Windows 10: Can't get long file names to work, any ideas?

Discus and support Can't get long file names to work, any ideas? in Windows 10 Support to solve the problem; hello! i'm trying to copy files from an external USB drive (NTFS) to a NAS drive (EXT4) using Windows Explorer and getting the long file names error... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Support' started by Matt26, Jan 1, 2018.

  1. Matt26 Win User

    Can't get long file names to work, any ideas?


    hello! i'm trying to copy files from an external USB drive (NTFS) to a NAS drive (EXT4) using Windows Explorer and getting the long file names error (ie path is longer than 255 characters). i have tried to get long files names to work, but the group policy doesn't seem to do anything.. in Group Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Filesystem > Enable NTFS long paths, restart computer; i have also confirmed that the value in the registry is set correctly- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\LongPathsEnabled set to 1.

    i have tried the file copy from computers with and without the creators update (all other updates installed) and i don't think this is a NAS issue because i can copy the files from a linux live CD without issue.

    i'm hoping that this is just something simple that i'm missing, i've been looking around and haven't found any other fixes.

    many thanks!

    :)
     
    Matt26, Jan 1, 2018
    #1

  2. Windows 10 File Rename Error

    I recently was upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 at work and given a new PC. Ever since, I can't rename or create new files/folders without the error message "The drive that this file or folder is stored on does not allow long file names, or names containing
    blanks or any of the following characters.." However, my file name including the entire pathway is less than 50 characters with none of the illegal characters. If I create the document or folder on my desktop it allows me to copy the folder into the same
    location with exactly the same name with no error. Then if I go to rename any files I get the same error. I can't figure out what the problem is. This is on a shared network drive. Any input would be appreciated, it is really causing a problem!
     
    Amanda3234, Jan 1, 2018
    #2
  3. Long file names that are not long

    Hi,

    Thank for letting us know about the issue.

    I am glad to know that your issue is fixed. If you face any issue or needs assistance, please feel free to contact us.

    Thank you
     
    Uttam Yadav, Jan 1, 2018
    #3
  4. dalchina New Member

    Can't get long file names to work, any ideas?

    dalchina, Jan 1, 2018
    #4
  5. Matt26 Win User
    thanks, so windows explorer does not currently support the long file names option? are there any alternatives to explorer built into windows 10 (besides robocopy) that support long file names?
     
    Matt26, Jan 1, 2018
    #5
  6. lx07 Win User
    Correct. Sad but true. People have been complaining since 1890 and there are plenty of malware you can download to "solve" this. Many sites will delete your account for even mentioning "long file name".
    To do what? Powershell supports long file names without doing anything certainly, I believe cmd does too (but haven't tried).

    Are you looking for a GUI or what?
     
    lx07, Jan 1, 2018
    #6
  7. Berton Win User
    If I may: an issue with some things happening in File Explorer [and the older Windows Explorer] is that it is pretty much the core of Windows, if it doesn't work neither does Windows, makes things hard to change without dumping the OS and starting fresh. Also explains the interweaving/interaction between Windows and Internet Explorer being able to browse the hard drive storage. Win10 has come a long way in that 16-bit programs of old don't work properly, if at all.

    Has a Bootable LiveDVD of a version of Linux been tried? Have seen times where that is viable. Most versions can deal with a number of drive formats but I haven't tried the LFN of more than 255 characters. Another thought for transferring of files is to compress folder contents into 1 file with a simple name, move it further up the tree then transfer to another location, have had to do that a few times.

    Maybe it's coming closer to the 128-bit OS?
     
    Berton, Jan 1, 2018
    #7
  8. Matt26 Win User

    Can't get long file names to work, any ideas?

    folder copies with nested files and folders exceeding the 255 character limit- the challenge is when you're copying GB's worth of data, only to have windows explorer halt on a long file name hours into the process- no choice but to cancel the copy or skip the file and hope there aren't many more that explorer will again fail to handle.. very frustrating.

    ideally yes, i would like a gui alternative, but i assume windows 10 does not have one? are there any well known third party options that are compatible with long file names?
     
    Matt26, Jan 1, 2018
    #8
  9. Matt26 Win User
    yes i have tried a Ubuntu live cd, it does get past the long files names, unfortunately is fails on "symbolic links" which i assume refers to link or shortcut files.
     
    Matt26, Jan 1, 2018
    #9
  10. cereberus Win User
    A workaround is to map network drives eg suppose you have seven levels

    Eg z:\ = c:\folder1\folder2\......\folder5

    Then z drive only sees folder6 and folder7.
     
    cereberus, Jan 1, 2018
    #10
  11. Matt26 Win User
    i've though about that, but would get cumbersome if you're dealing with many folders.
     
    Matt26, Jan 1, 2018
    #11
  12. lx07 Win User
    Is your file name > 260? Or the path?

    This works for me (where the path is 20 x alphabet so 520 characters (plus delimiters etc). Much greater than 260 anyway.
    Code: PS C:\temp> echo nul > C:\temp\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfgh jklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuio pqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\az ertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwx cvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\Path520.txt[/quote]
    but this fails (same path but file name is another 20x alphabet 520 + characters) Code: PS C:\temp> echo nul > C:\temp\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfgh jklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuio pqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\az ertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwx cvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghj klmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfg hjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsd fghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopq sdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn_path520_and_520longfilename.txt out-file : The specified path, file name, or both are too long. The fully qualified file name must be less than 260 characters, and the directory name must be less than 248 characters. At line:1 char:1 + echo nul > C:\temp\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxc ... + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : OpenError: Can't get long file names to work, any ideas? :)) [Out-File], PathTooLongException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : FileOpenFailure,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.OutFileCommand PS C:\temp>[/quote] As does this with just a long file name Code: PS C:\temp> echo nul > C:\temp\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjkl mwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghj klmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfg hjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsd fghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn_longfilename.txt out-file : The specified path, file name, or both are too long. The fully qualified file name must be less than 260 characters, and the directory name must be less than 248 characters. At line:1 char:1 + echo nul > C:\temp\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbnazertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcv ... + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + CategoryInfo : OpenError: Can't get long file names to work, any ideas? :)) [Out-File], PathTooLongException + FullyQualifiedErrorId : FileOpenFailure,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.OutFileCommand PS C:\temp>[/quote]

    So it looks like (with long path enabled as you described above obviously) it enables long paths but not long file names. The error message it gives is incorrect and hasn't been updated to cover the GPO/registry change opt-in but never mind *Wink

    If you have made a item with a long path (like in my first example) you can move it OK with the Copy-Item command.

    For example: Code: PS C:\temp> copy-item C:\temp\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklm wxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfgh jklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqs dfghjklmwxcvbn\Path520.txt C:\temp\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfg hjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopq sdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyu iopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\Path520_copy.txt[/quote] Works OK Code: PS C:\temp> ls C:\temp\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\ azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxc vbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjkl mwxcvbn Directory: C:\temp\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn \azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghj klmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn\azertyui opqsdfghjklmwxcvbn Mode LastWriteTime Length Name ---- ------------- ------ ---- d----- 02-Jan-18 23:56 azertyuiopqsdfghjklmwxcvbn -a---- 03-Jan-18 00:46 12 Path520.txt -a---- 03-Jan-18 00:46 12 Path520_copy.txt PS C:\temp>[/quote]

    If your problem is with long file names rather than long path names then I don't know what to suggest (perhaps it is not possible) but Copy-Item appears to work fine.

    I tried with file explorer. I can browse to the directory but cant copy or paste anything - it gives no error just does nothing. I deleted C:\temp (the whole directory I was just testing with) using file explorer and it just trashed it. It didn't go to recycle bin - just vanished.

    Clearly there are a few issues with long path names still (in the GUI) but if all you want to do is copy then I would suggest Copy-Item. Seems to work OK.
     
  13. Can't get long file names to work, any ideas?

    Another option is to start at the highest directory/folder level and rename that folder with a single character (e.g. "a").
    Work your way down the folder levels and shrink the folder names, until you are sure that the path name is not too long.

    If the issue is the file names themselves, you could try doing a mass rename using a Live Linux CD/DVD/USB.
    Have a look a this link:
    https://linuxaria.com/howto/mass-ren...files-on-linux
     
    lehnerus2000, Jan 2, 2018
    #13
  14. Matt26 Win User
    thanks, i was thinking about those options as well.. doesn't seem like there's an easy fix for this, more of a manual approach- unless i can find some tool that supports the long path names..
     
    Matt26, Jan 13, 2018
    #14
  15. TrustMe Win User
    Try using a file copy program like TeraCopy. I use their free version. This is a quote from their website “TeraCopy can verify files after they have been copied to ensure that they are identical. This is done by comparing hashes of source and target files”. I love this feature about the program.

    Homepage
    TeraCopy for Windows - Code Sector

    Download
    TeraCopy for Windows - Code Sector
     
    TrustMe, Apr 4, 2018
    #15
Thema:

Can't get long file names to work, any ideas?

Loading...
  1. Can't get long file names to work, any ideas? - Similar Threads - Can't long file

  2. File name too long

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    File name too long: I still have an issue with the error "the file name is too long", although it is not. Ihave changed the value in the longpathsenable Keyloccalmachine using registry editor, restarted and same issue !Please advise !...
  3. File name too long

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    File name too long: I still have an issue with the error "the file name is too long", although it is not. Ihave changed the value in the longpathsenable Keyloccalmachine using registry editor, restarted and same issue !Please advise !...
  4. Get-SmbServerConfiguration: The file name is too long

    in Windows 10 Gaming
    Get-SmbServerConfiguration: The file name is too long: Every time in PowerShell I run the Get-SmbServerConfiguration utility I am unable to get any good results as PowerShell puts up a "file name is too long" error. Curiously this doesn't happen when I run Get-SmbServerNetworkInterface, for example, even though that command is...
  5. Get-SmbServerConfiguration: The file name is too long

    in Windows 10 Software and Apps
    Get-SmbServerConfiguration: The file name is too long: Every time in PowerShell I run the Get-SmbServerConfiguration utility I am unable to get any good results as PowerShell puts up a "file name is too long" error. Curiously this doesn't happen when I run Get-SmbServerNetworkInterface, for example, even though that command is...
  6. File name too long

    in Windows 10 Support
    File name too long: I run Win10: [img] And a browser save on the HDD disk, with filename counting 255 letters. And I cannot rename it, move it, or delete it. And I have enabled in the group policy Win32 long file names: Enable or Disable Win32 Long Paths in Windows 10 How can I get rid of...
  7. file name too long

    in Windows 10 Network and Sharing
    file name too long: how to resolve this issue in windows 10 https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/file-name-too-long/783521af-d0ec-410b-826e-67a50a90159c"
  8. Long File Name Crashes

    in Windows 10 Support
    Long File Name Crashes: Hi, I appreciate that there are a lot of queries regarding the file names exceeding 260 characters, but when i try to open my folders to rename the files to shorter names I don't get the chance to do this as the window just shuts down again before I can do anything. Is there...
  9. Problems with Long File Names

    in Windows 10 BSOD Crashes and Debugging
    Problems with Long File Names: Hello I'am Tobias and I have a Problem with long File Names on a share, people used to create files and directories in Windows 7, some of them over 300 characters long. That was not a big problem back then. Now we have switched to Windows 10 and we now have a problem with...
  10. Cannot get Long Filenames / directory names to work

    in Windows 10 Support
    Cannot get Long Filenames / directory names to work: Hi folks Anybody been able to get long file names / directory names to work Particularly annoying when downloading music. tagging and copying Music For example this downloaded from BBC R3 (classical music) -- LEGAL BTW !! works fine when I download on Linux server...

Users found this page by searching for:

  1. azertyuiopqsdfghjklmWx