Sounds like you've answered your own question, but here's 2 cents:
Move the Gig files into a directory outside of Moodle. Remove the repo created for it in MDL. Simply use a regluar http:// link directly to the file(s).
Like so: http://moodle.tcea.org/dbscripts/mysqldbscripts.tar
(some free Linux flavored mysql db scripts).
Might be able to use DropBox, BoxNet. or Amazon's S3 (the freebie), as well as SkyDrive services and link accordingly. None of those, however, are really 'control' in MDL's built in document management system, but rather the permissions/availability set up with those systems.
'spirit of sharing', Ken