Error message: source file cannot be read - what to do?
If you copy files to an external hard drive, the error message "Source file cannot be read" may appear. In this practical tip, we will tell you why and what you can do in this case.
Source file cannot be read - you can do that
- Open the start menu and enter the command "regedit" in the search field.
- Confirm with [Enter] and confirm the warning of the user account control.
- Look for the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ WebClient \ Parameters" on the left and select it.
- On the right side you will find all entries of the key. Double-click the "FileSizeLimitInBytes" entry.
- If you don't see this value, right-click an empty space and choose New> DWORD Value. Enter "FileSizeLimitInBytes" as name and confirm with "OK".
- Under "Edit DWORD value" you have to select the "Decimal" option. Enter a high value as "Valuedata".
- In general, this value must be higher than the total size of the files you want to copy.
- Save with "OK" and close the registry editor. You can then copy the data as usual.
