diff --git a/Lib/test/output/test_largefile b/Lib/test/output/test_largefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6cbf082
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Lib/test/output/test_largefile
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+test_largefile
diff --git a/Lib/test/regrtest.py b/Lib/test/regrtest.py
index 9b2466f..3bebca4 100755
--- a/Lib/test/regrtest.py
+++ b/Lib/test/regrtest.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 -s: single    -- run only a single test (see below)
 -r: random    -- randomize test execution order
 -l: leakdebug -- if cycle garbage collection is enabled, run with DEBUG_LEAK
+--have-resources   -- run tests that require large resources (time/space)
 
 If non-option arguments are present, they are names for tests to run,
 unless -x is given, in which case they are names for tests not to run.
@@ -40,7 +41,8 @@
 import test_support
 
 def main(tests=None, testdir=None, verbose=0, quiet=0, generate=0,
-         exclude=0, single=0, randomize=0, leakdebug=0):
+         exclude=0, single=0, randomize=0, leakdebug=0,
+         use_large_resources=0):
     """Execute a test suite.
 
     This also parses command-line options and modifies its behavior
@@ -65,7 +67,7 @@
     """
     
     try:
-        opts, args = getopt.getopt(sys.argv[1:], 'vgqxsrl')
+        opts, args = getopt.getopt(sys.argv[1:], 'vgqxsrl', ['have-resources'])
     except getopt.error, msg:
         print msg
         print __doc__
@@ -78,6 +80,7 @@
         if o == '-s': single = 1
         if o == '-r': randomize = 1
         if o == '-l': leakdebug = 1
+        if o == '--have-resources': use_large_resources = 1
     if generate and verbose:
         print "-g and -v don't go together!"
         return 2
@@ -121,19 +124,17 @@
     if randomize:
         random.shuffle(tests)
     test_support.verbose = verbose      # Tell tests to be moderately quiet
+    test_support.use_large_resources = use_large_resources
     save_modules = sys.modules.keys()
     for test in tests:
         if not quiet:
             print test
-        ok = runtest(test, generate, verbose, testdir)
+        ok = runtest(test, generate, verbose, quiet, testdir)
         if ok > 0:
             good.append(test)
         elif ok == 0:
             bad.append(test)
         else:
-            if not quiet:
-                print "test", test,
-                print "skipped -- an optional feature could not be imported"
             skipped.append(test)
         # Unload the newly imported modules (best effort finalization)
         for module in sys.modules.keys():
@@ -194,12 +195,13 @@
     tests.sort()
     return stdtests + tests
 
-def runtest(test, generate, verbose, testdir = None):
+def runtest(test, generate, verbose, quiet, testdir = None):
     """Run a single test.
     test -- the name of the test
     generate -- if true, generate output, instead of running the test
     and comparing it to a previously created output file
     verbose -- if true, print more messages
+    quiet -- if true, don't print 'skipped' messages (probably redundant)
     testdir -- test directory
     """
     test_support.unload(test)
@@ -228,6 +230,9 @@
         finally:
             sys.stdout = save_stdout
     except (ImportError, test_support.TestSkipped), msg:
+        if not quiet:
+            print "test", test,
+            print "skipped -- ", msg
         return -1
     except KeyboardInterrupt, v:
         raise KeyboardInterrupt, v, sys.exc_info()[2]
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_largefile.py b/Lib/test/test_largefile.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b65237
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Lib/test/test_largefile.py
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+#!python
+
+#----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# test largefile support on system where this makes sense
+#
+#XXX how to only run this when support is there
+#XXX how to only optionally run this, it will take along time
+#----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+import test_support
+import os, struct, stat, sys
+
+
+# only run if the current system support large files
+f = open(test_support.TESTFN, 'w')
+try:
+	# 2**31 == 2147483648
+	f.seek(2147483649L)
+except OverflowError:
+	raise test_support.TestSkipped, "platform does not have largefile support"
+else:
+	f.close()
+
+
+# create >2GB file (2GB = 2147483648 bytes)
+size = 2500000000L
+name = test_support.TESTFN
+
+
+# on Windows this test comsumes large resources:
+#  it takes a long time to build the >2GB file and takes >2GB of disk space
+# therefore test_support.use_large_resources must be defined to run this test
+if sys.platform[:3] == 'win' and not test_support.use_large_resources:
+	raise test_support.TestSkipped, \
+		"test requires %s bytes and a long time to run" % str(size)
+
+
+
+def expect(got_this, expect_this):
+	if test_support.verbose:
+		print '%s =?= %s ...' % (`got_this`, `expect_this`),
+	if got_this != expect_this:
+		if test_support.verbose:
+			print 'no'
+		raise test_support.TestFailed, 'got %s, but expected %s' %\
+			(str(got_this), str(expect_this))
+	else:
+		if test_support.verbose:
+			print 'yes'
+
+
+# test that each file function works as expected for a large (i.e. >2GB, do
+# we have to check >4GB) files
+
+if test_support.verbose:
+	print 'create large file via seek (may be sparse file) ...'
+f = open(name, 'w')
+f.seek(size)
+f.write('a')
+f.flush()
+expect(os.fstat(f.fileno())[stat.ST_SIZE], size+1)
+if test_support.verbose:
+	print 'check file size with os.fstat'
+f.close()
+if test_support.verbose:
+	print 'check file size with os.stat'
+expect(os.stat(name)[stat.ST_SIZE], size+1)
+
+if test_support.verbose:
+	print 'play around with seek() and read() with the built largefile'
+f = open(name, 'r')
+expect(f.tell(), 0)
+expect(f.read(1), '\000')
+expect(f.tell(), 1)
+f.seek(0)
+expect(f.tell(), 0)
+f.seek(0, 0)
+expect(f.tell(), 0)
+f.seek(42)
+expect(f.tell(), 42)
+f.seek(42, 0)
+expect(f.tell(), 42)
+f.seek(42, 1)
+expect(f.tell(), 84)
+f.seek(0, 1)
+expect(f.tell(), 84)
+f.seek(0, 2) # seek from the end
+expect(f.tell(), size + 1 + 0)
+f.seek(-10, 2)
+expect(f.tell(), size + 1 - 10)
+f.seek(-size-1, 2)
+expect(f.tell(), 0)
+f.seek(size)
+expect(f.tell(), size)
+expect(f.read(1), 'a') # the 'a' that was written at the end of the file above
+f.close()
+
+if test_support.verbose:
+	print 'play around with os.lseek() with the built largefile'
+f = open(name, 'r')
+expect(os.lseek(f.fileno(), 0, 0), 0)
+expect(os.lseek(f.fileno(), 42, 0), 42)
+expect(os.lseek(f.fileno(), 42, 1), 84)
+expect(os.lseek(f.fileno(), 0, 1), 84)
+expect(os.lseek(f.fileno(), 0, 2), size+1+0)
+expect(os.lseek(f.fileno(), -10, 2), size+1-10)
+expect(os.lseek(f.fileno(), -size-1, 2), 0)
+expect(os.lseek(f.fileno(), size, 0), size)
+expect(f.read(1), 'a') # the 'a' that was written at the end of the file above
+f.close()
+
+
+# XXX add tests for truncate if it exists
+# XXX has truncate ever worked on Windows? specifically on WinNT I get:
+#     "IOError: [Errno 13] Permission denied"
+##try:
+##	newsize = size - 10
+##	f.seek(newsize)
+##	f.truncate()
+##	expect(f.tell(), newsize)
+##	newsize = newsize - 1
+##	f.seek(0)
+##	f.truncate(newsize)
+##	expect(f.tell(), newsize)
+##except AttributeError:
+##	pass
+
+os.unlink(name)
+