Backup Software and Long File Names: What You Need To Know

What is the Issue with Long File Names?

Why is the length of the file name such a problem for backups? First of all, unlike BackupChain many disaster recovery solutions cannot handle long file names as they are based on the older windows concept. When an individual makes a backup the software will follow the rules of searching for the short named folders. This pre-programmed method of course will exclude all files that have foreign names in the file name, Unicode, and long file names.

Did you know Windows allows path lengths of up to 32,767 characters? BackupChain handles that without any issues, even over FTP and when using compression.

When purchasing a backup solution or tool it is very important for the user to understand the file system used by the backup software. Unicode, long name files, and files with foreign characters should be supported in order for all kinds of files to be recoverable.