File Name Too Long

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aQ-Titan

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Sep 27, 2011
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Hi guys,

Please help. I can't copy paste, transfer my files due to the file name being too long. I'm using a Windows 7 32bit OS.

I've got a lot of files with apparently too long a name to transfer so I am hoping that there's a quick solution to my problem without needing to shorten the names of all my 3000 files

Please help! Thanks

Titan

 
Solution

Its that ^^^ or u have too many folders in just one folder and remember all the folder names behind each other makes your error. Windows support only so many digits in the name and root of the folder.

Go a few folders inside and shorten the names of the long name of the folder and extremely long file names.

Its that ^^^ or u have too many folders in just one folder and remember all the folder names behind each other makes your error. Windows support only so many digits in the name and root of the folder.

Go a few folders inside and shorten the names of the long name of the folder and extremely long file names.
 
Solution
As suggested above, you need to either:

a) Shorten the names of your files,
b) Shorten the names of your folders, or
c) Move your files to a folder that's not so deeply nested.

So, for example, if you files are in a subfolder of a subfolder of a subfolder of a subfolder of a subfolder of a folder on the drive, move them so they're in a subfolder that's closer to the top folder level on the drive.
 

athurman

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Good suggestions as above. So, if moving your files to higher level folders (like just inside of the root folder, for example) does not help, then you unfortunately really do have to rename the files. To do that to multiple files, I suggest an open source file renamer called Ant Renamer. Here's the link:

http://www.antp.be/software/renamer
 

jbdog

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Aug 16, 2012
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The suggestion on antrenamer seems interesting, although haven't tried.

I solved this problem thanks to an anonymous post elsewhere, using the shareware totalcommander.

To ask to change file names is an absolutely useless suggestion - we're talking about thousands of files, and windows doesn't even give full filnename so hard to find them.
 

powerbird101

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I dont even understand why this is still a problem with today's Operation Systems... you think we would have fixed this problem 10 years ago... This issue is a failure to appropriate proper care in advancing outdated solutions to new and improved ones.
 

TimKert_SackOfCrp

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Oct 15, 2012
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TimKert, you sack of S&%#!!! :fou: :fou:

The program TimKert posted created a loooong path name (when I tried the demonstration), then there was no way to delete, rename, or move it unless you buy the full program! :fou:
 

dcswin7

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Nov 6, 2012
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Try RichCopy 4.0from Microsoft.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itproperf/thread/33971726-eeb7-4452-bebf-02ed6518743e/

Regards
 

wimbledon

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Nov 23, 2012
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Yeah, its a complete ****ing scam. Notice all the "posters" suggesting this only have one post to their name.
 

NexionSD

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Well, I may be new, but I have a way it can be done with GPL software compiled by Cygwin. Cigwin gives you Linux command line tools on Windows among other things. It did not install the directory with the command line programs into the path, at least for me anyway, so I'll give fully qualified paths in my example.

For my example I will use the path "D:\FolderWithBadFilenameDeepWithin". After you Google Cygwin, download it from their site and install (basic install options should do the trick) click the start button and type "cmd" into the search box. If you are not accustomed to a command line interface it should be a window with a black background with white text on it with a command prompt like "C:\Users\YourUserName>". Type in the following:

C:\cygwin\bin\bash.exe

The prompt changes here to something like the following:

YourUserName@YourComputerName /cygdrive/c/Users/YourUserName
$

You just switched from the DOS shell to the Bourne Again SHell. Now, please take a moment to be absolutely sure you are getting the path we will be using next correct.

THERE WILL BE NO UNDO!

Since I am targeting a directory as opposed to a file I have to remove data recursively with the "-r" option. I also don't want to hear any complaints while it does its job so I also force it with "-f". These can be side by side however as "-rf" or written as "-r -f", your choice. So again, in this example I am targeting a broken filename deeply nested under "D:\FolderWithBadFilenameDeepWithin". There is nothing in a subdirectory of that folder that I care about so the entire folder is going away. Last warning, check, re-check and check again. Make sure you have it correct for the "rm" command suffers no fool.

Note how paths always start with /cygdrive/ and are followed by the desired drive letter. I use both C:\ and D:\ in my example to hopefully make this obvious. We are using the rm.exe program found in the C:\cygwin\bin "folder" so the full path to the program becomes "/cygdrive/c/cygwin/bin/rm". Note how "D:\FolderWithBadFilenameDeepWithin" became "/cygdrive/d/FolderWithBadFilenameDeepWithin" as well. Do make sure you get this correct and be VERY careful not to hit the enter key after only having typed "/cygdrive/d/". Please make sure all keyboard obsessed cats are restrained whilst performing this fix! You will not be capable of recovery.

/cygdrive/c/cygwin/bin/rm -rf /cygdrive/d/FolderWithBadFilenameDeepWithin

Now use window's explorer to verify removal. Be sure to hit F5 if it didn't refresh itself. Your problem is now solved.

You may wish to keep Cygwin around if you use SSH to connect to a Unix server. If you install the X11 packages you can set you SSH client to do X11 forwarding. This allows you to run GUI applications on the remote machine, tunneled through ssh, encrypted and the GUI controls show up on your Windows UI. You will also find a ton of free software (as in free beer) that will never try to extort a penny from you. Donations to various organizations who maintain OSS/GPL/BSD License/Apache License/EFF.org/etc... are always appreciated of course.

It find great humor in the fact that software developed in the early 1970s is more powerful then anything that I could find in Windows 7 to resolve this issue. I suggest looking in to VirtualBox (free for personal use from Oracle) and Ubuntu Linux if you would like to delve more deeply into an operating system that, while somewhat more challenging, empowers the user to do anything they can dream up.

Take care,

Nexion

 
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