Why can't I move a 5gb file into my 32gb flash drive?

Question

Im trying to move a 5.5gb Winrar archive file file onto my 29.9gb flash drive. Whenever I try it says "The file '********' is too large for the destination file system." Why will this not transfer if there is clearly enough space for it??

Answer 1

Most flash drives are formatted FAT32, which has a single file limit of 4GB each. You cannot put a 5GB file on FAT32 partitions. You need to either re-format the flash drives as NTFS or break the file up into smaller parts, each less than 4GB. (Winrar can create "container" files of fixed sizes. like 2GB or 3GB each...)

Answer 2

No matter what you do there will always be a trace of the file on the computer, it just depends on how motivated the person is that wants the file. My guess is that you're downloading porn on someone elses computer, in that case you're better off cutting and pasting instead of just moving!

Answer 3

Have you checked the free space on the flash drive? And are you sure you are moving the compressed file, and that your machine is not trying to expand it onto the drive?