>I have a Seagate USB drive (160GB) that I use for archiving files. I
>just cleaned a bunch of old stuff off of it leaving 153GB free.
>
>I tried to copy a 20GB TrueCrypt container file and got a Windows (XP)
>message saying that it cannot copy the file because there is not enough
>space.
>
>What's up?
>
>I have a 465GB C-drive with 354GB free. It looks to me like there is
>space everywhere.
>
>I am able to copy the 20GB file to another directory on the C-disk with
>no problems.

Is the file system FAT32 or NTFS? If it is FAT32, you cannot move a
file larger than 2.2GB.

- Thee Chicago Wolf [MVP]

Jennifer Murphy <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:


>That's the problem. The Seagate disk is FAT32. Thanks.
>
>Can I move the files off, reformat it as NTFS, and then move them back?

You can do it without moving the files off (but a backup would be a
good idea). Run convert.exe, look here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../bb456984.aspx

--
Tim Slattery
(E-Mail Removed)
http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

"Jennifer Murphy" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news(E-Mail Removed)...

> On Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:06:47 -0400, Tim Slattery <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>>Jennifer Murphy <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>>>Can I move the files off, reformat it as NTFS, and then move them back?
>>
>>You can do it without moving the files off (but a backup would be a
>>good idea). Run convert.exe, look here:
>>http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../bb456984.aspx
>
> Is there any benefit to doing a format rather than running convert.exe?
>
> There were only a few files on the drive. I have already moved them to
> the C-disk.
>
> My intuition tells me that a format would give me a cleaner start. Any
> validity to that?

Intuition is for doubts. What we want is peace of mind. The drive
has been emptied (so the data will not be lost) so if a reformat after
NTFS conversion increases your peace of mind, just go ahead.
You have nothing to lose.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Jennifer Murphy <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:


>Don't ya just love these Microsoft error messages? This one not only
>told me that there was not enough space (there was) but told me run Disk
>Cleanup to free up space (which would not make any difference). The
>message is not just vague, it's plain wrong. (sigh)

Probably originates in the FAT32 file system, which inherited it from
FAT16, etc. I expect that when that bit was written nobody considered
the possibility of a file anywhere near that big. It should have been
done better way back then, and it should have been caught and fixed
some time later. I promise you this kind of thing is not unique to
Microsoft.

--
Tim Slattery
(E-Mail Removed)
http://members.cox.net/slatteryt