Replace, not merge, folders when copying

Solution 1:

Windows XP doesn't replace a folder of the same name when you attempt to copy over it. It merges. It replaces any existing files of the same name and copies any new files from the source to the target.

Perhaps you are trying to ask how to prevent the constant prompts to overwrite files and folders? In XP, you were presented with the "Yes to All" button:

In Vista, there are check boxes at the bottom of the prompt dialogs to prevent it from asking you again:

Solution 2:

Your real problem starts when

• you hit an existing file that would be overwritten (and you do not want that to happen_
• or, when you run out of space on the target partition (when you transfer across partitions)

You should try TeraCopy, it helps in several such situations.