# we're in an empty directory on a fat32 filesystem root:.../tmp/foo# ls # create some bad fragmentation root:.../tmp/foo# x234=$(perl -e 'print "x" x 234') root:.../tmp/foo# for i in {0000..3119}; do touch $x234$i $i; done root:.../tmp/foo# rm $x234* # only 3122 (including . and ..) out of 65536 entries used: root:.../tmp/foo# ls 0000 0223 0446 0669 0892 1115 1338 1561 1784 2007 2230 2453 2676 2899 0001 0224 0447 0670 0893 1116 1339 1562 1785 2008 2231 2454 2677 2900 (...yada yada...) 0220 0443 0666 0889 1112 1335 1558 1781 2004 2227 2450 2673 2896 3119 0221 0444 0667 0890 1113 1336 1559 1782 2005 2228 2451 2674 2897 0222 0445 0668 0891 1114 1337 1560 1783 2006 2229 2452 2675 2898 # hence plenty of space left in directory: root:.../tmp/foo# touch tmp{000..999} root:.../tmp/foo# rm tmp* # but not contiguous: root:.../tmp/foo# touch $(perl -e 'print "x" x 250') touch: cannot touch 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx': No space left on device