Can personal data files be "moved" to a USB2 memory stick?

[Sylvander]

See this thread as background...
Lost fragments of personal data files [emails, Firefox profile] (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=52513)

I set up a copy of all my personal data files from D: to H: so they were identical on both drives/partitions, but when I tried to begin the move by using "TweakUI" To specify "H:\Moved\My Documents" as the new location to link to, the "OK" button was greyed out! :(

[Sylvander]

SOMETHING INTERESTING?
1. I decided to try copying the files from outside the Windows environment.
Used the EBCD "File Manager" to move the files from D: [on the internal HDD] to H: [external USB memory stick].
The EBCD disk has been customised with USB for DOS drivers added, which give access to USB devices [in theory at least].

2. The EBCD "File Manager" displayed the source and destination drives/partitions ok, and the file transfer began, copied 1 file and froze 1/2 way through the 2nd [I'd guess the USB for DOS drivers are not good enough].

3. Then when I got back into Windows to complete the transfer there, the H: drive was missing, and the device had a yellow ! against it in Device Manager.
It took 2 attempts at uninstalling the device, then restarting and redetecting the device before that was fixed.
Odd that the 1st attempt didn't work, but the 2nd attempt did.

[sburtchin]

"2. The EBCD "File Manager" displayed the source and destination drives/partitions ok, and the file transfer began, copied 1 file and froze 1/2 way through the 2nd [I'd guess the USB for DOS drivers are not good enough]."
Just to clarify an important point: I assume you are running the "File Manager" from EBCD RD2 which the EBCD author has described as "not pure DOS" (and not from the "pure DOS" RD1). Without checking this, I don't remember reading any claims by the driver mfgr about usage in combination with LFN or other drivers. I also don't know if it was intended to handle memory sticks also, as these may not have existed when it was created. That Panasonic driver has been revised a couple of times - maybe this is why.

It appears that you have discovered a nasty side effect using DOS with a memory stick. I assume that H: is the memory stick? This is something I'll want to avoid.

[mjc]

I'd say the LFN problem is a very likely one.

I'd be more inclined to use a Linux based disk over a DOS one..especially a Linux that provides at least read-only NTFS support. It would avoid a couple of problems, one being the LFN issue and another USB device support problems.

[Sylvander]

Anyone know the reason WHY I "TweakUI" won't succeed in linking to data stored on a USB device/drive/memory stick?

Is it theoretically impossible, or disallowed?

I'm guessing that the surface of a HDD cannot take frequent rewrites on the same location.
And thinking that it might be better to put such frequently changing information on a memory stick.

Plus I'm thinking...
If I used this system It would be possible to take the data from PC to PC and work on ony one of them and update the data there [emails for example].

Think I'll try experimenting with moving data to/from a memory stick from outside of Windows [Knoppix, or DOS boot floppy with Duse USB4DOS drivers].

"I assume you are running the "File Manager" from EBCD RD2"
Seems like you're right there.
VC5 is included in RD", but VC4 is in RD1.
Wonder if I should try using VC4 [2nd menu]?

[Sylvander]

"I'd say the LFN problem is a very likely one"
Looks like you're correct. :)
I tried using the earlier version of "Volkov Commander" [on the 2nd EBCD menu], and it copied folders and [large] files over quickly [from C: on the internal HDD to H: on the external USB memory stick] and without problems, but the long filenames were truncated [see image below].
.