File size limitations w/ XP and NTFS Maxtor ext drive

[King Corn]

I've recently installed a Maxtor OneTouch III USB 2.0 500GB external
harddrive with a Dell 4600 desktop computer running Win XP Pro ver 2002
SP1. The harddrive is formatted as NTFS. I've run into problems trying
to backup or simply copy very large numbers of files (thousands of
files totalling 15-30GB). The backup or file copy runs fine initially,
but at some point freezes the computer or results in a blue screen with
a stop error message and forces me to cold boot the system. Can anyone
tell me whether there is a distinct limitation on either the number of
files or the total file size that can be backed up or copied in Win XP?

Thanks

 

[Richard Urban]

I can tell you this:

I have backed up 41,906,222,352 bytes (41,572 files) into a backup file of
the same size - no compression - on my Seagate external USB drive.

Is there a limit? I really don't think so, other than the size of the target
drive and its file system.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I've recently installed a Maxtor OneTouch III USB 2.0 500GB external
harddrive with a Dell 4600 desktop computer running Win XP Pro ver 2002
SP1. The harddrive is formatted as NTFS. I've run into problems trying
to backup or simply copy very large numbers of files (thousands of
files totalling 15-30GB). The backup or file copy runs fine initially,
but at some point freezes the computer or results in a blue screen with
a stop error message and forces me to cold boot the system. Can anyone
tell me whether there is a distinct limitation on either the number of
files or the total file size that can be backed up or copied in Win XP?

Thanks

WinXP has a very large limit for the number of files you can
store on a disk and if you managed to exceed this number then
WinXP would not crash. It is more likely that you have a problem
with the driver used for the external drive. You can easily
confirm it: Temporarily install the drive as an internal drive, then
perform the copy process once more. I fully expect it to run to
completion.

 

[King Corn]

WinXP has a very large limit for the number of files you can
store on a disk and if you managed to exceed this number then
WinXP would not crash. It is more likely that you have a problem
with the driver used for the external drive. You can easily
confirm it: Temporarily install the drive as an internal drive, then
perform the copy process once more. I fully expect it to run to
completion.

How do I go about temporarily installing the One Touch external drive
as an internal drive?

 

[Anna]

How do I go about temporarily installing the One Touch external drive
as an internal drive?

King Corn:
You may not be able to. I haven't worked with that particular external HD
device, but many of these single-unit commercial devices are designed in
such a way as to not permit a user to uninstall the HD contained therein.
And even when it can be done it's sure to void the warranty - a
consideration in your case since you indicate it's a recently purchased
unit.

(It's one of the reasons we usually encourage users to purchase a USB or
Firewire enclosure and a separate HD).

At this point it really would be best if you contacted Maxtor. I know they
have an 800 number and their tech support is reasonably responsive in my
experience. It's possible there's a firmware update for your unit. Also,
there will be a diagnostic utility that you can download to determine if you
may be dealing with a defective HD. Or they might provide you with other
information that will help overcome the problem.
Anna