dumb computer question

[Moon]

I'm having a weird problem with some new hardware.

I upgraded to USB 2.0 and have a new 2gig thumb drive. When attempting to move files to this drive I get a message saying: cannot create directory or folder

but only for some files. I first tried copying multiple files and 50 or so copied fine, but all stopped once it hit the offending file. So I retry leaving out that particular file, I still get the error after 20 er so files have been copied.

So then I tried to copy one of the offending files (one which could not be copied) individually to another directory not on the thumb drive, no problem. Tried to copy the same file to the thumb drive and got the same error message. Any clue what I am missing here?

I did check for space issues and that is not it. over 90% free space on the drive. Do these thumb drives need formated or any prep work? I just plugged it in, and it was recognized just fine. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Thanks!

 

[TonyV]

That is a strange one Moon...definitely not a dumb one! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
From everything you've done, it seems the issue is definitely with the thumb drive. Have you noticed whether or not the offending files share a particular extension? (exe., wav., doc., etc.) Not that this helps in an immediate solution, but it could be a clue. Once you have that info, whether its a particular file type or not, I think your going to have to give the thumb drive manufacturer a call. Most have help lines.

...Tony

 

[Moon]

Good thought Tony. The files are all .jpg and .gif's. At first a couple that failed had underscores in the name (_), but trying a bit more I got one that did not have a underscore in it. Some of the .gif and .jpg both copied okay onto the drive, and can be accessed on the drive.
I've used the slower speed thumbs before and never had any issues like this. I dropped the thumb drive when moving the computer to hook up the external USB device ....maybe I messed it up that way. But, since it's solid state i would've guess it would either work or not. Not be so persnickity ....

Thanks for you reply! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Hakim]

Hummm... Check the "length" of the file names. There is some "maximum" number of characters allowed in the file name. Also, there is a limit to the "depth" of directories (maybe six or eight).

If the file offends any of these parameters, it will not copy over.

Also, you might just want to re-format the thumbdrive. Make sure it is NTSF (or FAT32) -- if that is what your "main" hard drive format is. Shouldn't matter, but sometimes it just does. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Here is a link to a comparison of the different OS's and their max naming conventions: File system comparisons

 

[getut]

What operating system do you have? If it is Windows XP with no service pack installed, then USB 2.0 is problematic. It is even finicky about the order that the drivers are installed to make USB 2.0 work unless the Windows XP is installed with SP1 or SP2 already integrated into the installer.

Some motherboards also have problems with certain USB devices when used in combination with other USB devices. Try upgrading the BIOS on your motherboard.

 

[Moon]

Thanks Hakim. It's not a file name issue, The names not copying are shorter than others that copied. I'm copying to the top directory, no directories on the thumb drive ....but when I tried to copy the whole directory with the files in it, after I had failed a few times just getting the files alone, I got the same error message immediately on the directory name. The entire error message is:
Cannot create or replace DIRNAME; the directory or file cannot be created. I just tried this process again with a small dir and it failed again immediately, without copying anything.

I'm thinking the format idea can't hurt anything.

 

[Moon]

Thanks getut ...more good thoughts.

I'm running XP professional service pack 1. I was able to copy enough files to see the difference in USB 1.0 vs 2.0. It was definitely faster. I'll dig into this aspect further if the format does not solve my problem.

Thanks! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Soundguy]

Now that is a weird one. i just picke dup a thumb drive myself ( itty bitty one that was on clearance... 64mb ) just to try it out. I've been shutteling files back and forth to work on it instead of using a zip disk.

So far no problems. The only weird thing I haveseen is that I can plug in the thumb drive and copy the files over and then pull it out all before windows notifies me that the hardware was setup.. but all the files copy over fine. I think mine is formatted fat32

soundguy

 

[Moon]

It appears the format fixed it. I'd never formatted one of these things before, but it was painless. Very fast, since it solid state. I formatted in Fat32. Keeping my fingers crossed that the data is still on it once I get home.

Thanks All!!!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Mrwurm]

I've had similiar problems transferring image files to a compact flash card using a usb card reader. Formatting the compact flash card and starting over fixed the problem. Seems that the format from the factory may not always be compatible with your system.