Erroneous "tape is full" message when backing up to a USB flash drive

[Lionel]

Using Windows XP Pro backup, I get a "tape is full" message after recording
4,291,162,811 bytes on a 16GB Toshiba USB flash drive. New drive,
reformatted, and I can copy 15GB to the drive with Windows Explorer.

How can I get backup to use the whole drive?

Thanks.

Lionel

 

[Paul]

Using Windows XP Pro backup, I get a "tape is full" message after recording
4,291,162,811 bytes on a 16GB Toshiba USB flash drive. New drive,
reformatted, and I can copy 15GB to the drive with Windows Explorer.

How can I get backup to use the whole drive?

Thanks.

Lionel

I don't know if what you're doing, amounts to writing one large file
or not. But you should know that FAT32 has a size limit of 4GB for
a single file. That is probably what is tripping at the 4GB mark,
and the file system error is being mapped to a "tape is full" error.

According to Uwe Sieber, one way to convert the USB stick to NTFS,
is to use the "convert" command, rather than fighting with
Disk Management or using some other method. (I actually
set mine to NTFS, by using Linux )

http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbstick_e.html#ntfs_format

convert u: /fs:ntfs

In that example, the USB stick happens to be drive U:.
Change the drive letter in the command, according to
the letter your USB drive is currently using.

HTH,
Paul

 

[John Dearing]

Using Windows XP Pro backup, I get a "tape is full" message after recording
4,291,162,811 bytes on a 16GB Toshiba USB flash drive. New drive,
reformatted, and I can copy 15GB to the drive with Windows Explorer.

How can I get backup to use the whole drive?

What filesystem is in use on the USB drive?

Many USB drive come as FAT32 devices. FAT32 has a 4Gig filesize
limitation. A single file (the backup) can't be greater than 4 Gig's in
size.

You can copy 15 Gig's of a bunch of separate files to the dive since no
*one* file is larger than 4 Gigs.

Try recreating the USB partition as an NTFS partition.

John

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Wednesday, April 29, 2009 6:58:06 PM, and on a
whim, Lionel pounded out on the keyboard:

Using Windows XP Pro backup, I get a "tape is full" message after recording
4,291,162,811 bytes on a 16GB Toshiba USB flash drive. New drive,
reformatted, and I can copy 15GB to the drive with Windows Explorer.

How can I get backup to use the whole drive?

Thanks.

Lionel

Hi Lionel,

The drive is formatted using FAT32, which only allows a maximum file
size of approx 4 gig. The backup program is writing all the data to one
file, which fails after 4 gig. What you are copying via Explorer is
probably 15 gig of files, not a single file, none of which are over 4 gig.

Reformat it to NTFS which doesn't have the limitation.


Terry R.

 

[Lionel]

Using Windows XP Pro backup, I get a "tape is full" message after
recording
4,291,162,811 bytes on a 16GB Toshiba USB flash drive. New drive,
reformatted, and I can copy 15GB to the drive with Windows Explorer.

How can I get backup to use the whole drive?

Thanks.

Lionel

Well, I just smote myself in the forehead, having forgotten about the 4GB
limitation with FAT32. Thanks for the help to everyone.

Lionel

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Wednesday, April 29, 2009 7:37:58 PM, and on a
whim, Lionel pounded out on the keyboard:

Well, I just smote myself in the forehead, having forgotten about the 4GB
limitation with FAT32. Thanks for the help to everyone.

Lionel

You're welcome Lionel.


Terry R.