The dreaded Windows large-file copy...

I had to copy/move a large virtual machine (167GB) from one hard drive to another on my Windows 2003 Server workstation today.  All I really wanted to do is start the transfer and let it run in the background while I browsed the web.  In a world of dual-core, 4GB honkin' workstations, I didn't think this was too much to ask.  Unfortunately Windows Explorer's file-copy thought differently about it.  Everything 15-20 seconds the OS would "hiccup" and refuse to relinquish control for a good 30 seconds to 2-3 minutes. 

It finally pissed me off enough to go look for a solution.  What I found was an explanation of the culprit (here for this who care.)  And a (free!) solution - TeraCopy.  It will integrate into your Windows Explorer / Shell (overriding the default copy/cut/paste behavior as well) and let you keep right on working.  Not only that, but I'm actually seeing great performance numbers (54mb/sec) that I would expect from two relatively fast SATA hard drives.

I wouldn't recommend doing anything crazy like encoding 1080p HD video while doing file copies, but it's far and away a much more pleasurable experience (no jerky behavior, etc.) - I can keep coding in Visual Studio, keep browsing the web, etc.  What can I say?  Go download it!  Save time!  It's free (for home use!) 

I'm so happy I may actually pay for the Pro version, just to show my support.  Cheers!