why can't i copy a 4 Gb avi file to my external 500Gb HD?

Question

iv'e been copying avi files (usually 700Mb) into my external hd without any problem. the error message says the file is too large for the destination file system. my Hd file system is Fat32. please help!

Answer 1

You cannot create a file larger than (2^32)-1 bytes (this is one byte less than 4 GB) on a FAT32 partition.[1]



I assume your file is probably just over the limit. There are other formats like NTFS available, but re-formatting would delete everything you currently have on the hard drive. I would recommend a file-splitting tool -- otherwise, you are out of luck.

Answer 2

As mentioned by others with FAT32 you're limited to files no larger then 4gb... Also, your external HD may be full.



Now, the easy solution is to switch to NTFS... I'm assuming you are not accessing that drive with older versions of windows or Mac.



NOTE: No need to format and loose all your data as mentioned by a previous poster.



To go about this open a command console. Assuming Windows XP:



Click Star > Run, then type "cmd" (w/o the quotes) then hit enter. This will bring a black, dos-like console. Then type:



vol x ,



Where "x" is the letter assign to the external drive by windows. You'll get a message saying ::Volume in drive "X" is "yyyy":: Write the name down.



Then type:



convert x: /fs:ntfs ,



Once agian, "x" is the letter assign to the external drive by windows. You'll be asked for the disk volume name, type the name you got with the previous command.



Google "convert ntfs windows" for more info about this handy utility; or visit http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb456984.aspx

Answer 3

A FAT32 formatted drive cannot store files of 4GB or larger - it's a limitation of the file system. Either reformat the drive as NTFS, or convert the existing partition to NTFS using Windows' built-in utility (which preserves all of your files).



Note that NTFS can only be used by Windows NT, 2000, XP or Vista. If you're running Windows 95/98/ME, you'll have to stick with FAT32 and accept the 4GB limitation.

Answer 4

You should Format your external hd to NTFS not FAT32 because FAT32 cannot save large files such as 4GB but NTFS can save large files so you can format your external hd to NTFS

Answer 5

you probably don't have enough of space left on your 500GB HD