File Structure Too Deep

[Kev Sharratt]

Hi

Just wanted to check that I had got this right. I have spent almost all day trying to get access to a directory within My Documents and every time I get 'Explorer.exe has generated errors and will be closed by windows'. I'm using Windows 2000 Pro. I have searched microsoft knowledge base, this forum have googled but everything I have tried has failed. I have also ran all my spyware removers and scanned for virusses but found nothing.

I was about to try and repair windows but in despairation tried to use xcopy in dos to copy the files somewhere else. I have found if I move them to c:\business I have access with no problems. So then I re-named the folders in the path to the original files to shorten them and by magic I can access the original files.

I am I write in thinking that there is a limit to the path length in windows 2000 and that I had somehow exceeded this. Typical of windows to give me a message that did point me in the right direction but at least its sorted now

Kev

[Strawbs]

In XP I often create folders within folders [down to the 5 or 6 level] for storing temporary music\video files while editing. I don't think the directory path can be too deep even in 2k! you would have to be drilling mighty deep to reach any possible limit anyway IMO.

I would think the root of the issue lies elsewhere! System file corruption of some sort maybe.

[r8500]

Originally posted by Strawbs
In XP I often create folders within folders [down to the 5 or 6 level] for storing temporary music\video files while editing. I don't think the directory path can be too deep even in 2k! you would have to be drilling mighty deep to reach any possible limit anyway IMO.

I would think the root of the issue lies elsewhere! System file corruption of some sort maybe.

Ditto, I don't think there is anyway you made the path to the files too long. Maybe its time to run Check Disk.

[Kev Sharratt]

Hi

Thanks for the replies

I have ran chkdsk which found no errors. I had a problem that may be related a couple of months back. In excell I was trying to use 'save as' in a deep folder. It would not accept my save file name until I removed some characters from the end ie shortened the name, then it was fine.

Do you know of any file structure checking programs apart from check disk. I don't know the make of my hard drive as its a Dell PC and device manager, aida32 or sandra does not give me that info so if I need the hard drive make I will have to open the box unless you can tell me another way to find out

thanks

Kev

[Kev Sharratt]

By the way the original path was

C:\Documents and Settings\kevins.PMSML\My Documents\Digital Camera\Edited Compressed Still Images\Business\*.*

the longest file name is 'Hitachi Literature Dispenser 06.02.03.jpg'

I don't know if you think that is too long

Kev

[Strawbs]

I believe there is a limit on file "name" length, even using ntfs! can't remember what it is though. But not on the actual file depth.

When I was at school, we used to call English Literature - "English Lit"! Try using shorter names when saving files.

[vibe666]

think the limit is 250 something characters.

if you're having problems even getting to it, then map a shared drive to it.

"\\YOURPCNAME\C$\Documents and Settings\kevins.PMSML\My Documents\Digital Camera\Edited Compressed Still Images" and do whatever you need to do to move stuff around in there.

[fancyf]

> Overview of common filesystems

> Making Room for Long Filenames


* yours was 149 in length so it should have been OK

[Strawbs]

from fancy's link: ntfs path length = 32767 characters!

[r8500]

Originally posted by Strawbs
from fancy's link: ntfs path length = 32767 characters!

Holy cow that's a lot.

[Kev Sharratt]

It seems that my path and filename should have been OK

There must be something else wrong

How would I track down the problem & put it right or should I just use shorter names. I like things to to right so I would like to correct this but not if I have to re-install the system

Many thanks

Kev

[Strawbs]

did you use an app to try to browse to the files when the errors occurred or did you use explorer?

[Kev Sharratt]

I used explorer. the directory is set to show details, it would go into the directory and go down the page changing the default icons to photoshop but at different places it would drop out with the message 'explorer.exe has generated errors and windows will close the application' or something like that. There is no message in the event log. I have googled for the error message but found nothing useful. Also if i go to the directory in dos I can do a 'dir' which lists all the files without problem

thanks

[Strawbs]

so it could be an "association" glitch or a problem with your ram or vcache allocation - i.e. too many icons being drawn simultaneously, over loading the available cache or being allocated a "bad" ram address!

can you reset the icons to default without uninstalling photoshop?

[Kev Sharratt]

now i have shortened the file path, it changed all the icons and i was able to open the files. If I returned the path to what it was would the problem come back?

I don't know how to return the icon's to their default, when I installed photoshop I just choose to always open jpg's with it.

Also I had that problem with too long a path on an excell file for which the icon has never changed, to solve that I shortened the file name. So that cannot have been an association problem

thanks for your help with this

Kev