"Disk is full/Not Enough Space" error even though space is available

Many of us must have encountered a situation, that while copying some files above 4gb, the windows informs that "Disk is full or Not enough space" and we shockingly check its properties which tell us something different.

The reason behind this problem is : FAT/FAT32, the default file system most portable hard disks are formatted with, do not support files larger than 4gb. Any attempt to transfer a file larger than this limit results in the "Disk is full" error. Thankfully after a bit of research i found out a way to change the formatting of a storage drive without actual format.

Some points to note though:

1) If you are using a portable media player, check to see that your player supports the NTFS file system. Sorry to say, but Ipod users, like me are out of luck, as the firmware does not support NTFS.

2) Conversion is a one-way format, meaning that once you make the switch to NTFS, you cannot go back to FAT/FAT 32.

If you are ready to make the jump to NTFS, follow these instructions, extracted from the Microsoft knowledge base.

How to convert a FAT volume or a FAT32 volume to NTFS

Note This method doesn't includes backing up your data and then again loading on that. The chance of data loss are minimal but I would recommend you backup your data before carrying out this method.

To convert an existing FAT or FAT32 volume to NTFS, follow these steps:

1. Click Ctrl+R to bring up run command, then type cmd and press enter, which will open command prompt for you.

2. At the command prompt, type the following, where drive letter is the drive that you want to convert (Read cmd tutorial to understand, how to change the drive):

convert drive letter: /fs:ntfs

For example, type the following command to convert drive E to NTFS:

convert e: /fs:ntfs

Note If the operating system is on the drive that you are converting, you will be prompted to schedule the task when you restart the computer because the conversion cannot be completed while the operating system is running. When you are prompted, click YES.

3. When you receive the following message at the command prompt, type the volume label of the drive that you are converting, and then press ENTER:

The type of the file system is FAT.

Enter the current volume label for drive drive letter

4. When the conversion to NTFS is complete, you receive the following message at the command prompt:

Conversion complete

5. Quit the command prompt.

and now try transferring that files.