Topic: trasfer from AppleMac (OS 9 i think)

[brianr]

I have sucessfully connected an apple mac into the SME networks, and copied a whole raft of files across - mainly word and excel files.

Most seem to work, but we are coming across a few that either fail to be "recognised" by Windows XP, i.e. they are shown in Explorer, but the properties show them as zero byes, and applications cannot pick them up.

We also have some where we have to move the files to the desktop before they are able to be opened by the applications.

I can see that file names might be an issue, and some have spaces, apostrophes, etc (even on the front in some cases).

Anyone have any useful experience which might help us make these files usable under Win XP?

Cheers

Brian

[smeghead]

I have a client running OS10 (previously OS9) to an SME56 box.

When working with Mac's you need to be aware that the OS creates a secondary file called a resource fork that is tied to the original data file; if you have copied the file from the Mac to the SME box the resource fork will come too.

Windows knows nothing of resource fork files but you may find it useful to purge these resource files if the data files are no longer worked on by Mac's.

When the original copy was made my guess is that the resource fork file on the Mac was corrupt and interfered with the correct copying of the file; get the Mac to open the faulty file and save under a new name, then copy this to the SME box.

HTH

[brianr]

Yes, that sounds interesting, we can see ".apple<something> directories in most of the directories, but they can't be interfering with Windows I suppose, but we'll try what you suggest.  

I guess we should we be able to "save" files directly on to the SMEServer from the appleMac (we just "drag and dropped" then across before).  We can try to re-save some of the problematic ones.

Cheers

Brian

[Anonymous]

These are just data files so it is most likely an extension issue. Make sure the files have the proper extension for windows to open them.

Are you loging in from the same user account? Permissions might be a factor.

Are you trying to open the files from the server? It might help to copy the files to the PC first.

[hardijs]

which version MacOs which version SMe?

 Can you give an exact filename of such "0" file - "/" and accented letters in names usually do not go well.

try connecting and copying using smb://servername or ip.


Permission problem may be one thing to keep in mind n this situation. The invisible desktop db and df (and all the rest) sometimes are not being able to "hold" the meta information about the files - so if the file is named improperly then it shows up as a binary - though works fine if opened directly in the app that created it.

[tape]

Yes, that sounds interesting, we can see ".apple<something> directories in most of the directories, but they can't be interfering with Windows I suppose, but we'll try what you suggest.  

I guess we should we be able to "save" files directly on to the SMEServer from the appleMac (we just "drag and dropped" then across before).  We can try to re-save some of the problematic ones.

Cheers

Brian

There are many possible reasons... depending on what Mac OS and SME Server you are using.
On SME 5.5/5.6 teh appletalk driver didn´t work properly. In this cases some Mac applications couldn´t save files if they are opened from the server. In most cases this apps have been Quark XPress and Adobe Photoshop. In some cases the network connection was broken from time to time also. This issues are known and can be read at the appletalk discussion board. It should work well running SME6.x (it works well here running several OS9 and OS.X Mac machines using an SME6.0.1 server).

If the files are shown under MacOS but not under MS Widnows and you are using an appletalk connecion so try using an IP connection instead. Very often it is, a wrong or not existing file extension because MS Windows and/or the linux Appletalk couldn´t handle the file names if they contain specvial chars i.e. : ? / and so on.

If you are moving files from OS.X (using the console) to an Windows machine so both machines are using different char codes at the filenames. If the filename conatisn secial chars (i.e. german umlauts) they are not shown under windows, the filesize is not shown correctly or you can not open them if they are shown in the directory listing.

Try renaming the files and see if it works then.

just some of my own expiriences

back to dinner now....

Anton

[brianr]

it was an OS9 Mac, and the SME is 6.0.1

We have copied all the files and taken the apple off line.  Adding exptensions works for some and not others, some are seen by XP (looking at the SMEServer), but not openable, some are better after being re-named, some not.  They are mainly excel spreadsheets and Word docs, but some are images, which we have not bee able to open (I don't know what format they are in).

A few need to be pulled across locally before being able to be opened.  we are slowly getting through them.  Thanks for all the suggestions.