You may want to move an Oracle database from one location to another on a Windows Server, for example one drive to another.  But it’s important to keep all the file permissions preserved, so Oracle can access.

To do this, is simple using xcopy with certain switches as explained in this Microsoft article:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/323007/how-to-copy-a-folder-to-another-folder-and-retain-its-permissions

Below is where I needed to move oradata from u: drive to g: drive:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.3.9600]
(c) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>xcopy u:\oradata g:\oradata /O /X /E /H /K
Does G:\oradata specify a file name
or directory name on the target
(F = file, D = directory)? d
U:\oradata\PEPM\CONTROLFILE\O1_MF_FD9ZRZBP_.CTL
U:\oradata\PEPM\DATAFILE\O1_MF_PEPM_ST_FDW1GL8P_.DBF
U:\oradata\PEPM\DATAFILE\O1_MF_PEPM_TS_FDW1GX6J_.DBF
U:\oradata\PEPM\DATAFILE\O1_MF_PERFSTAT_FDWHDK7L_.DBF
U:\oradata\PEPM\DATAFILE\O1_MF_SYSAUX_FD9ZHRHO_.DBF
U:\oradata\PEPM\DATAFILE\O1_MF_SYSTEM_FD9ZL3SK_.DBF
U:\oradata\PEPM\DATAFILE\O1_MF_TEMP_FD9ZST99_.TMP
U:\oradata\PEPM\DATAFILE\O1_MF_UNDOTBS1_FD9ZO4DD_.DBF
U:\oradata\PEPM\DATAFILE\O1_MF_USERS_FD9ZO361_.DBF
U:\oradata\PEPM\ONLINELOG\O1_MF_1_FD9ZS2RH_.LOG
U:\oradata\PEPM\ONLINELOG\O1_MF_2_FD9ZS9P3_.LOG
U:\oradata\PEPM\ONLINELOG\O1_MF_3_FD9ZSJDT_.LOG
12 File(s) copied

C:\Windows\system32>

And fast_recovery_area from v: drive to i: drive:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.3.9600]
(c) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>xcopy v:\fast_recovery_area i:\fast_recovery_area /O /X /E /H /K
Does I:\fast_recovery_area specify a file name
or directory name on the target
(F = file, D = directory)? d
V:\fast_recovery_area\PEPM\CONTROLFILE\O1_MF_FD9ZRZGM_.CTL
V:\fast_recovery_area\PEPM\ONLINELOG\O1_MF_1_FD9ZS67G_.LOG
V:\fast_recovery_area\PEPM\ONLINELOG\O1_MF_2_FD9ZSDYD_.LOG
V:\fast_recovery_area\PEPM\ONLINELOG\O1_MF_3_FD9ZSMS6_.LOG
4 File(s) copied

C:\Windows\system32>

Without using this method, you would have to manually set the permissions, which is time consuming and error prone.

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Thanks

Zed DBA (Zahid Anwar)