Weird compression issue

[denzilla]

Using PA version 9.64

I have one directory with about 98 zip files. All zip files pass PA archive test and can be uncompressed without error. The problem is if I uncompress to same directory, delete the original zip file, PA will not re-compress the file I just uncompressed. If I right-click on the file and select to compress to .zip, it just pops up the compression window for like a split second, then goes away without a zip file being created. Here’s where is gets weird: I can compress them using 7zip back to zips, use PA to uncompress, and then PA will compress those. I played around with a few other directories on my disk and it appears to be isolated to this one particular directory. If I duplicate the contents to another dir, they experience the same problem. Does anyone know WTH would cause this? Seems like something is out of wack with these particular files, but I would think they would fail the test if something was wrong with them.

[spwolf]

It seems to me some weird permissions issue?

Check permissions for those files in properties tab and see if that helps.

thanks and marry christmas!

[welhaux]

@denzilla:

Using PA version 9.64

….I can compress them using 7zip back to zips, use PA to uncompress, and then PA will compress those. I played around with a few other directories on my disk and it appears to be isolated to this one particular directory. If I duplicate the contents to another dir, they experience the same problem.

What type of files are these? What is your operating system and language configuration? Are you running an antivirus program? If so, what brand and version?

If you are running Windows XP, can you compress the files using right-click, Send To –> Compressed (zipped) Folder?

Also, if it is possible for you to divulge, what is the full path to the files you are attempting to compress with PA? Are the path names using any strange encoding?

[denzilla]

I’m running XP Pro sp2 fully updated and Kaspersky 6 as my AV. If I right-click and try to compress to zip, it just pops up a progress window for split second and nothing is created. No luck making a zip file from the “New” option in the context menu, either. If I drag the files inside the archive, nothing is there when I check its contents. The directory is just a run of the mill c:\zipfiles so nothing odd there.

[spwolf]

@denzilla:

I’m running XP Pro sp2 fully updated and Kaspersky 6 as my AV. If I right-click and try to compress to zip, it just pops up a progress window for split second and nothing is created. No luck making a zip file from the “New” option in the context menu, either. If I drag the files inside the archive, nothing is there when I check its contents. The directory is just a run of the mill c:\zipfiles so nothing odd there.

what about creating an new txt file in the same folder?

[denzilla]

Anything new I put into the dir behaves fine. I went ahead and unzipped all the files and re-zipped using 7-Zip so they’re all working fine now. PA is able to unzip and rezip them now. There had too be something out of wack with the files themselves, but it doesn’t make sense that 7-zip had no problem with them and PA did. I doubt its related, but I had an issue a few months ago where I couldn’t drag files from any directory into a PA zip file. They would just overlap the icon. That was fixed by re-installing PA, but that didn’t work for this problem.

[welhaux]

@denzilla:

I’m running XP Pro sp2 fully updated and Kaspersky 6 as my AV. If I right-click and try to compress to zip, it just pops up a progress window for split second and nothing is created…

Try these and see what happens:
1. Disable Kaspersky AV and attempt the zip.
2. If using a third-party (non-xp) personal firewall, re-enable the XP firewall and disable the third-party firewall. Again attempt the zip
3. Attempt the zip by first launching PA then dragging the file onto the PA interface.
4. Launch Control Panel –> Administrative Tools --> Event Viewer and check the Application, Security, System, and (if you have one) Antivirus events to see if you get any interesting errors.

spwolf: Might it be a good idea to add a logging option (off by default) to PA? ;)

[welhaux]

@denzilla:

Anything new I put into the dir behaves fine. … I doubt its related, but I had an issue a few months ago where I couldn’t drag files from any directory into a PA zip file. They would just overlap the icon. That was fixed by re-installing PA, but that didn’t work for this problem.

Hmmm… maybe your system needs a good scandisk?

[spwolf]

@denzilla:

Anything new I put into the dir behaves fine. I went ahead and unzipped all the files and re-zipped using 7-Zip so they’re all working fine now. PA is able to unzip and rezip them now. There had too be something out of wack with the files themselves, but it doesn’t make sense that 7-zip had no problem with them and PA did. I doubt its related, but I had an issue a few months ago where I couldn’t drag files from any directory into a PA zip file. They would just overlap the icon. That was fixed by re-installing PA, but that didn’t work for this problem.

seems to be as if it was permissions/ownership problem. PA’s zip engine respects those, while 7zip’s dont (including 7zip in PA itself).

As long as it works, great!

[denzilla]

I checked the permissions on the files and they’re set just like normal archives that anyone has access to. Shouldn’t PA pop up some sort of error message about permissions?

I did run a checkdisk, btw. All is good and nothing in my error logs.

[spwolf]

@denzilla:

I checked the permissions on the files and they’re set just like normal archives that anyone has access to. Shouldn’t PA pop up some sort of error message about permissions?

I did run a checkdisk, btw. All is good and nothing in my error logs.

you checked ownership of the files? Not system/read only, etc, which are the attributes…

[mwb1100]

If this happens again, see if something has the file opened, which I think might prevent PA from being able to re-compress it. You can use “OpenedFilesView” from NirSoft to check for this:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/opened_files_view.html

[denzilla]

Ownership was set to full control for admin as well as my user account.

[welhaux]

@denzilla:

Ownership was set to full control for admin as well as my user account.

One thought I had, was that there may have been a possibility that the attributes of those files somehow got set to SYSTEM and PA was not configured to include system files in its archive. Since I am now using PA 2007 Beta, I cannot confirm.

However, if you still have one of those files that PA could not compress, you can open a command window, cd to the directory containing the file, and type attrib. If the you see an “S” to the left of the file, it means it’s a system file. If so, check your PA default preferences to see if including system files is disable, then enable it and try again.

That’s the last possibility I can think of.

[denzilla]

I don’t have them now to test that but I do remember the attribute as “A” listed in explorer.

Is PA20007 stable enough to use as primary archiver? Where can I get th latest beta?

[welhaux]

@denzilla:

I don’t have them now to test that but I do remember the attribute as “A” listed in explorer.

Is PA20007 stable enough to use as primary archiver? Where can I get th latest beta?

I find PA 2007 very stable; however, mine is a rather simple English language setup - no fancy theming or whatnot. If you have any weirdness going on, YMMV.

If you’re not a licensed user of PA, you’ll have to wait for the public beta. The public beta should be out sometime soon, so it might be better to just wait anyways, since some more bugs will be fixed by then.

For more information, read the sticky at the top of this Tech Support thread.

[denzilla]

I’m a licensed user :)

[welhaux]

@denzilla:

I’m a licensed user :)

Then read the information in the sticky at the top of this Tech Support thread. It tell you how to get cracking.