New
#641
My backup software will not back up a particular file if the path to that file (including the name itself) is over 255 characters. The file name length does not matter, by itself.
But my backup software will NOT stop at that file. It will skip it and continue to back up all files whose paths are no more than 255 characters in length. I can then look in the log and see which files were not backed up.
I have no idea what software he is using, but there are clearly programs that do not STOP. I use one of them.
Likewise, if his software stops at 18 character file names per se, he's using bogus software. I've never even heard of software that will balk at anything other than full path length of 256 or more characters--and even then it should skip rather than stop.
It may be that his files are in a deeply nested folder that itself is circa 237 characters in path length. In that case, an 18 character file name would succeed (255 character total path length) and a 19 character file name would fail (256 character total path length).