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"Corrupted file" errors, Win98 filename character limit

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  • "Corrupted file" errors, Win98 filename character limit

    Maybe many people already know this, but I stumbled on this just recently. This may or may not affect video editing, but I came across "file format unknown" errors when trying to open certain JPG image files and other file types in certain directories. If I then shifted them to a different folder, they would open OK. Then it hit me - FAT 32 is limited to 128 or 256? character filenames.

    This includes the WHOLE file path, not just the actual name of the file. For example, say I have an picture image file "airplane.jpg" which is located in the following path:

    C:/pictures/categories/technology/transport/airplane.jpg

    How many characters are in the "airplane.jpg" image file? 8+3 you say?

    That's not what Windows 95/98/Me says. It says 48 characters. They include the file path and directory names as well.

    I'd been in the habit of using categories a lot, and long, descriptive filenames, especially for video and image, so I'll know in 6 months time when I dig them up off a CDR what the hell all of that was that I did back then. But as a result, I crossed the Joliet (128 or 256 or whatever) filename character limit, due to me formatting my HD for FAT 32. Shifting them to a different folder closer to the root directory "shortened" the filename. Thus it could now be recognised.

    I say this in relation to "file format unknown" and "file corrupted or invalid" errors I've sometimes got when opening some video files in VirtualDub or TMPGEng sometimes. Perhaps much of the time they're genuine corruptions, or buggy programs, but I'll have to review these again and reassess my file housekeeping, in the light of this find.

    Apparently this is one of the reasons for preferring NTFS and WinNT & 2000 for many things, that the file structure is much better handled. Is this correct?

    Graham
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