If you feel that the tools offered by Windows for copying and transferring files between folders and hard drives on your PC are a little lacking in functionality then you might want to check out Ultracopier 0.2.0.15. This is a simple program which sets out to give you greater control over the copying process while also attempting to speed things up above and beyond that which a standard operating system can achieve. It is free to download and use and its architecture means that it is compatible with Linux and Mac systems as well as Windows.

The main issue with copying files manually in Windows is that there is no option to temporarily halt the process mid way through or indeed to slow the speed at which files are being transferred, to help improve your ability to work while the process occurs. Once you have installed Ultracopier it will run automatically each time you power on and take the reins whenever you want to move files around. The interface is entirely minimalistic, with an Option drop down menu giving you the various choices as to the speed of each transfer and the way in which it should react in the face of errors. While the program is active its tools will be available, but if you choose to send it to the system tray it will leave Windows to its own devices when you copy files.

In keeping with its simple design when it is operational it will provide you with the bare bones of information including the source and intended destination of each file, the total count of files which are to be transferred and a bar to judge how much progress has been made. Expanding this window will give you much more information, including the percentage of the task that has been completed. In a convenient touch you can prioritise individual files by moving them to the top of the list and also view the precise speed at which the transfers are taking place.

You can easily queue items in Ultracopier as you go along, so you do not need to worry about interrupting the process. Each can be allocated a different destination folder, which will allow for some clever multitasking and the files will always be handled in the order which you place them, so you can have a good idea as to which will be completed first.

Ultracopier is not a program which immediately falters when errors are encountered. Rather it will continue to operate but simply take note of when and why an error occurred in the process of copying files. This fluid operation is also applicable throughout its controls, as there is no need to pause or quit a current job if you want to alter the settings. A quick double click on the Utracopier logo in the system tray will allow you to instantly enable or disable its functions, allowing it to join a long list of programs which have been made to run unobtrusively in tandem with Windows basic tools.

At the moment independent tests have shown that the standard Windows file copying process is actually a little faster than Ultracopier, although the difference is measured in milliseconds. Overall this is a solid, free program.