Why Can't I Save Long File Names?

  • Thread starter Thread starter John Schutkeker
  • Start date Start date
J

John Schutkeker

I used to be able to save ebay pages to my hard drive, in spite of the fact
that their file names (or directory path names) severely exceed Windows'
upper limit. Unfortunately, the day came when that useful feature didn't
work any longer, and now it's been maybe about a year since I could do
that. I can only assume that downloading an MS patch caused that feature
to stop working. Does anybody know how I can get it to start working
again, without having to rename all my ebay pages, before I save them?
 
I used to be able to save ebay pages to my hard drive, in spite of the fact
that their file names (or directory path names) severely exceed Windows'
upper limit. Unfortunately, the day came when that useful feature didn't
work any longer, and now it's been maybe about a year since I could do
that. I can only assume that downloading an MS patch caused that feature
to stop working. Does anybody know how I can get it to start working
again, without having to rename all my ebay pages, before I save them?
Click to expand...

Hello,

You'll know that the 255 character limit also includes the path to
file as well as the file name. You could shorten the path by, say,
creating a folder named C:\eB - that's 5 characters, leaving you 250
for the filename.
 
You'll know that the 255 character limit also includes the path to
file as well as the file name. You could shorten the path by, say,
creating a folder named C:\eB - that's 5 characters, leaving you 250
for the filename.
Click to expand...

I'm finding that I can't even save it if I change the page name to one
or two characters and try to save it to C:\ . Something funny's going
on here. Apparently it has nothing to do with the length of the file
name, but something else intrinsic to ebay pages.
 
check the registry key and change it if necessary:

1. Click Start>Run.
2. Type regedit and then click OK.
3. Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Filesystem
4. In the right hand pane, right-click the following value, and then click Modify:
NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation
5. Change the number in the Value data box to: 0
Please note that this is a DWORD value, not a String or Binary value.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Registry, and then click Exit.

You may or may not need to reboot.


Note you can save the registry key first by:
On the File menu, click Export.
In the File name box, type SaveKey, and then click Save.
Or create a system restore point prior to editing.

For further help; See:-
Description of the Microsoft Windows registry
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/

How to back up, edit, and restore the registry in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756

Disclaimer: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to
reinstall your operating system. Use the information provided at your own risk.


====================================
TaurArian [MS-MVP] 2005-2008 - Australia
====================================
How to make a good post: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
Defending your machine: http://defendingyourmachine2.blogspot.com/
http://taurarian.mvps.org/index.htm

Emails will not be acknowledged - please post to the newsgroup so all may benefit.


|
| I used to be able to save ebay pages to my hard drive, in spite of the fact
| that their file names (or directory path names) severely exceed Windows'
| upper limit. Unfortunately, the day came when that useful feature didn't
| work any longer, and now it's been maybe about a year since I could do
| that. I can only assume that downloading an MS patch caused that feature
| to stop working. Does anybody know how I can get it to start working
| again, without having to rename all my ebay pages, before I save them?
 
3. Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Filesystem
4. In the right hand pane, right-click the following value, and then
click Modify: NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation
5. Change the number in the Value data box to: 0
Please note that this is a DWORD value, not a String or Binary value.
Click to expand...

That value is already set to '0', but I tried setting it to '1', which
still didn't fix the problem.
 
Back
Top