When deleting files - Source Path Too Long

In Windows, when deleting folders/files have you seen this error message:

Source Path Too Long
The source file name(s) are larger than is supported by the file system. Try moving to a location which has a shorter path name, or try renaming to shorter name(s) before attempting this operation.

Windows 8.1 screen shot - it varies depending on your version of Windows.

If copying not deleting?

If you received a similar message when copying files, please see a previous article I wrote on how you may use RoboCopy to help in that scenario:

http://mgxp.blogspot.ch/2015/10/when-copying-files-source-path-too-long.html


Why?
It's due to a limitation of 256 characters of the folder and file name length combined.


Solution
To delete a folder that contains many sub-folders and files with very long file names, there are a few solutions out there including some third-part tools. You could also use the SUBST command to shorten the path but that may not be successful depending on the length of the files/folders you have. However, I've discovered that it's possible to use RoboCopy, the free command line tool that comes with Windows to do the job perfectly!

RoboCopy is for copying files or synchronising folders. I've written a few articles on this tool already - click here for more information. RoboCopy can understand and work with file paths longer than 256 characters. RoboCopy allows you to synchronise folder 'A' with folder 'B'. Imagine that folder 'A' is empty, there are no files in it - if we synchronise that folder with a folder that does have files (folder 'B') then that folder will also be empty. That's the solution. The following is an example of how this works in practice.

Example

I have a folder called 'Folder with very long names'. Inside this folder I have many nested sub-folders with long names. Inside those sub-folders I have many files with very long names. When I try to delete the folder (and sub-folders/files) I get the 'Source Path Too Long' error. 

At the same level of the folder I want to delete 'Folder with very long names', create a new folder called 'Empty':

The folder called 'Empty' will have nothing in it (it should be empty!). 

Open a command window (press Win+R and type CMD [Enter])

At the command prompt change to the same drive/folder where you have the folders 'Empty' and 'Folder with very long names'. 

At the command prompt type the following command:

ROBOCOPY Empty "Folder with very long names" /MIR  [Enter]

The contents of the folder 'Empty' will be mirrored (/MIR parameter) to the folder 'Folder with very long names'. Because the folder 'Empty' has nothing in it, the contents of the destination folder 'Folder with very long names' will end up with nothing in it! Perfect! Now you can remove (delete) the folder yourself without any trouble.

Conclusion

It's very annoying that Windows doesn't properly support folder and file names longer than 256 characters. It's as if they added the functionality and forgot to update all the tools. Even if you try the command line DEL command you can't delete a folder with very long folder/file names. Using RoboCopy is hassle free, it works. Again it has come to the rescue because it can also solve this issue for copying files. 

Where is the Startup folder in Windows 8?

In Windows 8 and 8.1 the Startup folder is difficult to find. It's a shame because of course you might want to add a shortcut there so that every time you start your computer a program loads automatically. After all, since Windows 95 we've been adding shortcuts to our Startup folder! 

Here's a quick way to get the Startup folder:

Press Win-R (press the Windows key, keep it pressed and press R)

The Run box will appear on the screen...

Enter the following:

shell:startup

Click OK

You'll see the Startup folder in Explorer :-) 

NOTE: This should also work in other version of Windows. 

When copying files - Source Path Too Long

In Windows, when copying files have you seen this error message:

Source Path Too Long

The source file name(s) are larger than is supported by the file system. Try moving to a location which has a shorter path name, or try renaming to shorter name(s) before attempting this operation.

Windows 8.1 screen shot - it varies depending on your version of Windows.

It's due to a limitation of 256 characters of the folder and file name length combined. 

The simplest solution I've found to this issue is to use RoboCopy to copy the files. It ignores the 256 character limit and just copies everything, no questions asked!

From the command line (CMD):
ROBOCOPY [source] [destination] /s  

For more help please have a look at the following article about RoboCopy:

http://mgxp.blogspot.ch/2015/01/robocopy-backup-and-file.html

Windows 8 and 7 - Show file extensions

If you can't see file extensions in explorer, here's the answer:

Windows 8.x

Start File Explorer (right click Start and click File Explorer)

Click the View tab

Click File Extensions - see the example below:

Windows 7
Start Windows Explorer (double click My Computer)
Click Organize
Click Folder and search options
Click the View tab (Folder Options window)
Click to disable (remove the tick) from 'Hide extensions for known file types' - as below:

Also in Control Panel

For both Windows 7 and 8 you can find Folder Options in Control Panel. Open Control Panel and search for "folder options" - you'll see the above window (Windows 7 or 8, it is the same from Control Panel).

Reference

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/show-hide-file-name-extensions#show-hide-file-name-extensions=windows-7

Thumbnail previews of image files don't appear!

In Windows 8, in File Explorer (Windows Explorer) can you see thumbnail previews of your JPG, PNG and other files? If not, click View | Large Icons - do you see them now? No, still just an application icon? Follow these steps:


Instructions
In File Explorer click Options

Click the View tab

Click to disable (remove the tick) [ ] Always show icons, never thumbnails

Click Apply and OK



Reference
The following page explains in more detail:
http://www.online-tech-tips.com/windows-8/thumbnail-previews-not-showing-in-windows-8-explorer/

IE11 - blank page, can't browse and many options are greyed out

Issue
When using Windows 8.1, start Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) as usual and you see the following:

The screen is blank (no home page). It is not possible to browse anywhere. Most of the gear menu's options are disabled (greyed out). 

Reason

There appears to be a bug that after running the Developer Tools (press F12) the user policy gets messed up. If anyone reading this article has some more detailed information then please write in the comments, it would be really good to understand this issue more.

Solution

This is the best solution I've found. There do seem to be more (see the References below) but have a go with this first, it's worked repeatedly for me. 

1.  Press the Windows key and R to bring up the Run dialogue box

2.  Type iexplore -extoff and press Enter (as shown above)

IE will load without extensions or add-ons.

3.  Press F12 to bring up the Developer Tools

4.  Press F12 again to close the Developer Tools

5.  Close IE

6.  Start IE normally (use your usual icon) and it should be back to normal

References

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/forum/ie11-windows_other/internet-explorer-any-version-opens-a-blank-window/815d7863-1e00-4183-be49-4b765f40e681

Windows 8 Disk usage at 100% because of the System process

Your Windows 8 or 8.1 computer is very slow. Look in Ctrl-Alt-Del and Task Manager - you find the Disk usage is at 100% or the high 90s constantly. But why? A program might be using the disk too much - you should be able to see it in the list of resources.

I had this situation but when I checked I found the System process was hogging my disk!

In the above you can see my Disk at 94% it's all because of the System process... but what to do?

Possible Solutions

I looked around and there are many possible solutions. A couple I found actually made a difference so I'm going to explain them here. However, don't forget, if what worked for me doesn't work for you, keep searching! I don't have all the answers, I'm just sharing what I've discovered worked best for me.

Change the Virtual Memory

Windows 8 is supposed to work well without changing the virtual memory but I found a tip on the web and it has helped me. You must set the initial virtual memory size to your physical RAM size in megabytes. Set your maximum size to twice your physical RAM. In my case I had 8GB or RAM, so I set my initial to 8192MB and my maximum to 16384MB. You should set yours according to how much RAM you have in your computer. Remember that 1GB = 1024MB. 

Here are the steps to change your virtual memory:

1. Control Panel | All control panel items | System
2. Click Advanced system settings
3. Under performance, click on Settings
4. Click the Advanced tab
5. Under Virtual memory, click Change
6. Deselect (disable) Automatically manage paging file size for all drives
7. Select C: (where Windows is installed)
8. Click Custom size 
9. Set Initial size equivalent to your RAM size in MB (in my example above I set it to 8192MB, that's because I have 8GB of physical RAM) - see the graphic below
10. Set Maximum size to twice of your RAM size in MB (in my example above I put 16384MB because that is 16GB, double my physical RAM size) 
11. Click Set
12. Click OK three times
13. Restart your system

Windows Version?
My PC is running Windows 8.1 but this will surely work with Windows 8 and I think even Windows 7 would benefit if you are having the same issue.


Disable SuperFetch
SuperFetch is supposed to speed things up (for conventional hard disks, not for SSD). However, I've found that disabling it has reduced the disk activity in my Task Manager! After changing your virtual disk settings (above), if you still have a problem this is worth a try (you could always switch it back on later if it doesn't help).

Press Windows key and R (to get the Run dialogue box)

Type services.msc and press Enter

Find Superfetch in the list, double click on it

Change Startup type to Disabled (as above)

Click Apply and OK

For more details on this and even some other solutions, click this link:
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/disable-superfetch-prefetch-ssd

NOTE: I've found that with SuperFetch (SysMain) disabled, ReadyBoost is disabled. Previously when I had only 4GB RAM I had found that ReadyBoost helped (click here to learn more). It seems to be a matter of swings and roundabouts! Now with 8GB RAM it seems SuperFetch and ReadyBoost are not helping. Essentially what this means is that you really need to experiment to find out what works best for you. It depends a lot on the balance of RAM and the applications you are using.

Stop Windows Search
One of those that I found useful was to turn off the Windows Search service. Here's how:

Press the Windows key and X and A (Win+X+A)

The Command window will appear:
Type  NET STOP "Windows Search"  [Enter]

Or you could do it through services.msc where there's more control.



Something else? 
There are a lot of other solutions, here's a link where you can find more discussion:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-performance/windows-8-keeps-slows-down-to-100-disk-usage-and/cd787f8d-e7b4-4872-aecb-6f0cd15ad942

Conclusion
For me changing the Virtual Memory helped a lot. My disk usage is much lower and my PC seems faster as a result. I had upgraded my physical RAM from 4GB to 8GB. I wonder in Windows had not realised and that was the reason? In any case I think changing the virtual memory is well worth a go.

I've also found disabling the SuperFetch has helped but from what I've read this might not always be a solution for everyone. It's something to try.

If you are desperate then try stopping the Windows Search too - as explained above. I did find it reduced my disk usage for a while. This process will restart itself, it could be a temporary measure until you find the real reason.

For more information click the link in the Reference section below. If you can see a specific process is causing the trouble then do a search on Google for it and put the words "disk usage at 100%" and you may find some words of wisdom out there. Feel free to add your experience to the comments :-)



Reference

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-performance/windows-8-keeps-slows-down-to-100-disk-usage-and/cd787f8d-e7b4-4872-aecb-6f0cd15ad942

Many thanks to Arpan Kashyap for this tip!

Also, for Superfetch see:
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/disable-superfetch-prefetch-ssd

Windows 8: Enter Product Key

If you install Windows 8 and you can't activate it, possibly your product key is incorrect. In this case you need to enter a new product key. But how? At least on the Windows 8 Preview edition I installed in August 2012 it was not obvious.


Solution
After some searching on the web I found and tried this solution, it works!

1. On the Start screen right click on the background
2. Click All Apps (bottom right)
3. Right click on Command Prompt
4. Click Run as Administrator
5. At the C:\Windows\System32\> prompt type:  slui 3   [Enter]
6. Wait a moment and a window will prompt you to enter your Product Key.

Reference
http://www.windows7hacker.com/index.php/2012/08/how-to-change-windows-8-product-key-to-complete-activation/