Re: Large Directory Problem

I emailed this over to you -- if you didn't get it, here's the email again....

However, from your explanation of file naming conventions you are using, I think I can shed some more light on what is going on. NTFS uses a B-tree to index filenames. B-trees generally work well, but can have trouble if lots of very similar file names are present, particularly if the first few letters are always the same. You might want to look into restructuring your name convention so that the FIRST letters/numbers of the name vary the most, while invariant items come later in the file name.

To disable 8.3 names, change this registry value:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\NtfsDisable8d ot3NameCreation

Change the value to "1" (DWORD) to disable 8.3 names.

However, in your case I don't think this is going to help, as I don't think this is the source of the problem.

P.S. Your email is broken -- everything gets bounced after 30 hops. You need to contact your ISP.

--
Tim Hill -- Windows NT MVP

Randall wrote in message <36198A0F.387B63AA_at_pcmagic.net>...


>Thanks Simon!

>

>What you are suggesting is very reasonable.  The only problem is that

>the filenames are numeric codes.  The first digit is usually a 1, 2 or

>4.  It tells us the number of years the data must be retained.  The

>users are suggesting that I extract a substring that gives location

>information.  There are two problems with this.  The location portion of

>the identifier is sometimes three characters and sometimes four.  Also,

>the location substring is relative to where the data originates, but

>this is not always the business location that has ultimate

>responsibility for the item being tracked.  And, at least for the time

>being, the technicians capturing the images would have to manually

>navigate to the proper directory from the default or last used

>directory.  These are the people complaining that the directory accesses

>are too slow.  As Chris Date said in his course on Relational Theory...

>"Smart numbers aren't!"

>

>

>I'm still hoping that Tim Hill... or anyone for that matter... will get

>back to me on how to disable 8.3 support for an NTFS volume.  I suspect

>that will help a lot.

>

>

>--

>Best!

>

>

>Randall

>

>

>[Just my Dog and I at the Edge of the Universe]

> -----------------------------------------

>(Remove "-zzz" from address when replying.)

> ----------------------------------------

>

>

>Could you try something simple like having multiple sub-folders for your

>

>images, say one for each letter of the alphabet, and then have the

>software

>

>know which folder to get the file from? You wouldn't need to store the

>

>sub-folder name with the filename, because the app would have the logic

>

>built in. Your capture program could keep on capturing to one temp

>folder,

>

>with a batch file run every now and again to send the files to the

>correct

>

>sub-folders.

>

>

>