Working with File Devices
Because working with files is so common, I want to spend some time addressing issues that apply specifically to file devices. This section shows how to position a file’s pointer and change a file’s size.
The first issue you must be aware of is that Windows was designed to work with extremely large files. Instead of representing a file’s size using 32-bit values, the original Microsoft designers chose to use 64-bit values. This means that theoretically a file can reach a size of 16 EB (exabytes).
Dealing with 64-bit values in a 32-bit operating system makes working with files a little unpleasant because a lot of Windows functions require you to pass a 64-bit value as two separate 32-bit values. But as you’ll see, working ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Read now
Unlock full access