Solve : long folder names?

1.	Solve : long folder names?
Answer» how can you make long folder names in windows vista. I have some audio folders with over 70 characters and windows won't let me type it all in. The name is (Eric Clapton,Phil Collins,Nathan East & Greg Phillinganes - The Slowhand Masterfile Disc 1 & 2) Thank.....John FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS? NTFS 2TBAnyone???NTFS allows 255 characters. How are you trying to CREATE the folder? The limit of 255 characters for Windows XP or 260 character limit for Windows Vista applies to the entire filepath and not just the filename.Quote from: Computer_Commando on October 15, 2012, 11:35:34 AM The limit of 255 characters for Windows XP or 260 character limit for Windows Vista applies to the entire filepath and not just the filename. That's a Windows (Explorer & API) limitation. To be exact, 260 characters for a file path+name, which includes drive letter, colon, separating slashes and a terminating null character. The NTFS file system SUPPORTS paths up to about 32767 Unicode characters with each path component (directory or filename) up to 255 characters long. Of course, the question still remains, how to create, in Windows, an entity whose path is longer than 255 characters? That is a theoretical type of issue, (some software can do this) WHEREAS the practical advice for the OP might be to check the total path length, that is, drive letter, and its following colon plus all folder names, the file name, and the slashes separating them. There is nothing ILLEGAL about this folder name: (Eric Clapton,Phil Collins,Nathan East & Greg Phillinganes - The Slowhand Masterfile Disc 1 & 2) Quote from: Computer_Commando on October 15, 2012, 11:35:34 AM The limit of 255 characters for Windows XP or 260 character limit for Windows Vista applies to the entire filepath and not just the filename. Win32's ANSI file access functions are limited to a total path length of 260 Characters (MAX_PATH). However, the unicode versions of these functions can support paths with up to 32767 Wide characters, but only if the PROGRAM accessing the file prepends the name with "\\?\". NTFS limits individual components of a filename to 255 characters. However if the full path/filename exceeds MAX_PATH, then the ANSI versions of functions (which many programs still call) will fail for such paths. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, NTFS limits the length of each component of a file to 255 characters, because the NTFS "NameLength" field is a byte. This applies to each component, rather than the full path, as near as I can tell. (I reach this conclusion because a program can be written to deal with filename well in excess of the filename limit). Explorer caps out at MAX_PATH (~260 characters) inexplicably. Well, not inexplicably, since that is MAX_PATH, but I find it odd that Explorer would be reliant on the ANSI versions of the File API Functions, which are kept around mostly for ease of porting 9x programs. Basically, the solution is to either choose a shorter name, or choose a shorter name for the parent folders within that file/folder. Optionally, you could try a different file manager, though I think the former is a better option (not to mention it's very possible that media players and other programs might not be written to take advantage of the increased name limitations provided in later versions of the File Access APIs). (EDIT: Ninja'd by Salmon somewhat) True...but if it's nested 13 folders deep that could be the issue right there....I understand that Cygwin can deal with paths longer than MAX_PATH, so I am going to play around. WOW, Way beyond my Computer understanding but I was able to resolve the issue anyway. I was trying to create it within my MP3 folder which is on the root of my External Drive. I closed out a few programs I had open and re-booted again and everything was fine again. I really have no idea why it didn't work the first time, but it works now. Thanks JohnQuote from: Jahness on October 15, 2012, 02:07:54 PM WOW, Way beyond my Computer understanding but I was able to resolve the issue anyway. I was trying to create it within my MP3 folder which is on the root of my External Drive. I closed out a few programs I had open and re-booted again and everything was fine again. I really have no idea why it didn't work the first time, but it works now. Thanks John I would guess that a program had the folder open, so it wasn't able to rename it for you.I was able to rename it without a problem. It just wouldn't let me name it to it's full length.

Answer»

how can you make long folder names in windows vista. I have some audio folders with over 70 characters and windows won't let me type it all in.

The name is (Eric Clapton,Phil Collins,Nathan East & Greg Phillinganes - The Slowhand Masterfile Disc 1 & 2)

Thank.....John
FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS?

NTFS 2TBAnyone???NTFS allows 255 characters. How are you trying to CREATE the folder?
The limit of 255 characters for Windows XP or 260 character limit for Windows Vista applies to the entire filepath and not just the filename.Quote from: Computer_Commando on October 15, 2012, 11:35:34 AM

The limit of 255 characters for Windows XP or 260 character limit for Windows Vista applies to the entire filepath and not just the filename.

That's a Windows (Explorer & API) limitation. To be exact, 260 characters for a file path+name, which includes drive letter, colon, separating slashes and a terminating null character. The NTFS file system SUPPORTS paths up to about 32767 Unicode characters with each path component (directory or filename) up to 255 characters long. Of course, the question still remains, how to create, in Windows, an entity whose path is longer than 255 characters? That is a theoretical type of issue, (some software can do this) WHEREAS the practical advice for the OP might be to check the total path length, that is, drive letter, and its following colon plus all folder names, the file name, and the slashes separating them. There is nothing ILLEGAL about this folder name:

(Eric Clapton,Phil Collins,Nathan East & Greg Phillinganes - The Slowhand Masterfile Disc 1 & 2)

Quote from: Computer_Commando on October 15, 2012, 11:35:34 AM

The limit of 255 characters for Windows XP or 260 character limit for Windows Vista applies to the entire filepath and not just the filename.

Win32's ANSI file access functions are limited to a total path length of 260 Characters (MAX_PATH). However, the unicode versions of these functions can support paths with up to 32767 Wide characters, but only if the PROGRAM accessing the file prepends the name with "\\?\". NTFS limits individual components of a filename to 255 characters.

However if the full path/filename exceeds MAX_PATH, then the ANSI versions of functions (which many programs still call) will fail for such paths. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, NTFS limits the length of each component of a file to 255 characters, because the NTFS "NameLength" field is a byte. This applies to each component, rather than the full path, as near as I can tell. (I reach this conclusion because a program can be written to deal with filename well in excess of the filename limit).

Explorer caps out at MAX_PATH (~260 characters) inexplicably. Well, not inexplicably, since that is MAX_PATH, but I find it odd that Explorer would be reliant on the ANSI versions of the File API Functions, which are kept around mostly for ease of porting 9x programs.

Basically, the solution is to either choose a shorter name, or choose a shorter name for the parent folders within that file/folder. Optionally, you could try a different file manager, though I think the former is a better option (not to mention it's very possible that media players and other programs might not be written to take advantage of the increased name limitations provided in later versions of the File Access APIs).

(EDIT: Ninja'd by Salmon somewhat)
True...but if it's nested 13 folders deep that could be the issue right there....I understand that Cygwin can deal with paths longer than MAX_PATH, so I am going to play around.
WOW, Way beyond my Computer understanding but I was able to resolve the issue anyway. I was trying to create it within my MP3 folder which is on the root of my External Drive. I closed out a few programs I had open and re-booted again and everything was fine again. I really have no idea why it didn't work the first time, but it works now.

Thanks
JohnQuote from: Jahness on October 15, 2012, 02:07:54 PM

WOW, Way beyond my Computer understanding but I was able to resolve the issue anyway. I was trying to create it within my MP3 folder which is on the root of my External Drive. I closed out a few programs I had open and re-booted again and everything was fine again. I really have no idea why it didn't work the first time, but it works now.

Thanks
John

I would guess that a program had the folder open, so it wasn't able to rename it for you.I was able to rename it without a problem. It just wouldn't let me name it to it's full length.

Solve : long folder names?

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