcome news.

Admitting that file management or the "copy jobs" feature now in
Windows can be confusing, Alex Simons, a program management director
on Microsoft's Windows engineering team, yesterday revealed four
enhancements destined to surface in Windows 8.

Contributing to the latest installment of Microsoft's ongoing
"Building Windows 8" blog, Simons said that copying, moving, renaming,
and deleting files are the most heavily used features in Windows
Explorer, accounting for 50 percent of all file management tasks.

But studies done by Microsoft confirmed that parts of the Windows 7
copy experience can be "cluttered and confusing." This is especially
true if you're are copying or moving files and folders with the same
names or copying or moving multiple files one after the other.

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To offer a more user-friendly file management experience in Windows 8,
Microsoft came up with three goals: 1) create a single place to manage
and monitor all files being copied; 2) remove distractions and give
people just the information they need; and 3) put people in more
control of their copy operations.

As as result, Windows 8 users will see four new features in the
upcoming operating system designed to simplify the chore of copying
and moving files.

First, in past versions of Windows, a separate progress dialog box
would pop up for each new file that you were copying or moving. This
could sometimes result in dozens of different file copy boxes floating
around the screen. Windows 8 consolidates the process into one dialog
box for all files being copied or moved where you can more easily view
and control each individual file.