Chopping BIG Files

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SpookyET - 15 Mar 2004 07:00 GMT

Are there any Microsoft people with intimate knowledge of NTFS/FAT32 in
here?
I'm wondering if it is possible to literally chop a big file into smaller
files, instead of copying data from the big file into smaller files and
delete the big file.
If it is possible, does the Windows C API have an I/O function for that,
or do you have to create some really low level code interfacing with the
hard drive
directly?

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Tim Slattery - 15 Mar 2004 15:06 GMT

>Are there any Microsoft people with intimate knowledge of NTFS/FAT32 in
>here?
>I'm wondering if it is possible to literally chop a big file into smaller
>files, instead of copying data from the big file into smaller files and
>delete the big file.

I'm not quite sure what you have in mind. Of course a large file can
be broken into several smaller files, programs have been written to do
exactly that to write a large file onto several floppy disks. You then
need another program to read the parts off the floppies and put them
back together.

> If it is possible, does the Windows C API have an I/O function for that,
>or do you have to create some really low level code interfacing with the
>hard drive directly?

Neither. You use the normal I/O functions to read and write the file.

Signature

Tim Slattery
MS MVP(DTS)
Slattery_T@bls.gov

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Steve Baron - KB3MM - 15 Mar 2004 18:11 GMT

WHy not explain what you are really trying to accomplish.

> Are there any Microsoft people with intimate knowledge of NTFS/FAT32 in
> here?
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> hard drive
> directly?

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Jeff Richards - 15 Mar 2004 21:08 GMT

The procedure you are looking for will work along the cluster chain for a
given file and create a new file name and directory entry for segments of
the cluster chain. This will effectively create several files where
previously there was one, without even looking at the file data, let alone
copying any of it.

There are no API functions that I am aware of that will do this. I think you
are in for some low level coding.

Signature

Jeff Richards
MS MVP W95/W98

> Are there any Microsoft people with intimate knowledge of NTFS/FAT32 in
> here?
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> hard drive
> directly?

Reply to this Message