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Write files larger than 4 GB to fat32. How to transfer a large file to a flash drive: types of files, sizes, amount of memory, various ways to copy files

So, you don’t have the Internet at home, you don’t have movies, you carry games home on USB flash ke. For this purpose, go to the store and buy a larger flash drive of 16, or even 32 Gig.

Solving the problem of writing files larger than 4 gigabytes to a USB flash drive

You download your favorite file in a place where you have access to the Internet, and woe is it, you can’t write it to a flash drive; after repeated attempts, we get one answer: the file is too large for the final file system, this is exactly the answer the user gets from a huge USB flash drives when trying to record a movie that weighs more than 4 gigabytes. And this is when, in our advanced times, if there is a video format excellent quality HDTV or HD, having purchased a large-capacity flash drive on purpose, when we receive such an answer, we are, to put it mildly, shocked.

The first thought was that they sold us a marriage. Which, in principle, is quite possible when purchasing flash drives from the Internet from sites of dubious origin. But we will consider a situation where the flash drive is fully operational and meets the expected characteristics. Then we start googling hysterically: what’s the problem, what happened? And Google advises, dear users world wide web you can use special ones software cut your film into parts smaller than 4 gigabytes, and what if it is an archive? The answer is the same, the Win RAR program can divide archives into parts almost free form. Then we ask, maybe we have a disk image with the game? And again we get the answer: dear users, the image can also be divided into such parts as you want.

But the user is like this difficult process he’s not happy with working with large files, and after rustling around the forums, he understands: the dog is buried in the size of the flash drive clusters, and if we change them, happiness will come to us. And we get into the weeds again: they will tell us that there are a bunch of utilities for resizing a USB flash drive cluster, but the truth is that not all are suitable, not all of them do what is needed. And as always, everything turns out to be much simpler, and the result was, in fact, right under our noses.

As a result, we find out that we need to format the USB in NTFS format. So what if you have Win 7 and higher, then go to the flash drive menu, click the format tab and select the NTFS format. And fortunately, we have the ability to record a file of any size, which does not exceed the capacity of the flash drive. If you are still using XP, then everything is a little more complicated, but nevertheless solvable: go to the properties of my computer, device manager, disk devices, USB device, right properties and click the policy tab, in it we mark the section to optimize performance. And now we get the opportunity to format flash drives from XP. for NTFS format.

I would like to note that the default FAT 32 recording format provided quick extraction flash drive, therefore there is less chance of it being damaged if it is incorrectly disconnected from the computer. While it is recommended to remove a flash drive formatted for NTFS using software methods, since there is a risk of losing not only data, but also the drive itself.

Therefore, I would like to warn you that you perform all actions with your flash drive at your own peril and risk.

Users often encounter that when trying to record large file on the flash drive they get an error. This usually happens when trying to write a file larger than 4 GB. The system reports that the file is too large and refuses to write. At the same time, at the time of recording, there may be several tens of free gigabytes on the flash drive, but they cannot be used. If you are faced with a similar problem, then this article should help you. Here you will find out why the system refuses to write large files to a flash drive and how you can fix it.

The reason this problem occurs is that most flash drives from the factory come with file system FAT32. This file system is quite old and therefore has many limitations, which are very noticeable in modern realities. In particular, the FAT32 file system does not support files larger than 4 gigabytes.

In order to get rid of this limitation and write files of any size to a flash drive, you need to change the file system of the flash drive from FAT32 to NTFS. This can be done in two ways: by formatting the flash drive in NTFS or by converting the file system from FAT32 to NTFS. Next we will look at both of these methods.

Method number 1. Formatting a flash drive.

The easiest way to get the ability to write files big size this is on a flash drive. In this case, all files from the flash drive will be deleted. Therefore, before formatting, you need to transfer them to a computer or another flash drive.

So, in order to format a flash drive in NTFS you need to open “My Computer” and click right click mouse on your flash drive. In the menu that opens, select “Format”.

As a result, a small window will open in front of you to format the flash drive. Here, in the “File system” drop-down menu, the “FAT32” option will be selected. You need to open this drop-down menu and select the NTFS file system.

The remaining settings can be left unchanged. After changing the file system, simply click on the “Start” button.

After this, you will see a warning about deleting files from the flash drive. In order to continue you need to click on the “Ok” button.

After this, the system will begin formatting the flash drive to NTFS. Typically the formatting process only takes a couple of seconds. Once everything is ready, you will see a corresponding message.

Method No. 2. Converting the file system from FAT32 to NTFS.

The second way to get the opportunity to write large files to a flash drive is to perform. When converting the file system, the files on the flash drive are saved. But, you still need to do backup copy files. Because if the conversion process fails, files may be lost.

In order to convert the file system, you need to open the “Command Prompt” with administrator rights and run the command “ convert X: /FS:NTFS" In this case, the letter “X” must be replaced with the letter that was assigned to your flash drive when connected.

After executing this command, the system will begin converting the file system. The time required for conversion depends on the size of the flash drive, its speed and the number of files. But, in most cases, the conversion takes place in less than 1 minute. Once the conversion is complete, a message will appear in the Command Prompt indicating that the conversion is complete.

Now you can try to write a large file to the flash drive. If everything was done correctly, now files larger than 4 GB will be written without problems.

You can store movie collections in high quality, images, games, archives. If you tried to transfer something to such a flash drive, and the “File is too large for the destination file system” window or the message “No disk space” popped up, this does not mean that the flash drive is faulty or damaged. Most likely there is a limitation on it. And you won’t be able to transfer a file larger than 4 GB to it. Even if the media memory is 32 GB. At the same time, you can easily upload 10 videos of 3 GB each to it.


This occurs due to the file system (FS) and is associated with some of its features. Typically, flash drives have one of the versions of FAT - File Allocation Table. It is this that prevents you from writing a large file to external drive. Even on a 128 GB flash drive.

There is another FS - NTFS or New Technology File System. It is widely used in Microsoft Windows. And it does not block downloading if the file exceeds 4 GB. Even in NTFS much smaller size each cluster is a certain area into which information is added.

To make an analogy, imagine a piece of paper with a tic-tac-toe board on it. One cell equals a cluster. If you put a cross in it, you will fill it out entirely (that is, you will no longer be able to write any data there). Even if there is still room left in it. For both file systems overall size this field is the same - for example, one notebook sheet. In FAT, it fits 9 cells (3 by 3 field). And in NTFS - 49 (field 7 by 7). Because in the second case the clusters (cells) are smaller.

In addition, in NTFS you can configure quotas and set access rights. There is logging, which increases reliability.

If, when copying, you see the warning “The file is too large for the destination file system,” then the drive is set to FAT. To check this:

  1. Insert the flash drive into the USB port.
  2. Open My Computer. Your flash drive should be displayed there.
  3. Right-click on it.
  4. Select Properties. The information you need will be there.

It’s easy to find out the file type - to do this, go to Media Properties

If "FAT" is indicated, it means that only data up to 4 GB in size can be written to the disk. But what if you downloaded a video and want to watch it on TV? Or do you need to transfer an archive of photos?

You can remove the restriction on maximum volume. Before copying a large file to a flash drive, change the FS. If the drive is a boot disk, you must leave FAT.

Formatting

Most easy way- format the USB drive and immediately assign it necessary settings. But absolutely all information, even encoded and hidden, will be erased from it. Therefore, you need to transfer everything that is there to another medium. Then you can return your documents to the formatted drive.

Here's how to write a large file to a flash drive:

  1. Plug in its USB port.
  2. Open My Computer
  3. Right-click on the name of the flash drive.
  4. Click Format.
  5. Select "NTFS" from the drop-down list.
  6. Click "Start".
  7. Wait.

This will clear the "File is too large for target file system" warning.

If there is no “NTFS” line in that menu, do the following:

  1. Open Control Panel. You can enter it through “Start”.
  2. You need "Device Manager". It is in the Hardware and Sound category. Open it.
  3. Expand the "Disk devices" list.
  4. Find your flash drive in it.
  5. Right-click on its name.
  6. “Properties” item.
  7. "Politics" tab.
  8. Place a marker next to the line “Optimize for execution.”
  9. Click OK.

Try formatting the flash drive to NTFS again. And you can drop a large file on it.

Conversion

The drive can be converted to the desired file system. To do this, Windows has an option “File System Conversion Utility” or “Convert.exe”. There is no need to launch it manually. It is controlled through commands.

Here's how to transfer a large file to a flash drive:

  1. In the input field, write “cmd” without quotes. A window will open with a black background and white characters. This is the command line.
  2. Insert the drive into the USB slot.
  3. Open My Computer.
  4. Find your flash drive there. Look at the name of the disc ( external devices letter names “F:”, “L:”, “H:”) are assigned.
  5. IN command line you need to enter or copy the command “convert [drive name] /fs:ntfs /nosecurity /x”. Instead of “drive name,” write the letter of the flash drive. And after it put a colon. That is, it should look something like “convert G: …”.
  6. Wait until the "Conversion Complete" message appears.

Now try writing a large file to the drive.

When converting, nothing is erased from the media. But still, before changing the file system, clean the flash drive and create a backup copy of the data. There must be free space on the USB drive for successful conversion.

If during conversion the error “Enter a volume label for the disk” appears, write the label (the full name of the disk). Or uncheck it in the “Properties” menu in the “General” section. Just remove what is written in the input field at the top.

HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool

To convert a flash drive, use the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool".

  1. Search the Internet and download this utility. There should only be one executable file"HPUSBDisk.exe."
  2. Right-click on it.
  3. Select "As administrator".
  4. Find your flash drive in the “Devices” list. It should already be inserted into the USB connector.
  5. In field " File system» specify "NTFS".
  6. You can set a label (“Volume Label”).
  7. During the conversion, all data on the drive will be erased. It makes sense to copy them to a PC and then return them to a flash drive.
  8. Click "Start". Before doing this, make sure that you have selected the correct media. So as not to accidentally format something else.

After this, try writing the necessary data to the drive.

Now you know how to transfer a large file to a flash drive. We need to transfer it to another file system. Then the size limitation will disappear. Choose any method you like.

Hello dear visitors. Yesterday they asked me a question: what should I do? I can’t transfer a large file to a flash drive? The system says that there is not enough disk space, but there is enough space on the flash drive. It was necessary to copy a movie about 9 GB in size to a 16 GB flash drive. If you think logically, then everything should fit, but the system refused to put such a large file on a flash drive and that’s it.

I knew what was going on, and while I was explaining what needed to be done, a bright thought appeared in my head that I should write about it on a blog, so I’m actually writing it :). Let's first explain why large files, or to be precise, files larger than 4 GB do not want to be written to the flash drive and a message appears that there is not enough disk space.

The fact is that when you buy a flash drive, it is already formatted in the file system FAT32, and the file system is FAT32 does not support files larger than 4 GB. Here's the thing, it's very simple. We need to change the file system of the flash drive from FAT32 to NTFS. Because the NTFS file system supports, if I'm not mistaken, files up to 16 GB.

This question is becoming more and more relevant every day, because the size of memory on flash drives is growing and they are becoming cheaper every day. You can already buy a 16 GB flash drive for the same money that a year ago you could only buy a 4 GB one.

We just need to change the file system of our flash drive from FAT32 to NTFS. I will now write two ways in which this can be done.

Format the flash drive to the NTFS file system

I have already written about how. But I think it wouldn’t hurt to repeat it again and point out Special attention that we are formatting it into an NTFS system.

Attention! Formatting a flash drive will destroy all information on it. Make sure that your flash drive does not contain the files you need. If there are, then copy them to your computer.

We connect the flash drive to the computer, wait until the computer recognizes it, go to "My computer" and right-click on our flash drive, select "Format".

A window will open in which we need to select the NTFS file system, select and click “Start”. We agree to the system warning.

After the formatting process is completed, you will receive a clean flash drive with file NTFS system, to which you can copy large files.

Converting a flash drive to NTFS for writing large files

The second method is to simply convert the flash drive to NTFS. This method essentially differs from the first, only in that the files you have on the flash drive will not be lost. But I still advise you not to risk it and copy necessary files on computer.

Our flash drive is connected and recognized by the computer. We go to “Start”, "All programs", “Standard” and select “Run”. Or just press Win+R. A window will open in which we write the command cmd and click “Ok”.

A window will open in which we need to enter a command to convert the flash drive to NTFS:

convert k : /fs:ntfs /nosecurity /x

Where k is the letter that the computer assigned to your flash drive, go to "My computer" and see what letter you have. Enter this command and press “Enter”.

Once completed, a report will appear:

How to transfer a large file to a flash drive? Converting a flash drive to the NTFS file system. updated: December 27, 2012 by: admin

Why can't I transfer a 4GB or larger file to my USB flash drive?
This is due to the FAT32 limitation. Files larger than 4 GB cannot be saved in FAT32 format. Formatting the flash drive in NTFS or exFAT will resolve this issue.

ATTENTION: Do backup your data. Formatting will delete all data in the device memory.

SOLUTION 1. Formatting in exFAT

exFAT is a new file system that allows you to save a file larger than 4 GB on your device. This file system is also compatible with Mac.

Windows 7 and Mac OS 10.6 and higher are compatible with exFAT natively. Previous OS may require a patch for exFAT compatibility.

NOTE: exFAT file system is not compatible with some devices such as TVs, gaming systems, older operating systems, car radios etc.

Formatting a flash drive to exFAT

  1. Double-click on My Computer.
  2. Right-click on the flash drive or memory card and select Format.
  3. In the list of File Systems, click on exFAT.
  4. Select Get Started.
  5. Select OK to start formatting.

SOLUTION 2: Format to NTFS

ATTENTION:
- After formatting your device to NTFS, you will not be able to write to the disk on Mac. Majority Mac computers can read NTFS, but not write.
- NTFS is a journaling file system, this means more read/write activity. Thus, the life expectancy of the device will be reduced.
- Once the device is formatted to NTFS, you should use Safe removal devices.

STEP 1 - Optimizing the Flash Drive for Better Performance

  1. Connect your device to your PC.
  2. Open Control Panel
    a)Windows 8
    b) Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
  3. Right-click on the flash drive and then select Properties.
  4. Select the Hardware tab.
  5. Select SanDisk Cruzer USB Drive, select Properties.
  6. Click the Settings tab.
  7. Select Optimize Performance and then click OK

STEP 2 - Format flash drive

  1. Double-click the My Computer icon.
  2. Right-click on the flash drive, then select Format.
  3. On the list system files, click NTFS.
  4. Click the Start button.
  5. Click OK to start formatting.