Tip #9: Cut huge files into smaller pieces

Previously, we've learned that pendrives or hard disks formatted as FAT can not store files larger than 4GB. To overcome this, you would need to reformat your pendrive to NTFS or HFS+. Or, you could also find a way to split that file into multiple pieces, each smaller than 4GB, so that they can be copied onto your pendrive.

There are other situations where splitting files can be useful. Suppose you want to send a file which is 20MB in size, but your email provider limits attachments to a maximum of 10MB per email. No problem, just split the file into two 10MB pieces, and attach them to two emails seperately. What if you wanted to send a 100MB file via MSN Messenger? Messenger doesn't limit the maximum size of files you can send, but what if your connection gets dropped halfway while sending? A safer bet would be to split the file into 10 or 20MB pieces and send them one by one. If you get disconnected, you wouldn't need to send everything again.

For the purpose of this tutorial, after hours of research and decision-making I have decided to use PeaZip. PeaZip is a free and open source archive utility, which supports Windows and Linux operating systems (sorry Macs! If I had a Mac at my disposal I promise I would include more Mac software). PeaZip is relatively straightforward to use, and also has a portable version like VLC player which you can install onto your pendrive to use on any Windows PC.


Step 1: Get PeaZip

Download PeaZip and save it to your computer. If you know that you are using a 64-bit of Windows, choose the 64-bit version as it is likely to handle large files better. If you are still using 32-bit Windows or if you are not sure which "-bit" you are using, choose the "Windows (any)" version. Once downloaded, run the program to install PeaZip. Accept the license agreement, and you will be asked to choose whether you want a Standard or Custom installation. Choose Standard as it should be fine for most users. On the following page, you will be asked which file types you want PeaZip to be associated with (i.e. which files should PeaZip open when double-clicked):

Usually it is fine to leave all the options ticked, but if you have your own preferences, go ahead and untick some of them. When you're done click Next, click Install and you're done.

Step 2: Split your files

Launch PeaZip and you will be presented with an Explorer-like interface, where you can browse for the file(s) you want to split. Once you've found your file, single-click on it (you can hold Ctrl to click and select multiple files), and click on the Add button (green arrow pointing into a cardboard box).

The window will change to show quite a few options. The first option, Output is where the splitted files will go. By default it is the same folder as the file you selected, you can of course change this to your pendrive or anywhere else by clicking the [...] button. For Format options, choose ZIP and select how big each piece of the file should be from the second pull-down menu which says Single volume. You can choose from the predefined file sizes, or you can choose Custom and type in your own piece size, say, 100 MB. Leave the other checkboxes unticked. In the list of files below you can see the files you have added for splitting. If you want to add more files, right click in the blank area of the list and choose Add file(s).

Click on the Advanced tab which is next to the current Archive tab. Choose store for Compression Level, this is because we just want to split the files, so there is no need to compress them. This makes the splitting process faster. Finally click on the OK button which has a green checkmark. Now we just have to wait!

I noticed a bug in PeaZip, and that is the progress bar will get stuck after the first piece is finished. Don't worry as PeaZip is still doing its job, when it's finished the progress bar will disappear. Done! You have managed to split your file into pieces!

Here's a quick look at what PeaZip produced from the split. You can see that PeaZip has named the pieces by number, from 001 to 019.

Step 3: Recombine the pieces

To recombine the pieces into the original file on a computer with PeaZip installed, just right click on the first piece (which should have a fancy icon like in the screenshot above), point at PeaZip and choose either Extract... or Extract here. If you chose Extract... PeaZip will ask you where do you want to place the combined file(s). Set the Output folder like how we did in Step 2, click on OK, and PeaZip will begin combining the pieces.

If the computer you are using to recombine the files has another archive utility other than PeaZip, you should still be able to recombine the pieces by opening the first piece. Otherwise, you can download the portable version of PeaZip and install it to your pendrive. If you use the portable version, there will be no PeaZip option when you right click on the file. You will need to open PeaZip first, browse for the first piece using PeaZip's file explorer, then right click on it and choose Extract.

If you find that these steps are tedious, you should have realised the importance of formatting your storage media using an appropriate filesystem by now.

PeaZip can also be used to compress files, but that's too much to fit in a single tip. Stay tuned!