Determining number of directory levels

[mubs]

I'm launching a semi-formal effort to backup my data to CDs. I'm sick and tired of seeing a message similar to "file x is in a directory that is nested more than 8 levels deep, some OSes will have a problem reading this CD, do you want to proceed?". I'm using the Disc-At-Once option. I take it this is not a problem with the burning software but a design issue with CD standards - Tinky-Winky-Purple Book or whatever.

I like to classify and organize, and have folders many levels deep. I could compress them somewhat, but don't want to spend the remainder of my life searching for potential compressees. Does anybody know of a utility that will list paths that are nested deeper than n levels?

Right now, when this happens, I abort the burn and try to compress the offending path. Attempted burns = countless. Burns initiated = 0. Needless to say, I'm frustrtaed as hell. :evil:

Any suggestions?

TIA

 

[Corvair]

The limitation is in the Joliet file system, which is.... what? 64 characters total for fully-qualified directory + filename.

Romeo file system has more at 128 (???), but at some cost that I can't quite recall now.

But, then again, maybe I got this bass-ackwards or I'm totally off-base.

 

[mangyDOG]

Why not just compress the whole lot?
I use Winrar 3.11 with a batch file set to run everynight at 3.00am (set as a service in WinXP but also possible in Win9x)

the code I use is:

"C:\Program Files\WinRAR\WinRAR.exe" a -r -rr -v699m -ag+YYYY-MM-DD "F:\Backups\_-archive" @backup.lst

a = add to archive
-r = recurse subfolders
-rr = add CRC checks
-v699m = make the file 699Mb in size (it will autosplit if needed)
-ag+YYYY-MM-DD = autoname the file based on the date
"F:\Backups\_-archive" = puts the file in my "F" drive backups folder with a name like 2003-03-12-archive.rar
@backup.lst = a text file (in the same location as the batch file) with a list of directories I want included in the backup. This can also include network paths.

With this I just leave the computer running overnight, In the morning i burn the compressed file to CD and delete it off my hard-drive and all my stuff including directory structure is backed up...

Lots of other options are available including excluding files and directories etc...

 

[Dïscfärm]

Yes, compressing to an archive file can be a fix for a lot of things.

I've even done this (using ZIP) in the past to write files onto CD-Rs with filenames with up to 31 characters for Macintosh users, who could only see ISO-9660 "High Sierra" 8.3 filenames on Windows-written "Joliet" CD-R discs. The Macintosh users could open the ZIP file on the CD-R and expand files with full filenames intact.

 

[SteveC]

Nero has an option to "Allow pathdepth of more than 8 directories" under the ISO tab of the write CD dialog. I haven't tried this option myself, so I don't know how well it works, or what OSes can read it.

 

[mubs]

Thanks for the replies. COmpression is a last-ditch option for me; I'd rather not use it unless I have to. I'm velly velly sure somebody somewhere has run into my problem and written a util for it.......

 

[Mercutio]

tar

 

[jtr1962]

The limit for the Joliet file system is a 64-character filename. The ISO standard allows up to 255 characters in a path(31 characters for MS-DOS 8.3 compatible level 1 ISO). Nero has an option to allow more 255, but I'm not sure if any other burning software does.

As some here mentioned, the best way around this is to archive everything. You get more on the CD for starters. One major problem with burning files directly to CD-R, as opposed to putting them on a UDF CD-RW disk or another hard drive, is that when they are copied back to the hard drive the attribute is set to "READ ONLY". This can cause a whole host of problems with many different softwares that won't be able to update their own configuration files. You can of course manually reset the attributes, but this is time consuming and error-prone. If all you have are files that will never change, say mp3s, video, or pictures, then I suppose this isn't a big problem. But for OS or program files, it is a huge one.

 

[Dïscfärm]

The limit for the Joliet file system is a 64-character filename. The ISO standard allows up to 255 characters in a path(31 characters for MS-DOS 8.3 compatible level 1 ISO). Nero has an option to allow more 255, but I'm not sure if any other burning software does...

LOL... Well, I almost had it right! Now, if my memory is a little better today, I believe that the Romeo file system fudged the namespace a bit in order to accomplish a 128-character filename limitation -- all at the expense of the path character limit from 255 to 128 characters.

In light of Joliet, Romeo basically went nowhere. Romeo was Adaptec's creation, which speaks volumes about the probable long-term viability of Nero's 255+ scheme.

 

[mubs]

Well, folks, you're partially right (path length limitation). There seems to be an additional limitation in number of directories in the path. I've found that the leaf node, ie, the file itself, can be at a maximum of the 8th level, or the burning sw will scream. I have Nero, but everybody so far has addressed the path-name-length issue, but not the number-of-levels issue.

Later today, I will use a brute force approach; directory compression is a one-time effort after all. (i've got to remember not to let it grow, though). I'm going to do a "dir /s" of each logical drive, import it into Excel, and count the number of "\" each row. That should tell me where I need to compress the path.

Jan, your points are valid. But I'm backing up only my "creations". I image the OS partition.

And Merc is trying to tar me feathers black!

 

[SteveC]

I have Nero, but everybody so far has addressed the path-name-length issue, but not the number-of-levels issue.

Nero has an option to "Allow pathdepth of more than 8 directories" under the ISO tab of the write CD dialog. I haven't tried this option myself, so I don't know how well it works, or what OSes can read it.

I just tried this on a CD-RW and burned a test file that was buried 12 directories deep. It gave a warning saying that it was over 8 levels deeps, and are you sure you want to do this. I said yes, and it burned fine, and I was able to read the the file once it was done (on XP, I haven't tried on other OSes yet).

 

[mubs]

That really helps! Thanks, SteveC.