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Espen Isaksen · Jul 16, 2003, 07:03 AM

Ok I had to remove all my mp3's from my iPod since I was going to use it during a re-install of OSX. I copied all the files using Podworks and then trasferred them to a PC through my local network.

But now that I want to transfer them back about 5% of my files are corrupted. So now I am wondering if this is a transfer problem between OSX and PC's or if perhaps Podworks did something strange? It shouldn't be any problems with filenames, since some of the corrupted files have very standard names(like "unsheated.mp3").

BurpetheadX · Jul 16, 2003, 05:09 PM

It shouldnt be a problem between mac's and pc's if you transfered them through LAN filesharing. Such as going on the PC and connecting to the mac as a share volume. If you used TCP/IP to transfer your data (the internet) that's what might have done it. But if you transfered by connecting through filesharing (the right way), it may be a hardware problem. Make sure your connecting through a switch and not a hub, and are using identical standard cabling and/or GOOD cabling.

Telusman · Jul 16, 2003, 10:56 PM

TCP Isnt the problem, AFP in OSX uses TCP IP and AFP over straight Appletalk is a much more unstable protocol, i'd never call it (Appletalk) "the right way" I think the problem is most likely hardware related, or the system used funny names, with commas or other special characters in it.

TCP is a stable protocol, and after many many years of using TCP IP i've never had corrupted files. I'd be more incluned to say hardware related or OS X's wacky naming structure / special characters. what are the files doing exactly? how are they "corrupted" some people think that just cuz it's a generic document icon and won't respond to double clicking, it's merely because the file extentions been lost. renaming them sometimes help.

People who place blame on a network protocol are often ignorant of said protocol or have no idea what (a protocol) it is... read a book.

- Telusman

Originally posted by BurpetheadX:
It shouldnt be a problem between mac's and pc's if you transfered them through LAN filesharing. Such as going on the PC and connecting to the mac as a share volume. If you used TCP/IP to transfer your data (the internet) that's what might have done it. But if you transfered by connecting through filesharing (the right way), it may be a hardware problem. Make sure your connecting through a switch and not a hub, and are using identical standard cabling and/or GOOD cabling.

Espen Isaksen · Jul 17, 2003, 03:51 AM

Originally posted by Telusman:
I'd be more incluned to say hardware related or OS X's wacky naming structure / special characters. what are the files doing exactly? how are they "corrupted" some people think that just cuz it's a generic document icon and won't respond to double clicking, it's merely because the file extentions been lost. renaming them sometimes help.

- Telusman

They are corrupted in a way that I cannot play them anymore. They are still recognized as mp3's, but I guess that is just because they still have their mp3 extension. I tried to rename them as well, but no luck. Trying to import them into iTunes, iTunes gets activated but nothing happens. On Windows, Media Player tells me that it doesn''t support the file.

When I transferred my mp3's I just connected to the PC right next to me through "Connect to server" in OSX.

Telusman · Jul 17, 2003, 02:17 PM

Well that is the "right way" As for what happened I cant say, but i can almost guarantee that the network transfer of the files didnt cause the corruption. What are you using on the PC side to transfer stuff?

Originally posted by Espen Isaksen:
They are corrupted in a way that I cannot play them anymore. They are still recognized as mp3's, but I guess that is just because they still have their mp3 extension. I tried to rename them as well, but no luck. Trying to import them into iTunes, iTunes gets activated but nothing happens. On Windows, Media Player tells me that it doesn''t support the file.

When I transferred my mp3's I just connected to the PC right next to me through "Connect to server" in OSX.

Espen Isaksen · Jul 17, 2003, 03:17 PM

Originally posted by Telusman:
Well that is the "right way" As for what happened I cant say, but i can almost guarantee that the network transfer of the files didnt cause the corruption. What are you using on the PC side to transfer stuff?

Didn't use anything on the PC side. Didn't touch them at all. All I did was to connect to the PC through my local network using OSX's "Connect to server". I made a new folder on the PC. Dropped all my files in there, and that's it.

Could it be that Podworks had something to do with this? I really don't know if they were corrupted before I transferred them to the PC, as I didn't even look at them before I trasferred them. But they sure did work when they were on my iPod.

Thanks for your help!

sniffer · 08:55 AM

Originally posted by Espen Isaksen:
Didn't use anything on the PC side. Didn't touch them at all. All I did was to connect to the PC through my local network using OSX's "Connect to server". I made a new folder on the PC. Dropped all my files in there, and that's it.

Could it be that Podworks had something to do with this? I really don't know if they were corrupted before I transferred them to the PC, as I didn't even look at them before I trasferred them. But they sure did work when they were on my iPod.

Thanks for your help!

There is something flaky about the cifs/smb implantation in the current mac os x. Connecting from a pc to a smb share on the mac will be fine, but other way around can cause problems now and then. If you want a better cifs/smb client on the mac side I recommend Dave from Thusby. I am currently using a trial of Dave. But other times when I need something copied in a hurry and I don't have any extra software installed I usually just turn on ftp on my mac and access my mac from the PC (any OS). Then I can just i.e. use a ftp client, or if not available I just type in "ftp://[email protected] in Internet explorer on the pc* to gain access to my mac. The ftp implementation is very reliable IMHO.
Sorry to hear about your corrupted files. I've been there my self.

[edit] *If you are on an older windows os you might go into the command line ("start"->"kj�r"->"skriv inn command, eller p� nt skriv cmd") and use the built in ftp app to upload files to your mac. (Only needed if you don't have another ftp client installed) Oh. And why use ftp? A smb/cifs on the mac will only give you access to the public folder. Ftp access gives you access to your homefolder.

suthercd · Jul 20, 2003, 10:27 AM

Before TCP/IP was available for the Mac WAN environment, I transferred many many hundreds of gigabytes of data over a complictaed Appletalk/ISDN/segmented Ti network some of which had portions with some one off small phone cos. at the end and experienced corruption problems less than 10 times over the 8 years the netwrok was up. Appletalk is noisy, but packet structure and integrity were not problems I had. Some of the network tunneled Appletalk through TCP/IP in the later years via AURP and that was very solid.

I would look at Podworks. It is a reverse engineered iPod workaround/hack that does not support iTunes and has no compatability with Windows indicated in its support. The metadata in an iTunes mp3 is complicated and I wonder if the combo of a one off hack and a non-supported file format on Windows didn't cause the problem.

Craig

Espen Isaksen · Jul 22, 2003, 08:09 AM

Thanks for all your tips!

I have now discovered that not only are about 5% of my files completely corrupted, but there is also probably 10% of the mp3's where the files have been cut-off.

I have e-mailed the maker of Podworks if he might know if Podworks had anything to do with this.

My mp3's are lost(luckily I have a backup from some time ago), but I would like to know what caused this.

sbjordal · Jul 22, 2003, 02:04 PM

Originally posted by Espen Isaksen:
Thanks for all your tips!

I have now discovered that not only are about 5% of my files completely corrupted, but there is also probably 10% of the mp3's where the files have been cut-off.

I have e-mailed the maker of Podworks if he might know if Podworks had anything to do with this.

My mp3's are lost(luckily I have a backup from some time ago), but I would like to know what caused this.

I have transferred thousands of mp3s from my macs to pcs and vice versa. Sometimes there are messages about weird filenames, special characters, them being too long etc. That has never cause file corruption though. I've never heard of file corruption by copying like you're describing. I suppose if you had a hub in the middle, and you had a crap load of collisions then maybe a couple of file would be corrupt. But not 5% like you say.
I would ditch the iPod program and find something better.

ldandersen · Jul 22, 2003, 10:32 PM

I would ditch the iPod program and find something better.

I am the author of said program. Out of over 3,000 registrations to date, this is the first time I have ever heard a report of file "corruption." I'm not sure what's happening, but I strongly suspect there is some other explanation.