Delete/Copy Path Too Long Files
Martin Krag
Filename is too long?
Computer Complaining Your Filename Is Too Long? The Long Path Tool
Can
Help
While most people can go about their business blissfully unaware of
the Windows Explorer path length limit, others are not so lucky.
Everything seems normal until one day you download a file or create a
new folder in a directory and try to use it, and it happens. You try
to open or delete your file and the annoying “path too long” appears
on screen, telling you that Windows Explorer can’t handle the file
because the path is longer than the allowed length.
You see, while Windows itself can handle paths up to 32,000
characters
long, Windows Explorer can only handle up to 256 characters. This
means that you need a special path too long utility to make your file
usable again. The Long Path Tool is one such utility that will allow
you to deal with your files or folders that are triggering the “path
too long” message. What exactly can it do?
Well, first of all it will let you delete these files or folders if
you just don’t want to deal with them anymore. The most annoying
thing
about the Windows Explorer path limit is that it won’t even let you
delete the files or folders that are causing problems; it just gives
you an annoying “cannot delete file” message. With the Long Path
Tool,
you can delete an undeletable file or folder easily.
Of course, you probably won’t always want to delete the file.
Sometimes you just need whatever’s in it. Fortunately, the Long Path
Tool also allows you to rename files or folders, or copy or move them
around so that Windows Explorer will stop giving you the “path too
long” message. It’s a quick process that will make your files
functional again.
So, if you’re getting the “path too long” message or the “cannot
delete file” message, and need a utility that will quickly eliminate
the problem, the Long Path tool is the way to go. You’ll be able to
delete or rename your files in no time.
http://LongPathTool.com
Seum
Johny B Good
> Yup and it ONLY costs $29 to $129.
>
I note the sarcasm. For the benefit of others who aren't already aware of
the zero cost solution, it is simply a matter of moving the offending
folder(s) closer to the root (if not into the root folder itself) thus
shortening the path to within the 255 character limit.
I can well believe microsoft would design NTFS to support path lengths of
32,767 yet limit explorer to a 255 max length (thus providing an
exploitable feature for malware) so it's conceivable that an individual
file, even when moved directly to the root folder could remain undeletable
due to its name exceeding the 255 character limit. However, I haven't
(thus far) come across this issue which suggests such a condition isn't a
trivial task for malware to achieve.
My impression is that the scenario relies on explorer's dumbness in
allowing a folder, full of paths that are already close to the limit, to
be moved into an existing folder that then extends the total path length
to comfortably exceed the 255 character limit. IOW, the process that
created the problem is the reverse of the curative process of moving the
offending folders closer to, or into the root folder.
IME, as far as dealing with this issue, I haven't felt the need for such
a product.
--
Regards JB Good