USB memory stick "defragmentation"

[Brunolem]

Since I am no tech guy, I am not sure whether "defragmentation  is the right word, but you will understand what I mean. 

 

I have noticed that my memory sticks, whatever their brand or capacity, don't accept files above a certain size, approximately 5GB.

 

It's as if they had been "fragmented" into 5GB units, for some mysterious reason. 

 

This is a problem, for example, if I want to upload a 4K movie which requires more than 5GB of space. 

 

So my question is: is it possible to get rid of this obstacle and to be able to access the full capacity of a memory stick in order to upload a very big file... and how? 

 

Thanks for your input. 

[tgw]

FAT32 has a file size limitation of 4.2GB or something.

 

Reformat your USB drive to NTFS or exFAT to remove the limits, but check with device compatibility according to usage:

https://www.ntfs.com/ntfs_vs_fat.htm

 

exFAT and NTFS should be compatible with almost anything though

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by tgw

[Crossy]

This is due to FAT32 limitation. Files larger than 4GB can NOT be stored on a FAT32 volume. Formatting the flash drive as exFAT or NTFS will resolve this issue.

WARNING: Backup your data. Formatting will delete all the data in your device.

 

@tgw just beat me to it ???? 

[Brunolem]

1 hour ago, Crossy said:

This is due to FAT32 limitation. Files larger than 4GB can NOT be stored on a FAT32 volume. Formatting the flash drive as exFAT or NTFS will resolve this issue.

WARNING: Backup your data. Formatting will delete all the data in your device.

 

@tgw just beat me to it ???? 

Thanks for that, but how am I supposed to do that?

 

Do I need to connect the memory stick to a computer, or can I do it from a mobile device?

 

Which application or software am I supposed to use?

[richard_smith237]

11 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Thanks for that, but how am I supposed to do that?

 

Do I need to connect the memory stick to a computer, or can I do it from a mobile device?

 

Which application or software am I supposed to use?

 

Yes - Your USB Memory Stick needs to be reformatted to exFAT.

 

exFAT will be best because NTFS will not work with MAC.

 

(it will loose all existing data) 

Edited October 8, 2020 by richard_smith237

[ukrules]

10 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

Thanks for that, but how am I supposed to do that?

Right click on the drive and click 'Format' - like this :

 

It will then ask you how you want to format it - like this :

 

 

Select NTFS from that drop down list and click 'Start'....

Edited October 8, 2020 by ukrules

[RichCor]

4 hours ago, Brunolem said:

I have noticed that my memory sticks, whatever their brand or capacity, don't accept files above a certain size, approximately 5GB.  [...]

 

This is a problem, for example, if I want to upload a 4K movie which requires more than 5GB of space. 

+1  on what the others have already posted. 

 

How you format the memory stick depends on what devices you want to use it with and what underlaying storage format they readily accept. 

 

The first preference would be NTFS. Otherwise exFAT.

 

Yet another option would be to forgo the USB Memory Stick and run software that allow your computer to be a FileServer and 'host' your movies for playback by other network connected devices.

 

A better discussion might be had if you told us what devices (make/model) were involved in your get/watch process.

[Maestro]

2 hours ago, Brunolem said:

Do I need to connect the memory stick to a computer, or can I do it from a mobile device?

 

 

You can format a USB memory stick on a mobile device if the device has the software for it. I checked on my Android phone just now and it gives me only the following options, but I have not yet checked the app store to see if there is an app for formatting.

 

[Brunolem]

5 minutes ago, RichCor said:

 

A better discussion might be had if you told us what devices (make/model) were involved in your get/watch process.

Very basic.

 

I download some movies directly on my mobile phone, which I transfer to a USB stick, which I connect to my flat screen TV for watching.

 

Since I now have a 4K screen I would like to be able to watch some movies in this format, but they require far more space than the 4 or 5 GB allocated on the USB stick

[Dumbastheycome]

If you are regularly downloading to and then deleting large movie file data from a  flashdrive to add new content it will gradually "wear out" the digital capacity of the drive over time because there is a  finite  number of "re writes" it  can take.

An aging  usb drive  will often show as original nominated capacity but will also show a lower available space.

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by Dumbastheycome
added

[RichCor]

42 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

I download some movies directly on my mobile phone, which I transfer to a USB stick, which I connect to my flat screen TV for watching.

Check both the mobile phone and the flat screen TV to see what 'format' options they offer.

 

As others have pointed out, the current 'format' (underlaying file storage environment) of the USB memory stick is probably what's preventing you from saving your large files to it.

 

NTFS vs FAT vs exFAT  (link to website describing it all)
Operating System support

 

But to use a different storage format for the stick requires any device you want to stick it into ALSO understands (be compatible with) that different storage format, and that at least one device can create/lay the format.

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by RichCor

[Brunolem]

1 hour ago, RichCor said:

 

But to use a different storage format for the stick requires any device you want to stick it into ALSO understands (be compatible with) that different storage format, and that at least one device can create/lay the format.

 

I will have to try and see if my mobile phone is compatible with the different storage format... once I have made the change...