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How to delete files where Windows tells me that the Path length/filename is too long

BJtheDJ

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Have some directories that I wanted to transfer to another HD, but had a large number of
files left over when the move/copy failed due to the path length/filename being too long.

Here are a couple of examples:

J:\mp3 dvd\_Mutz 2018\MutzNutz Music Pack 107 2018\The Clash - Discography\Studio Albums\1979 - London Calling (25th Anniversary Legacy Edition)\London Calling - 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition, The Vanilla Tapes (Disc 2)\06 - Koka Kola, Advertising & Cocaine.mp3

J:\mp3 dvd\_Mutz 2018\MutzNutz Music Pack 156 2018\Partybreaks and Remixes - All In One October 001 (2018)\10. Jonny Laz _ Justin Timberlake Vs. David Guetta - Can't Stop The Feeling (Jonny Laz Vs. Dexterous Fmif Edit) (Jonny Laz Vs. Dexterous Fmif Edit)[Clean].mp3

I managed to copy the files by copying them to archives using WinRAR and then moving
the RAR files to the target directory and extracting the files, but that still left me with
the original files/directories.

I deleted almost all of those by adding them to an archive uisn WinRAR and using the
'delete file after archiving' option, but that left me with just the one directory-path to get
rid of - and that's the first one, The Clashes 'Vanilla Tapes'.

Ideas welcome, 'cos I am completely stumped here.

Oh! Running Windows 8.1 here
 
Last edited:

MarkM

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I have this frequently with the MutzNutz files, the holding file rename that to a, if there is any sub folders then rename them to b c x y anything as long as it isn't a repeat and then you can move the long file if you still can't move the long file rename that file BUT you can only rename a long file 'if' you have already renamed the holding folder.
same thing if you choose to just delete the file as you get an error saying too long file name cannot be deleted etc etc
 

Prom3th3uS

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Use PowerShell to move/copy/delete files. Without allowing OS to accept long paths.
Make your OS to Accept Long File Paths. No need to use PowerShell if you allowed long paths.

Everything explained here, Kindly, Read it and follow instructions

Optional: What I simply do when I face any issue like that, I use Path Length Checker, it's a PowerShell script for OS'es, you can use this tiny tool to locate the long filenames/charters and rename them easily.

Cheers, I hope this helps, and you will get rid of it. :)
 

BJtheDJ

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I have this frequently with the MutzNutz files, the holding file rename that to a, if there is any sub folders then rename them to b c x y anything as long as it isn't a repeat and then you can move the long file if you still can't move the long file rename that file BUT you can only rename a long file 'if' you have already renamed the holding folder.
same thing if you choose to just delete the file as you get an error saying too long file name cannot be deleted etc etc
Windows will not allow me to do anything at all to the file. Roght-clicking does not
show the usual menus that include rename, delete etc

With everything that I have done, I can no longer acces the final directory in the Path,
being told "Path...." is not accessible, and below that - access is denied.

Right-clicking the "1979 - London Calling (25th Anniversary Legacy Edition)" directory
gives me the normal options, but if I try any of them I'm told that I require permission.

Right-clicking and selecting Properties tells me that the folder is empty and is Read-Only,
attempting to change that atrrib fails.
 

BJtheDJ

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Use PowerShell to move/copy/delete files. Without allowing OS to accept long paths.
Make your OS to Accept Long File Paths. No need to use PowerShell if you allowed long paths.

Everything explained here, Kindly, Read it and follow instructions

Optional: What I simply do when I face any issue like that, I use Path Length Checker, it's a PowerShell script for OS'es, you can use this tiny tool to locate the long filenames/charters and rename them easily.

Cheers, I hope this helps, and you will get rid of it. :)
I have no great experience of PowerShell. I did look at it late last year and searched online in vain for a list of commands, but eveyrthing that I found assumed that I alrady knew everything that there was to know about PowerShell.

The guide that you pointed me to will take a fair amount of reading so that will have to come a little later, butgave me some small cuse so I tried remove-item with the -force and -recurse switches. Tried it with the switches in either order JIC but got the same results:

Clip0004.jpg
 

Hippy

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I cant say i have had any issues with deleting files as you show, but maybe, just maybe it might be because i use total commander for my file manipulation, and any that say i dont have permission i use a reg file called "take ownership" which gives you the option of owning any file and allowing you to alter it if it was saved by a different user. I might be taking out of my butt , and probably gets told i dont know what im talking about, but hey, i might not know, (but it works for me. once you enter the file into your reg, right click on any file and you will see "take Ownership" as an option and selecting it gives you full permission for that file. I have no idea who wrote it or even if it is available to download, or if im breaking any site rules, (sorry if i am).
 

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BJtheDJ

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For those that might be interested, I've found what I
think is a brilliant work-round for this.
Open WinRAR and navigate to the folder/file causing
and the problem and delet/rename or whatever the
file from inside WinRAR.
For reasons that I have no interest in knowing, WinRAR
treats those ultra-long filenames as normal.
 

FLYFIFER67

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Don't come on very often but I do so agree with all you people who have problems with file names being too long. My problem is the same with mp3 new releases. Spent many hours editing file names containing one of these semi colons. e.g. (;). For some reason Roxio NXT 9 and NERO 2022 don't like it. Anybody out there got any ideas. I would be more than pleased to hear from you. And by the way, all you folk who upload MP3 new releases, thanks and keep up the good work
 

BJtheDJ

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Don't come on very often but I do so agree with all you people who have problems with file names being too long. My problem is the same with mp3 new releases. Spent many hours editing file names containing one of these semi colons. e.g. (;). For some reason Roxio NXT 9 and NERO 2022 don't like it. Anybody out there got any ideas. I would be more than pleased to hear from you. And by the way, all you folk who upload MP3 new releases, thanks and keep up the good work
Those new mp3 releases are the ones that I particularly have had
problems with, some give a folder a ultra long name and then have
another identically-named folder inside that - and then ultra-long
filenames as well.

Recently had a glut of mp3 files where the filenames had been
inflated to gigantic proportions by the inclusion nof every person
contribuitng the slightest thing to a recording, full names of every
member of a band etc.

Thing I can't get my head around is that I manage to download
these releases (initially to c:torrents\_running) with uTorrent - but
then can't move said files to (say) the root directiory of another
drive because filename length - how on eaqrth is it handled by the
OS when downloaded when the same OS then won't let you move,
or even rename, the files??

Still. WinRAR gives me the opportunity to rename those files easily
even when not using the program for it's archive/compressin
facilities.
 
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