File name too long for destination folder

All I'm trying to do is move 5 files that don't even have long names to another folder. But no, vista has to up again and not let me move the files because the "file name is too long."

How do you fix this without having to use command prompt? I have many, many folders to change and copy and I don't want to have to spend hours trying to remake folders, etc.

 

move them to c:? that should work. if not, the error message is actually false in that case.

 

They are already on c:

So how do I fix that? It won't let me copy or even move the files

 

hm.. no clue right now

i guess (just guess) it's a) a permission problem, or b) a file-still-in-use problem.

you tried rebooting and then moving?

you move it around on c: or to another disk?

 

It's not just file name, it's also path name. If the file + path is too long, you will get this message.

There's also the possibility of a bad (disallowed) character being in the filename, for instance if the files are shared with a *nix based system.

What's the full location of the files (both original and where you're moving to)?

The limit in Vista is still 260 characters total. I forget if that includes slashes and drive letters, but it probably does.

 

I don't have any folders or file names that are >80 characters.

For the location, they are in the same folder, but I created new folders with different names and I'm lining up the windows side by side so I can move them to the corresponding folder quicker.

 

i guess a print screen of those two windows side by side could give some insight.. if you want to post it.

 

There's private file names in there sorry. But the fact is why is windows having a problem with copying files to the same folder?

I bet macs don't have this problem.

 

i bet they can (or just delete the file if something's weird about the copying.. they do that over network, at least )

but it's really hard to debug.. i just know you shouldn't have files on c:\ directly anyways, only in your user folders (documents, pictures, videos, music..). there, the rights are all fine..

 

I shortened the folder names and the files themselves don't have problems anymore.

It seems that if I have long folder names, I can only have short file names. And If I have long file names, I can only have short folder names. I really hope windows does something to try and solve this restriction.

I need both descriptive folder AND file names to be happy

 

as hep stated: the whole path of the file can not be longer than 260 characters. this can't be changed for compatibility reasons. that number got compiled into EVERY application existing out there, in every version. apps would crash when they get a longer path name.

and it looks like your path + filename is too long

like c:\downloads\somefunkydownloadthathasatoolongname\withsubfoldersyoucantcount\etcblabla\MYFILE.EXT

or something.

that's what would have been quickly solved when looking at a printscreen, obviously.

 

Yup. And it's not a Vista thing either... Windows has been like that forever.

 

was the limit for the 8.3 filenames, too? i don't remember that anymore

actually, if google is right, it's actually fixed long ago. but due to the apps not fixing it, it doesn't matter.

 

lol i don't know, I just meant, don't go back to XP thinking it'll fix the problem.

 

yeah. it's most likely one of those things that won't ever change for backwards compatibility.

it would have been a great moment to change it for the 64bit apis, and fix it there (with a wrapper for the 32bit apis that handle it, similar how the 8.3 file wrappers existed back in the 16bit to 32bit days).

but now it's too late.. they won't change it ever, i guess.

 

Are you moving around files that are stored in one of the special folders that Vista comes with, such as the Documents folder or the Pictures folder?

 

Good point, because the path to those folders is already pretty long. 'C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents' is the usual start of that path

 

This is correct.

I JUST had this same issue and you simply have to shorten your file and folder names.

For example, if you have a bunch of nested folders like "My taxes/2008/california returns/vacation house/CPA/FILE", all of the letters in the path (folder names) count as the "file name."

I encountered this problem with some classical music I downloaded and whoever created the Mp3s felt the need to put the full artists name AND album title AND of course the track title in each mp3 file name AND folder.

So to fix this, don't use as many levels of folders and/or shorten the names of your folders and files. The limit is right around 255 characters, IIRC, and again, that includes the path AND actual file name.

 

actually, it's C:\Users\Owner\Documents

and i guess it is partially because the length issues (and it's nicer to type if you have to )

 

No spaces is nice as well.

 

indeed (except you have a name with spaces )

 

Sry, don't have Vista. Nice they shortened it. Not in XP!

 

They're just on my desktop. I was trying to move files within an example folder such as:

C:\Users\xxxx\Desktop\xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx\xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The x's represent the actual amount of characters(letters, spaces, -'s, etc.). An example file name I was trying to move:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.flac

Again, pretty descriptive file names and folders but the amount of characters doesn't exceed 260 so what's windows' big fuss about it?

 

Again, the limit is, according to google, 255 for XP or 260 characters for Vista. Not 261, not 263, but 260.

If you move a file whose path, folder and filename are 258 characters long into another folder, thus exceeding vistas' built-in 260 character limit, it won't work.

Period.

 

And where were you moving the files to? Your example isn't 260 characters. Also I don't get the point of hiding the actual names when a screenshot of the location would help more than an attempt at you making an equivelant description.

 

yeah i know. i always hated the namings in xp.. very long paths

 

the source folder is unimportant (the file is allready in there, so it can't not fit in there anyways)

where do you move it to?

 

I tried moving them into different subfolders in the same main folder.

 

Try moving one to C:\Test\
AND NOTHING ELSE.
So the new path will be...

C:\Test\xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.flac

Let us know.