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Got it.

Thanks large.

No hair dryer in this house, so I started out by trying to pry the screen off without such preparation, resulting in a cracked screen. Which doesn’t bother me, since I just want to destroy the hard drive. Though I will say that now, I want to destroy it more than ever.

I have some hot/cold gel wraps for my knees, so now I’m going to try using them to soften up the remains.

By the way, I came across another video on getting inside the Surface Book 2 (which is what I have — I left off the “Book” in my original post). Here’s the link, if anyone’s interested in seeing how entertaining it can be to deal with this issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr0I9g1yw8Q

I’ve already tried that, and the screen is now cracked. Apparently, Microsoft really doesn’t want people taking the thing apart. My guess is that they want people to be sure to have them do any repairs, so they get to charge for it.

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Charlie

Yes, we do have an e-waste facility just a couple miles from where I live. It’s part of what is basically the county dump. The last time I made a drop-off there the e-waste part of it was open only a couple days a week, and there’d be a long line unless you got there when it opened at 8 am. But checking just now, they’re open 5 days a week, so they’re making it more convenient for people.

After watching a few videos, I’m unclear on whether/ how easily the battery can be taken out (one video said it’s soldered in there). I’m going to assume that if I can destroy the hard drive, my end of things will be handled well enough, since the entire mess — the whole laptop and the battery, attached or not — will be headed to e-waste.

But thanks for the suggestion about drilling. Regardless of whatever the videos say, I won’t know anything about my competence to unattach the drive from whatever is holding it in place, so even if removing it, as opposed to simply accessing it, proves to be too much trouble, I’ll go the way of the drill.

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cmptrgy

I don’t mind sounding dim.

I’m not familiar with the way you’re using the word “storage.” Is that the hard drive, or something else?

Thanks.

Now that I’ve seen those videos, I hate this computer even more.

Didn’t think it was possible.

So thanks. I mean it!

How pleasing that the recommended course is the emotionally satisfying one!

Thanks.

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wavy

That’s helpful to know.

Thanks very much.

 

I already back up to an external drive. But I live in California, where the fire hazard gets worse each year, with all indications that it’s only going to get worse. If I lose my house some day, it would be nice to at least not have to worry about important stuff that I keep on the computer.

But thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks large!

Using the PowerShell is above my head, but thanks for the suggestion.

The issue is solved, though, per my response to Alex5723.

Thanks again.

Bulk Rename Utility, which is at the top of the list of programs that your link led to, takes care of the second part of my question (about how to rename everything once it’s in the destination folder)

As for the first part of my question – how to get everything into the destination folder in the first place, without having to proceed item-by-item – I realize now that I asked the question only because I was inattentive.

Turns out I had managed not to notice that when I try to copy multiple files from one folder to another, although the pop-up has an option for “Let me decide for each file”, when I click that option, the very top of the next pop-up has boxes I can check to keep all versions of files that have the same names. (See the attachment.) My mistake was that, based on the reference to “each file,” I had quickly assumed that I had to proceed down the list, file-by-file, in or to accomplish the transfer. But not so. Checking the boxes at the top of the pop-up does everything at once.

So apologies for asking a question, half of which was pointless. And thanks for the link to the renaming utilities, which takes care of the entire matter.

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Alex5723

I’ll try  it.

Thanks large.

Well, if that’s the only reason, is it much of a reason at all?

I could switch to another backup app, and if it failed to back up a folder or file and didn’t tell me, then I’d be in the same boat as I am now. To my mind, that raises the question of the reliability in general of FH versus other backup systems.

Seriously. If that’s not the important question, then I don’t see why it isn’t.

Thanks.

I’ve been using Win 10 and File History for a bit over a year, and except for early issues figuring out FH’s peculiarities (for example, it apparently is willing to save all my app data, but can’t be limited to backing up only individual app data subfolders), this is the first time I’ve encountered a routine folder/file not being backed up.

If the issue is simply that MS is letting the camera roll folder die (typical of MS, in that case, to let the system continue to create that folder automatically, and use it as the default filing location for certain apps, while not backing it up anymore), then I’m not sure I see the reason to go to a 3rd party back-up.

But the implication also seems to be that FH is problematic in general. Is that so? Is there good reason to believe that FH in general isn’t dependable? In that case, I’d definitely move on to something else.

Thanks.