Feature in Windows XP to automatically rename files with a duplicate name?

Question

Is it possible to set preferences on Windows XP to automatically change duplicate file names so that older documents or files don't get overwritten? I've saved a couple of documents recently that may have overwritten other documents that I didn't want overwritten, and if there's any way I could at least have a copy made of an old file by the same name so that I don't delete it or overwrite it by mistake, that would be wonderful. Is this possible?

What about when I'm making a backup to my desktop of all the files on one of my websites, and the transfer from the remote server to my hard drive can take an hour or longer--is it possible, instead of having to wait to OK or disallow the overwrite of a file with the same name, to have Windows go ahead and complete the transfer but keep a renamed copy of the old file?

Answer 1

It's already built-in to Windows. "Copy of " is added when both files are within the same folder. "The file already exists" warning message appears when moving files, etc.

XP won't over-write files without your confirmation.

On the other hand, Word for example, can and will update an existing document if you have the "Auto-save" feature enabled.

TIP: There is no substitute for daily backups.