where did I back up from to? when?

So The point is
Shit Windows has a hidden file path limit that destroys your ability to restore your backup! And they provide no method or protection or solution or notice for this absurd flaw! You cant find the flaw nor delete it!? Fucking assholes.

You Pre-prepare your disk Must use fringe software found on the net to expunge all the long file name paths that have accumulated on your disk. See below.

The to do back ups the process is still a struggle, without full confidence that the back up will be reliable.


Ed: i can find long files in pathscanner.exe, with apparentlly the older gui versios, parhelia tools, but I cannot find them in windows file finder and thus I cannot delete them, clean up disk did not help even though they are IE user app nonsense files.

255 is the length I searched for

http://www.parhelia-tools.com/
http://www.pathscanner.com/
new version reverted to command line, not delete option?

Ed.:I used old gui version, and then used long path fixer to manually chase down the too long bastard folders and then deleted them with long path fixer and now i can do a better image back up using Acronis image back up (from the boot CD and the whole drive at a time! For max non corruption some even decry compression of anykind, I think I use a little bit) and I tried free Macrium as a test who knows. 7zip may be of interest to delete long file names also.

http://www.macrium.com/reflectfree.aspx


http://corz.org/windows/software/accessories/Long-Path-Fixer-for-Windows.php#section-Download

http://corz.org/windows/software/accessories/Long-Path-Fixer-for-Windows.php

http://www.ghacks.net/2014/07/23/access-blocked-files-folders-long-path-fixer-windows/

Arthur July 24, 2014 at 10:54 pm #

7-Zip's File Manager can rename/move/delete files and folders with long names. Not many people are aware of this feature.

gdv August 4, 2014 at 6:06 am #

@foomonger (August 1, 2014)


"I didn't know about this, either. Nice tip, or seems so. I tried it and got this:"

http://i.imgur.com/ACYkbVA.png


Hmmm. I was able to replicate your results (by deliberately renaming some test files with TooLongPathFileNames from within 7-Zip File Manager and then attempting to delete them to the Recycle Bin).... ...but I hadn't noticed that before because I rarely delete to the Recycle Bin (i.e., I usually completely delete files from the file system by holding down the Shift key while deleting).


If you right-click on the TooLongPathFileName file (within 7-Zip File Manager) and hold down the Shift key while selecting 'Delete' from the 7-Zip context menu, it should delete the file from the file system.


...Interesting that files with TooLongPathFileName can be moved from one folder to another within 7-Zip without shortening the filename (and even moved to a folder with a longer PathName), but cannot be "moved" to the Recycle Bin.