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Garbage at end of zip file

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    Garbage at end of zip file

    Hi,

    We zip files at close of business every day. Friday night every attempt to zip the files we were getting the same error message, garbage at end of zip file ignored. Never had this before, the file size is only 40,580kb as opposed to earlier zip files which are over 500,000 KB. Does anyone know how I can correct this?

    Thank you

    #2
    Re: Garbage at end of zip file

    Opsys?
    Zip engine?
    Users out?
    See our Hybrid Option here;
    https://hybridapps.example-software.com/


    Apologies to anyone I haven't managed to upset yet.
    You are held in a queue and I will get to you soon.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Garbage at end of zip file

      Thanks for your help Ted, but your cryptic words are lost on me. I'm not strictly a database person, just self taught on alpha over the years. I have resorted to 7zip to back up our data.

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Garbage at end of zip file

        Apologies. Opsys = Operating System/version of Windows. What are you using?
        Zip engine =which one you are using?
        Users out = are all users logged off and all forms closed before zipping?

        What rubbish are you getting?
        See our Hybrid Option here;
        https://hybridapps.example-software.com/


        Apologies to anyone I haven't managed to upset yet.
        You are held in a queue and I will get to you soon.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Garbage at end of zip file

          Dupe.
          Last edited by Ted Giles; 08-06-2019, 11:30 AM. Reason: dupe
          See our Hybrid Option here;
          https://hybridapps.example-software.com/


          Apologies to anyone I haven't managed to upset yet.
          You are held in a queue and I will get to you soon.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Garbage at end of zip file

            Hi Ted,

            Thank you for coming back to me. We use the zip workspace that's in the Tools menu on Alpha, we have used it for years without problem. We always check that everyone is logged out before zipping. The message is that 'garbage at end of zip file ignored'. The file names all seem to be there but a much smaller file size than it should be. I can't see what the garbage could be.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Garbage at end of zip file

              Aaah! You zip the whole work space then?
              I assumed -my stupidity - that you were zipping tables.

              Suggestions;
              Try unzipping the workspace to a test area and see if anything is missing.
              Try using Backup and Restore instead of zipping the whole workspace.
              I haven't tested rubbish file extensions in the zipping process, so are there any unusual file extensions? AS does create some odd files.

              Msoft are messing about with all systems, from Win 7 up. Causes me no end of grief slowing and interfering with processes. That could be a problem.
              See our Hybrid Option here;
              https://hybridapps.example-software.com/


              Apologies to anyone I haven't managed to upset yet.
              You are held in a queue and I will get to you soon.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Garbage at end of zip file

                I have found nothing reliable other than a full cut and paste of all the files in the application folder to a folder on a backup drive. We use a USB SSD drive dedicated to backups. All folders in the application are subfolders under the application folder. After all the files are copied, the folder is zipped. Our application and data at this point is 37 GB.
                Mike W
                __________________________
                "I rebel in at least small things to express to the world that I have not completely surrendered"

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Garbage at end of zip file

                  Hi
                  Thank you everyone, I have gone through the folder looking for any obvious rogue files. I will unzip the back up to a local folder on my computer and see what happens. I think my best option is Mike's suggestion that we copy and paste to a USB SSD drive.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Garbage at end of zip file

                    Hi Ted,

                    I zipped the database and unzipped to a folder on my local drive, everything is there no data missing at all. We are still getting the error message and no idea why.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Garbage at end of zip file

                      So when you create a backup, the zipping process says there are still spurious data present?

                      As this is a commercial application, I suspect you may require a more robust method of backing up your data and application.

                      The problem with Alpha is that it's easy to mix up the data and the application engine, so, suggest you look at some free backup software where you can separate the two - because the engine changes little - and the data changes constantly.

                      If you google the error message that might give some comfort and you have satisfied yourself that even with the error message, the data integrity is intact.

                      Might just be something you have to live with.

                      However. If the data is sensitive and/or essential, I would purchase a decent backup drive and take the whole lot, data and app, and save it there until you get a clean zip.

                      If you want me to test it here - and I have no interest in your data whatsoever - I will create a folder on my server so you can upload it and I will run my zipping software.
                      See our Hybrid Option here;
                      https://hybridapps.example-software.com/


                      Apologies to anyone I haven't managed to upset yet.
                      You are held in a queue and I will get to you soon.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Garbage at end of zip file

                        Thanks Ted, our server is backed up every night. It is just and extra preserve that we back up to a local drive so that if the server went down we could access a copy straightaway.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Garbage at end of zip file

                          Judith, I would still use the usb ssd drive as a local backup space. I use a wd 2 terabyte for the purpose. Yes, there is also one on the server for nightly backups as well. I think I paid about 80.00 for the wd drive. Best use is with USB3 for speed, but a USB2 will still work.
                          Dave Mason
                          [email protected]
                          Skype is dave.mason46

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