Folder Axe

Everyone should download and install the free utility Folder Axe. It lets you easily segment (by moving or copying -see the option in the red box in the screen grab below) files from single source folder by size, file type, date, file name or a fixed number, and put them in multiple new folders.

Even better you can automatically save files in encrypted zip files when preparing something for production.

Paging file size

Windows contains a feature designed to deal with performance issues when you're running out of RAM. The pagefile.sys stores memory for applications you have open, but have not used recently, so that more memory is available for the applications you are using. When you back to the applications after a long time, it should take longer for them to function again.

If this is really causing a problem for you while you're processing a lot of data, there is a way to adjust the pagefile.sys setting. Right click on Computer in Windows Explorer and choose Properties . . . then Advanced System Settings.

. . . next click on the Advanced tab, and then Settings in the Performance section. A Performance Options dialog box will open. Go the Advanced tab again and click on Change in the Virtual Memory section.

You'll know see how you can either deactivate the paging file size, or specify its parameters.

The drawback to doing this is that if you then do exhaust the system's RAM with the open applications, they will crash very quickly, since Windows cannot re-assign virtual RAM.

See here for more info: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/markrussinovich/2008/11/17/pushing-the-limits-of-windows-virtual-memory/

Finding files with paths longer than 255 characters

Back on October 10, 2015, the tip of the night showed how to copy files with paths longer than 255 characters using the subst command. Tonight's tip shows how to detect in a data set file paths that are (with the file names) longer than 255 characters. Remember Windows can handle file paths more than 255 characters. It's Windows Explorer that can't copy files with such paths.

Replsoft puts out a series of utilities that assist with editing challenges. 'Cut Long Names' is available for download at this site: http://www.replsoft.com/cutlongnames.html . You just download one executable file in a zip file. Run it and just select a folder that you want to search. Filter for files with certain extensions and set the minimum length of the file paths (plus names) that you want returned.

You'll get a list of results and the Replsoft utility will automatically create new shorter names that you can direct it to implement.