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2GB file size limitation



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 7th 06, 04:08 AM posted to microsoft.public.win98.disks.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2GB file size limitation

Hi, as I am sure you guys know, W98 has problems with file sizes over 2GB.
Has there ever been a workaround or other fix?
  #2  
Old February 7th 06, 04:36 AM posted to microsoft.public.win98.disks.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2GB file size limitation


"Smokr" wrote in message ...
| Hi, as I am sure you guys know, W98 has problems with file sizes over 2GB.
| Has there ever been a workaround or other fix?

Archived data from Rick Rogers MS-MVP - Win9x


Win9x systems can *theoretically* utilize up to 2GB of physical RAM and 2GB
of virtual RAM. There are, however, a few other factors to consider he

1) Most older motherboards can't handle that much
2) other problems can arise when you exceed 512MB and
3) the *practical* limit is more like 1GB.

For systems exceeding 512MB, you should add this line to the [vcache]
section of system.ini:

MaxFileCache=512000

And, actually, that line should represent 70% of the system RAM up to a
maximum of 524288. This tweak may also be useful on systems using 128MB or better, but the upper limit is essential on systems exceeding 512MB of RAM

It has also been documented by Microsoft that you should not exceed 1.5GB of
RAM in many (but not all) systems using Win9x, please see:

Computer May Reboot Continuously with More Than 1.5 GB of RAM [Q304943]
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q304943

"Out of Memory" Errors with Large Amounts of RAM Installed [Q253912]
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q253912

But, the question one needs to ask oneself is this: "Can I utilize more
RAM?". If you put in more RAM than you can actually use, then for all
practical purposes you are wasting money and will see no real increase in
performance beyond better caching of recently used programs (good if you
restart them a short time later, they will reload faster).

To tell if you can actually use more memory, use system monitor to watch the
swap file (monitor "swap file in use"). If you are continually actively
swapping, then more RAM will be of use to you. If you are not actively
swapping, then additional RAM will probably not bring any increases in
performance beyond the caching of recently used files.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Associate Expert - Windows XP
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
Please reply only to newsgroup...
  #3  
Old February 7th 06, 05:16 AM posted to microsoft.public.win98.disks.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2GB file size limitation

I don't have a problem with the memory. I fact, I use those and other tweaks
after a reintall or on a new disc install.
What I am refering to is the limitation of files size for a particular file.
For instance, I found the old black and white move "The Giant Gila Monster"
which is open domain and has no copyright owner any more by the way, LOL, on
the Internet Archive site.
I downloaded it fine, but I can do nothing with it as it is 3.1 GB in size.
When I attempt to transfer it over my network at home from the file server
to the PC I use video software on, it is not recognized as a valid file "The
File Parameters are incorrect" error window comes up. The file size reported
is -1142278140 bytes.
What I was asking, is if there has been a fix to let Win98 deal with
individual files over the 2GB or so size.

Archived data from Rick Rogers MS-MVP - Win9x


Win9x systems can *theoretically* utilize up to 2GB of physical RAM and 2GB
of virtual RAM. There are, however, a few other factors to consider he

1) Most older motherboards can't handle that much
2) other problems can arise when you exceed 512MB and
3) the *practical* limit is more like 1GB.

For systems exceeding 512MB, you should add this line to the [vcache]
section of system.ini:

MaxFileCache=512000

And, actually, that line should represent 70% of the system RAM up to a
maximum of 524288. This tweak may also be useful on systems using 128MB or better, but the upper limit is essential on systems exceeding 512MB of RAM

It has also been documented by Microsoft that you should not exceed 1.5GB of
RAM in many (but not all) systems using Win9x, please see:

Computer May Reboot Continuously with More Than 1.5 GB of RAM [Q304943]
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q304943

"Out of Memory" Errors with Large Amounts of RAM Installed [Q253912]
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q253912

But, the question one needs to ask oneself is this: "Can I utilize more
RAM?". If you put in more RAM than you can actually use, then for all
practical purposes you are wasting money and will see no real increase in
performance beyond better caching of recently used programs (good if you
restart them a short time later, they will reload faster).

To tell if you can actually use more memory, use system monitor to watch the
swap file (monitor "swap file in use"). If you are continually actively
swapping, then more RAM will be of use to you. If you are not actively
swapping, then additional RAM will probably not bring any increases in
performance beyond the caching of recently used files.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Associate Expert - Windows XP
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
Please reply only to newsgroup...

  #4  
Old February 7th 06, 05:46 AM posted to microsoft.public.win98.disks.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2GB file size limitation

the 2GB limit is a fat16 limit
fat32 drives should have no problems to 4GB sizes, i have DV files in
conversion from camera to dvd, 1-4GB each on fat32 drives and there are no
problems.
Are your drives fat32, if not why not,, ha ha
the conversion utitlity is included in all win98 installs
start
run
fat32win.exe
MS official response
File System Limitations
Table 4.4 describes the size and domain limitations of each file system.
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d...iwp_sdox.asp--
-
Adaware http://www.lavasoft.de
spybot http://security.kolla.de
AVG free antivirus http://www.grisoft.com
Etrust/Vet/CA.online Antivirus scan
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virusinfo/scan.aspx
Panda online AntiVirus scan http://www.activescan.com
Panda online AntiSpyware Scan
http://www.pandasoftware.com/virus_info/spyware/test/
Catalog of removal tools (1)
http://www.pandasoftware.com/download/utilities/
Catalog of removal tools (2)
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/n...aspx?CID=40387
Trouble Shooting guide to Windows http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/
Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts file
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
links provided as a courtesy, read all instructions on the pages before
use
Grateful thanks to the authors/webmasters
_
"Smokr" wrote in message
...
I don't have a problem with the memory. I fact, I use those and other

tweaks
after a reintall or on a new disc install.
What I am refering to is the limitation of files size for a particular

file.
For instance, I found the old black and white move "The Giant Gila

Monster"
which is open domain and has no copyright owner any more by the way, LOL,

on
the Internet Archive site.
I downloaded it fine, but I can do nothing with it as it is 3.1 GB in

size.
When I attempt to transfer it over my network at home from the file server
to the PC I use video software on, it is not recognized as a valid file

"The
File Parameters are incorrect" error window comes up. The file size

reported
is -1142278140 bytes.
What I was asking, is if there has been a fix to let Win98 deal with
individual files over the 2GB or so size.

Archived data from Rick Rogers MS-MVP - Win9x


Win9x systems can *theoretically* utilize up to 2GB of physical RAM and

2GB
of virtual RAM. There are, however, a few other factors to consider

he

1) Most older motherboards can't handle that much
2) other problems can arise when you exceed 512MB and
3) the *practical* limit is more like 1GB.

For systems exceeding 512MB, you should add this line to the [vcache]
section of system.ini:

MaxFileCache=512000

And, actually, that line should represent 70% of the system RAM up to a
maximum of 524288. This tweak may also be useful on systems using 128MB

or better, but the upper limit is essential on systems exceeding 512MB of
RAM

It has also been documented by Microsoft that you should not exceed

1.5GB of
RAM in many (but not all) systems using Win9x, please see:

Computer May Reboot Continuously with More Than 1.5 GB of RAM [Q304943]
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q304943

"Out of Memory" Errors with Large Amounts of RAM Installed [Q253912]
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q253912

But, the question one needs to ask oneself is this: "Can I utilize more
RAM?". If you put in more RAM than you can actually use, then for all
practical purposes you are wasting money and will see no real increase

in
performance beyond better caching of recently used programs (good if you
restart them a short time later, they will reload faster).

To tell if you can actually use more memory, use system monitor to watch

the
swap file (monitor "swap file in use"). If you are continually actively
swapping, then more RAM will be of use to you. If you are not actively
swapping, then additional RAM will probably not bring any increases in
performance beyond the caching of recently used files.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Associate Expert - Windows XP
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
Please reply only to newsgroup...



  #5  
Old February 7th 06, 09:47 AM posted to microsoft.public.win98.disks.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2GB file size limitation


"Smokr" wrote in message ...
| Hi, as I am sure you guys know, W98 has problems with file sizes over 2GB.
| Has there ever been a workaround or other fix?

Sorry I misunderstood your question.
  #6  
Old February 7th 06, 11:31 AM posted to microsoft.public.win98.disks.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2GB file size limitation

For FAT systems there's no way of getting around the 2Gb limitation.

For FAT32 systems your files can be up to 4Gb, but not all applications
properly handle files of that size. If you find particular applications
having problems with files over 2Gb then look for a newer version, or a
different application.

I am not aware of a problem transferring large files, but it's possible that
there is some component in the network that is misinterpreting the file size
information and reporting an invalid negative file size. Try a different
copy procedure. Or use a file splitter application to split the file,
transfer it and put it back together on the local PC.
--
Jeff Richards
MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User)
"Smokr" wrote in message
...
I don't have a problem with the memory. I fact, I use those and other
tweaks
after a reintall or on a new disc install.
What I am refering to is the limitation of files size for a particular
file.
For instance, I found the old black and white move "The Giant Gila
Monster"
which is open domain and has no copyright owner any more by the way, LOL,
on
the Internet Archive site.
I downloaded it fine, but I can do nothing with it as it is 3.1 GB in
size.
When I attempt to transfer it over my network at home from the file server
to the PC I use video software on, it is not recognized as a valid file
"The
File Parameters are incorrect" error window comes up. The file size
reported
is -1142278140 bytes.
What I was asking, is if there has been a fix to let Win98 deal with
individual files over the 2GB or so size.



  #7  
Old February 7th 06, 02:37 PM posted to microsoft.public.win98.disks.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2GB file size limitation

Using 98SE in this case. Tried using VisualStudio version 5.0 (old) to
convert raw video to avi. Best it could do was 2GB. Tried in ME, 4GB was
possible. Same identical application. Both 98SE (all updates) and ME (no
updates) were/are on FAT32 partitions.
For this, and a number of other reasons, switched to ME for this specific
application and subsequent versions.
Funny, though, 98SE could read the larger than 2GB to 4GB files. Just
couldn't write them with this application.
--
Jonny
"Smokr" wrote in message
...
Hi, as I am sure you guys know, W98 has problems with file sizes over 2GB.
Has there ever been a workaround or other fix?



  #8  
Old February 10th 06, 06:51 AM posted to microsoft.public.win98.disks.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2GB file size limitation

Exactly. But my Win98 says the file size is a negative number. I've not seen
that before.
LOL

"Jonny" wrote:

Using 98SE in this case. Tried using VisualStudio version 5.0 (old) to
convert raw video to avi. Best it could do was 2GB. Tried in ME, 4GB was
possible. Same identical application. Both 98SE (all updates) and ME (no
updates) were/are on FAT32 partitions.
For this, and a number of other reasons, switched to ME for this specific
application and subsequent versions.
Funny, though, 98SE could read the larger than 2GB to 4GB files. Just
couldn't write them with this application.
--
Jonny
"Smokr" wrote in message
...
Hi, as I am sure you guys know, W98 has problems with file sizes over 2GB.
Has there ever been a workaround or other fix?




  #9  
Old February 10th 06, 06:54 AM posted to microsoft.public.win98.disks.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2GB file size limitation

Unless you stop it by saying no at the window, a Win98SE install will use
FAT32 during the format/install anyway.
And of course all my drives are FAT32


"AlmostBob" wrote:

the 2GB limit is a fat16 limit
fat32 drives should have no problems to 4GB sizes, i have DV files in
conversion from camera to dvd, 1-4GB each on fat32 drives and there are no
problems.
Are your drives fat32, if not why not,, ha ha
the conversion utitlity is included in all win98 installs
start
run
fat32win.exe
MS official response
File System Limitations
Table 4.4 describes the size and domain limitations of each file system.
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d...iwp_sdox.asp--
-
Adaware http://www.lavasoft.de
spybot http://security.kolla.de
AVG free antivirus http://www.grisoft.com
Etrust/Vet/CA.online Antivirus scan
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virusinfo/scan.aspx
Panda online AntiVirus scan http://www.activescan.com
Panda online AntiSpyware Scan
http://www.pandasoftware.com/virus_info/spyware/test/
Catalog of removal tools (1)
http://www.pandasoftware.com/download/utilities/
Catalog of removal tools (2)
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/n...aspx?CID=40387
Trouble Shooting guide to Windows http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/
Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts file
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
links provided as a courtesy, read all instructions on the pages before
use
Grateful thanks to the authors/webmasters
_
"Smokr" wrote in message
...
I don't have a problem with the memory. I fact, I use those and other

tweaks
after a reintall or on a new disc install.
What I am refering to is the limitation of files size for a particular

file.
For instance, I found the old black and white move "The Giant Gila

Monster"
which is open domain and has no copyright owner any more by the way, LOL,

on
the Internet Archive site.
I downloaded it fine, but I can do nothing with it as it is 3.1 GB in

size.
When I attempt to transfer it over my network at home from the file server
to the PC I use video software on, it is not recognized as a valid file

"The
File Parameters are incorrect" error window comes up. The file size

reported
is -1142278140 bytes.
What I was asking, is if there has been a fix to let Win98 deal with
individual files over the 2GB or so size.

Archived data from Rick Rogers MS-MVP - Win9x


Win9x systems can *theoretically* utilize up to 2GB of physical RAM and

2GB
of virtual RAM. There are, however, a few other factors to consider

he

1) Most older motherboards can't handle that much
2) other problems can arise when you exceed 512MB and
3) the *practical* limit is more like 1GB.

For systems exceeding 512MB, you should add this line to the [vcache]
section of system.ini:

MaxFileCache=512000

And, actually, that line should represent 70% of the system RAM up to a
maximum of 524288. This tweak may also be useful on systems using 128MB

or better, but the upper limit is essential on systems exceeding 512MB of
RAM

It has also been documented by Microsoft that you should not exceed

1.5GB of
RAM in many (but not all) systems using Win9x, please see:

Computer May Reboot Continuously with More Than 1.5 GB of RAM [Q304943]
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q304943

"Out of Memory" Errors with Large Amounts of RAM Installed [Q253912]
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q253912

But, the question one needs to ask oneself is this: "Can I utilize more
RAM?". If you put in more RAM than you can actually use, then for all
practical purposes you are wasting money and will see no real increase

in
performance beyond better caching of recently used programs (good if you
restart them a short time later, they will reload faster).

To tell if you can actually use more memory, use system monitor to watch

the
swap file (monitor "swap file in use"). If you are continually actively
swapping, then more RAM will be of use to you. If you are not actively
swapping, then additional RAM will probably not bring any increases in
performance beyond the caching of recently used files.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Associate Expert - Windows XP
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
Please reply only to newsgroup...




  #10  
Old February 12th 06, 09:52 PM posted to microsoft.public.win98.disks.general
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 2GB file size limitation

For all practical purposes that's built into the way the drive is organized,
e.g. sectors, clusters, Fat allocation etc. etc. Fat32 does have some limits
and it's generally imposed under 9x versions. Note one must say generally
because you can read larger files over a network etc. usually with no
problem.

If I believe some file will exceed this limitation, I first insure the app
creating/saving the file doesn't impose it's own "logic" onto the situation,
e.g. running under 9x so file can't be 2gb even though it's being saved to
a network NTFS drive. I then either run the app under XP & NTFS if that's
the problem or save it from the 9x box to an NTFS drive.

BTW - wanna see negative numbers, copy a DVD to your hard drive under 9x and
see how long it says it'll take .

"Smokr" wrote in message
...
Hi, as I am sure you guys know, W98 has problems with file sizes over 2GB.
Has there ever been a workaround or other fix?



 




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