I am organising my files using a system that involves using very long
file names and deep directory structures. This system is working very
well and I do not wish to change it so please do not respond with
suggestions of alternative systems. Unfortunately however Windows XP
has limitations with file path lengths. I am able to create file paths
as long as I need however when I attempt to copy my entire system to
optical disk for back up purposes errors occur. The system itself is
just under a GB in size and consequently I back up to DVD rather than
CD. At present I am able to work around the limitation by creating
drive substitutions using the command line subst instruction. This
allows me to remove the overhead file path section beginning with
C:\Documents and Settings\.. I expect however that my file paths will
continue to grow and I am looking ahead to the time when the file
system alone will contain excessive file path lengths.

Can anyone advise an extension to the Windows XP operating system that
I can use to allow me to surpass the limitation on file path lengths
on my hard drive and on my DVD that I use for back ups?