Some users are still faced with the problem of handling files larger than 4 GB.

As a rule, this happens more and more often when downloading files from or somewhere else (because we rarely move files of this size, which means people simply don’t know that they have a similar problem and why they have it).

Error when file is larger than 4 GB

In the case of a torrent, the error looks like this: "One or more files exceed the file system size limit and cannot be downloaded."

In other cases, if my memory serves me correctly (and this happens :)), it sounds like “No access. The disk is full or write-protected.”

The essence of the problem is that the FAT32 file system (and users who encounter a similar problem use this particular file system) supports a maximum file size of 4,294,967,296 bytes and no more. Nothing can be done about it - that’s how it was intended from the very beginning.

The solution to the problem is to reformat or convert to the NTFS file system.

Solution 1

I’ll start with the second method as the most acceptable:

To start the conversion, do the following.

Start - Run - cmd

A console will open in front of you. Enter there:

convert D: /fs:ntfs

Where D: is the drive letter that you want to convert to NTFS format.
I don’t remember exactly, but I have an opinion that, as in the case of formatting, convert the system disk, i.e. the one where the system is currently located will not work. The way out of this is either formatting or connecting the hard drive to another computer.

Solution option 2

As for formatting...
It is impossible to do this without losing data, because formatting erases all files from the hard disk, and therefore you need to either be prepared for this and transfer all the information to external media, or simply buy a new disk and format it in the NTFS file system. To format, click:

My computer - Right-click on the desired drive- Format - File system: NTFS- we put "Quick Format" checkbox- Begin .

We are waiting for the formatting to finish.
Alternatively, to move files, you can cut them into pieces with special programs, but this will not solve the problem in the case of downloading files from the Internet, and is it even worth making a fuss? In addition, changing the file system to NTFS will also have a positive effect on the performance of the hard drive in Windows Vista, since both operating systems are designed to work with this file system.

Afterword

That's how things are. If you have questions, ask in the comments.

Attention for users of older operating systems (pre-XP). The NTFS file system is not supported by these versions of operating systems, i.e. You will not see the newly reformatted disk if you have one of the versions of Windows of the 95/98 family.

The situation when you urgently need to copy something to a flash drive, but as luck would have it, the computer freezes or gives an error, is probably familiar to many users. They spend a lot of time in vain searches for a solution to the problem, but they leave it unresolved, attributing everything to a drive malfunction or a problem with the computer. But in most cases this is not the case at all.

There may be several reasons why a file cannot be copied to a flash drive. Accordingly, there are several ways to solve this problem. Let's look at them in more detail.

Reason 1: Lack of free space on the flash drive

To people who are familiar with the principles of storing information on a computer at least slightly above the basic level, this situation may seem too elementary or even ridiculous to be described in the article. But nevertheless, there are a huge number of users who are just starting to learn the basics of working with files, so even such a simple problem can confuse them. The information below is intended for them.

If you try to copy files to a flash drive that does not have enough free space, the system will display the following message:


This message indicates the cause of the error as informatively as possible, so the user can only free up space on the flash drive so that the information he needs fits on it in full.

There is also a situation when the size of the drive is smaller than the amount of information that is planned to be copied to it. You can check this by opening Explorer in Datasheet view. The sizes of all partitions will be indicated there, indicating their total volume and remaining free space.


If the size of the removable media is insufficient, you should use another flash drive.

Reason 2: File size does not match file system capabilities

Not everyone has knowledge about file systems and their differences. Therefore, many users are perplexed: the flash drive has the necessary free space, but when copying, the system gives an error:


This error occurs only in cases when an attempt is made to copy a file whose size exceeds 4 GB to a flash drive. This is explained by the fact that the drive is formatted in the FAT32 file system. This file system was used in older versions of Windows, and flash drives are formatted in it for greater compatibility with various devices. However, the maximum file size that it can store is 4 GB.

You can check which file system is used on your flash drive from Explorer. It's very easy to do this:

To solve the problem, the flash drive must be formatted in the NTFS file system. This is done like this:

Once the flash drive is formatted, you can safely copy large files to it.

Reason 3: Problems with the integrity of the file system of the flash drive

Often the reason that a file refuses to be copied to removable media is accumulated errors in its file system. The reason for their occurrence is most often premature removal of the drive from the computer, power outages, or simply prolonged use without formatting.

This problem can be solved using systemic means. To do this you need:

If the reason for the copying failure was due to file system errors, then after checking the problem will go away.

In cases where the flash drive does not contain any information valuable to the user, you can simply format it.

Reason 4: The media is write-protected

This problem often occurs among owners of laptops or standard PCs that have card readers for reading from SD or MicroSD drives. Flash drives of this type, as well as some models of USB drives, have the ability to physically block writing to them using a special switch on the case. The ability to write to removable media can also be blocked in Windows settings, regardless of whether there is physical protection or not. In any case, when trying to copy files to a flash drive, the user will see the following message from the system:


To solve this problem, you need to move the switch lever on the flash drive case or change the Windows settings. This can be done using system tools or using special programs.

If the methods described above for solving problems did not help and it is still impossible to copy files to a flash drive, the problem may be a malfunction of the media itself. In this case, it would be most advisable to contact a service center, where specialists using special programs will be able to restore the media.

With the development of technology, PC users are able to transfer more and more information between PCs using different media.

One such carrier is flash memory(Further flash drive), which is connected via a USB port.

“I can’t write a large file to a flash drive. What to do?".

This question arises when working with flash drives larger than 4GB and writing files larger than 4GB onto them. In this case, the OS displays a message that there is no recording space on the flash drive.

Our support team recently received a similar question:

Hello, I have the following question:
There is a flash drive with a capacity of 8 GB, empty, formatted. When I try to upload files (for example, a game image with a capacity of 4.7 GB), the mdf or other extension shows that there is not enough disk space, I tried to upload a large archive, somewhere up to 5 GB it shows that there is not enough disk space. I upload small files, everything is fine up to 7 GB.
What could be the problem? Thank you.

Therefore, I decided to write this note in which I will explain why this happens and how to solve such a problem.

The thing is that during production, flash drives are formatted in the system FAT32. And this system does not support files of size more than 4GB.

To record larger files, the flash drive must use a system NTFS- this system can work with files of size almost up to 16TB.

I found three ways to make a system on a flash drive NTFS. Now I will tell you in detail about each of the methods.

First, connect the flash drive to the PC; if necessary, wait until the OS recognizes and installs it on the system.

Method number 1. Formatting a flash drive.

To do this you need to open "My computer", select the flash drive, call the context menu by right-clicking, and select “ Format…».

A window for settings and formatting the flash drive will appear.

IN Windows 7 on the menu " File system:» you can select the value NTFS, and in WindowsXP this is the meaning may not be available, as shown in the picture below.

To make this value available in WindowsXP, you need to do the following:

In the window that opens " Properties of the system» open the tab « Equipment" and click the " ».

In the "" window, expand the " Disk devices", double-click to open the properties window of the connected flash drive.

Open the tab " Policy", set the switch " Optimize for execution", click the "OK" button.

Close all windows.

Now again call up the window for settings and formatting the flash drive.

On the menu " File system:» you can select the value NTFS, as shown in the picture below. The same menu is initially available in Windows 7.

After this, you can configure other formatting options, for example, set the volume label and select quick format.

Now you can format the flash drive in the format NTFS.

After formatting the flash drive in WindowsXP set on the "" tab Policy» switch « Optimize for quick removal».

Method number 2. Converting a flash drive.

To do this, you need to use a file system conversion program " convert.exe» ( File System Conversion Utility, you can read the description , is in the folder C:\WINDOWS\system32\).

Click the button Start", select " Execute...", type the command " cmd", and click the " OK».

A command handler window should appear.

In it you need to type the following command:

« convert<буква_флешки>: / fs:ntfs/nosecurity /x».

In my example you need to enter " convertr: /fs:ntfs/nosecurity /x».

Press "Enter", after conversion is completed, enter the command " exit" and press "Enter", or simply close the window.

In the picture below I showed an example of using this command.

If the flash drive is already in the format NTFS, then there will be no conversion. And so it happened, because... after the first method, my flash drive was already in the format NTFS. I formatted it again FAT32, and again executed the command “ convert».

As a result, I saw this message and received a flash drive in the format NTFS.

• Although the utility convert.exe allows you to convert the file system of a flash drive without losing data; it is recommended to copy all the data on the flash drive to your computer’s hard drive before converting;
• There must be free space on the flash drive to convert the file system. Otherwise you will receive an error message. In this case, free up the required space on the flash drive by deleting unnecessary files, or copy some of the files to your PC’s hard drive;
• If the flash drive is labeled " Volume Label", then when you try to convert, the message " Enter the volume label for the disk<буква_флешки>: " In this case, enter the label of your flash drive, otherwise you will not be able to convert the flash drive - the message “ Invalid drive label specified" Or, before you start converting, remove the checkmark in the " Properties" on the tab " Are common».

Method No. 3. Using the free HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool.

Download the program from the Internet (you can download it, for example, from here: version 2.2.3.0).

Run the file HPUSBDisk.exe. A window should appear as shown in the picture below.

The program is in English, however, it is easy to understand:

• If multiple USB devices are connected, the drop-down list " Device» select the one you need (the flash drive you want to format);
• On the menu " File system» select NTFS(or, if necessary, FAT/FAT32);
• You can specify a label in the text field " Volume label" (not necessary);
• For quick formatting, check the " Quick Format»;
• Click the button Start»;
• A dialog box will appear warning (in English) that all data on the flash drive will be destroyed. Click the button Yes»;
• Wait for the formatting process to complete and in the dialog box that appears with the formatting results, click the " OK».

Be careful when choosing a device to format so that you don't accidentally format the wrong removable drive.

Before changing the system, be sure to copy all the data on the flash drive to your computer’s hard drive.

After converting the file system of the flash drive to NTFS it will be possible to record files of size more 4GB.

The article uses materials from sites

When writing some files to an external hard drive (flash drive, memory card), an error suddenly appears. But everything is correct, the disk opens in Explorer, other files are copied and deleted, but one file is not written even if you crack it! Even formatting doesn't help.

Look at the file size, I'm sure it will be more than 4GB. And if such a file is not copied to an external drive, then it needs to be reformatted, but to the NTFS file system.

Formatting to NTFS

Right-click on the disk and select “Format…”

IMPORTANT: The file system should be NTFS, that's the whole point. Leave the “Quick (cleaning table of contents)” checkbox. "Volume label" - any. Click “Start” and wait for the process to complete.

WHEN FORMATING ALL DATA ON THIS DISK WILL BE DESTROYED! So if there are any, copy them to another location first.

Now you can record any files. The whole point was that your USB drive was formatted in the FAT32 system, where the maximum size of one file is only 4GB. Please note that not all external devices understand the NTFS format.

Sometimes problems can arise, as they say, out of nowhere. It is precisely such eccentricities that provoke confusion among users, a lack of understanding of what caused the problem, and even more so, how to solve it.

A flash drive, which is currently the leader among removable storage devices, is often used to store any content that is very important for a person’s professional activities, as well as for organizing their free time in an interesting way.

Resetting a favorite movie is a piece of cake for many. What a disappointment and incredible surprise it is when you suddenly discover that files are not copied to the flash drive.

At the same time, they begin to be even more surprised when they discover that one film is copied without problems, but the second simply refuses. It is for this reason that many people want to figure out why .

Problems with resetting content

In most cases, this problem occurs when the user tries to drop a large file. Of course, many may object and say that for a large flash drive, a capacity of 4 GB may be negligible, but believe me, even this can act as the main reason.

Causes and solutions to problems

If you are unable to copy a file to a flash drive, pay attention not so much to the size of your removable drive, but rather to what format it is supplied in.

In most cases, manufacturers format removable media in FAT16 or FAT32 format. In this case, no matter how much you try to change something, to force a video larger than 4 GB to be copied, you will not succeed.

The fact is that such a file system does not support moving and saving large files. However, this does not mean that you will have to fold your arms and never achieve your goal.

Everything can be solved, you just have to first format the flash drive in NTFS format. Right-click on it, select the “Format” option, and in the window that opens, select the NTFS format.

Once this process is completed, repeat the process of copying the large video file. We are confident that this time what you previously failed to do will now work out.

Of course, this is not the only reason for the problem. It may happen that there is simply no free space on the flash drive.

In this case, you should check the amount of filled and free volume. You can open “Computer”, hover your mouse over the removable media icon, and information regarding free space will appear.

You can also simply view this information by right-clicking on the media shortcut and selecting the “Properties” option. A new window will open, which will indicate the information of interest and even demonstrate it in a pie chart.

Viruses can block the process of copying content, so it doesn’t hurt to check the media with an anti-virus program.

Sometimes the process of moving files is not possible on someone else's computer, while on others this problem does not arise. In this case, you may suspect incorrect settings on the PC when the ability to copy is prohibited by the system administrator of a particular PC.

And finally, you can check the flash drive for system errors. To do this, click on the “Properties” option, go to the “Service” subsection and there click “Run check”.

So, such an unpleasant situation associated with the inability to copy, in most cases, can be solved by you yourself if you strictly follow all these recommendations.