Need geek help

[elvendoll]

Here's a scenario:
A USB key is plugged into a laptop, and a PowerPoint file from that key is opened.

How would you automate saving a copy of that PowerPoint file on the local drive, so when this happens dozens of times, with dozens of USB keys, the opened files are kept on the machine?

So far, the only solution I've found comes very close to doing what's needed and then fails.

Comments

[jedi.livejournal.com]

wait.. what?
If it's stored on the USB key why would you want to move it to a local drive?

Are you writing viruses again? ;P

So you want the end user to open the file, then save it to say their c:\?

[elvendoll.livejournal.com]

I want something that will ensure that the file gets to the c:\ even if the user forgets to go to File | Save As and place it there manually...

[jedi.livejournal.com]

Could just create a lil' batch file to do that.

from command prompt go to your USB drive letter.

copy con insurance.bat
@echo off
copy yourfile.ppt c:\ /Y
c:
c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Powerpnt.exe "C:\yourfile.ppt"
quit

(control-z -> enter; to save)

...?

You're banking on them having permission to write to the c:\ though. Also if you launch Powerpoint right from this file you're also assuming they did a default install path.

[elvendoll.livejournal.com]

from command prompt go to your USB drive letter.

Doesn't that mean it'd only apply to the one USB key?

And does this require knowing what the PPT file will be called? There's no control over what the files are named, and only files that are opened need to be copied...

You're banking on them having permission to write to the c:\ though. Also if you launch Powerpoint right from this file you're also assuming they did a default install path.

In this scenario, I have control over the computer the USB keys go into, but not the USB keys themselves...

[jedi.livejournal.com]

I think I misunderstood your intention.
I thought you were putting some presentation on a bunch of USB keys that you were distributing to people and for some crazy-Russian reason wanted to copy the file to the C:\

So you're saying that Joe Average is going to bring in whatever USB key he wants, pop it into your pc, and you want it to copy the file to the c:\ as he opens it??

Errr... heh.
Why for?

In that scenario I've got nothing.
Maybe there is a way to script Powerpoint to automatically force all saves to a specific location? I don't use Powerpoint so I'm no help there.

[elvendoll.livejournal.com]

If you were on AIM, I'd tell you why for : )

MS Word 2007 actually has this as a setting - it'll automatically copy all remote files you open to a specified local directory!

I was banging my head against a file mirroring solution, but now I'm thinking it might be a job for macros...

[jedi.livejournal.com]

Yeah I was just reading about Powerpoint macros. O_o