Cant Fully Download Zip Files

[soozersnpoozer]

Hi,

Besides that the resolution of pics are sometimes (only sometimes) reduced, I cant fully download ZIP files from gmail. Other files work (like Excel files), but not zip files. Only 90% or so of the file gets downloaded, so I cant open the zip.

I already "downgraded" to version 9.2.1 and switched off the compression feature.

How do I get my files without switching to T-Mobile??

Thanks a lot in advance.

[Retired-Helen]

Hi snoozersnoozer

Welcome to the wonderful world of the eForum!

It's a shame that you're having problems downloading ZIP files, can I just check that this on your Vodafone Mobile Broadband dongle or through a handset?

Do you get any error message when the download reaches 90%? Is it the same file you are attempting to download or different ZIP files?

If you can back to us with a bit more information we'll be able to dig a little deeper, and I'm confident that if any of our other fabulous forum members have any suggestions, they'll be along soon to let you know!

Cheers, Helen

eForum Team

[bacupian]

Hi,

Besides that the resolution of pics are sometimes (only sometimes) reduced, I cant fully download ZIP files from gmail. Other files work (like Excel files), but not zip files. Only 90% or so of the file gets downloaded, so I cant open the zip.

I already "downgraded" to version 9.2.1 and switched off the compression feature.

How do I get my files without switching to T-Mobile??

Thanks a lot in advance.

You may not be able to.

Back in February I noticed some software update failures when I used XP with internet
connection via Vodafone mobile dongle. Speed tests from Ubuntu and NetBSD also
gave strange results when test was over an http (www) connection.

Earliest I've seen it reported that certain web proxies would illegally (ie shouldn't) extract
compressed files due to an incorrect header from the webserver, was December 2008,
although this would affect various web proxies in combination with various webservers.
First posts on the Forum I've seen complaining about this are from March 2009. I'll leave
you to search the forums.

The reply I've had from Vodafone customer care is that Vodafone cannot guarantee
that files will not be corrupted within the Vodafone network (email, 9th Sep 2009).

So for me it's either "3" or "Orange".

If your need is only to download by web browser I've found SeaMonkey to be
reliable so imagine Firefox would be also.

Take care, a 2MB highly compressed file was a 4.5MB download, ie the Vodafone
proxy had expanded it x 2.5 so attempting similar 500 MB compressed file would
take me over my 1GB allowance and into punitive charges. Automated software
updates also often retry when a download is corrupted and this also adds to usage.

Best of luck

David

[soozersnpoozer]

Hey there,

- Im on Dongle
- to clarify: the ZIP-files download like everything wld be ok, however I see that its only about 90% (some 80%, some 90%) of the zip-file-size. If I wanna open them I get error message that file is corrupted. I tried it with many different ZIPs - they are def working/not corrupt.

Again, thanks for your support.

[bacupian]

Hey there,

- Im on Dongle
- to clarify: the ZIP-files download like everything wld be ok, however I see that its only about 90% (some 80%, some 90%) of the zip-file-size. If I wanna open them I get error message that file is corrupted. I tried it with many different ZIPs - they are def working/not corrupt.

Again, thanks for your support.

Do smaller zip files download and verify ok?

If they do, you aren't suffering same problem I see.

If they don't verify ok, can you try downloading same files using ftp so you bypass the Vodafone
proxy?

I've downloaded using http from my own site using wget and assuming the download completes
it's obviously not the same as on my site, usually different size and certainly corrupt as far as being
different to original.

What seems to be happening is the proxy is extracting files for whatever reason (content?), then
attempting to recompress but if a large file the download will often fail/timeout whatever. On tar.gz
or tgz compressed files the downloaded tgz at 2.5 x size of original is actually the decompressed
tar file and verifies as such. I don't know how to verify with a zip and haven't tried with zip of a
zip or tar file. Using no-cache and other directives in html headers of the request can partly get
around this unless headers on webserver are faulty when downloaded file still appears to have
been extracted but not recompressed.

Compressed files downloaded via wired broadband or dialup have never given this problem
so cause is firmly located within the Vodafone network.

David

[soozersnpoozer]

David,

thank you very much, its great to have you help! thank you.

well, my files are only about 3-5MBs. its zipped .xls or zipped pics etc... i wanna download them from my gmail account - so i guess i cant do that via ftp or so, right? if you tell me step by step how to get them, that wld be really faaabolous!
all other files (unzipped ones) download perfectly from gmail...

again, thanks for your help!

[bacupian]

David,

thank you very much, its great to have you help! thank you.

well, my files are only about 3-5MBs. its zipped .xls or zipped pics etc... i wanna download them from my gmail account - so i guess i cant do that via ftp or so, right? if you tell me step by step how to get them, that wld be really faaabolous!
all other files (unzipped ones) download perfectly from gmail...

again, thanks for your help!

As I mentioned up the thread, I've used SeaMonkey without any special options and downloads of compressed files
have all been ok whilst same files downloaded through Vodafone by other http clients (the ones used by my scripts)
are corrupted.

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-GB; rv:1.8.1.22) Gecko/20090605 SeaMonkey/1.1.17
http://www.seamonkey-project.org/

Firefox might also be ok.

There are other issues that cause timeouts during download that I've noticed from my own server
in that Vodafone access is very bursty and on a slow link the connection times out. Although
my client shows a long wait before download begins, the server has already downloaded at full rate
a large chunk of data. With a slow mobile connection that chunk of data takes a while to be received
by which time connection has been timed out before the next chunk can be requested by the client.
This was very evident during period when there was work on the mast and very much reduced speed.

These are not problems easy to solve without registry hacks but they are a feature, or I'd say another
fault with the Vodafone network.

David

[soozersnpoozer]

OMG. David!!! Guess what!!! I just used Firefox instead of the IE. And it worked! Thhaaaaaannnnk yoooou!!!!! What would I hv done without you!? I owe you a coffee. Are you London-based?

[Retired-James]

Hi Snoozersnoozer,

Glad to see you managed to get this sorted.

Cheers for you help here David.

James
eForum team

[bacupian]

OMG. David!!! Guess what!!! I just used Firefox instead of the IE. And it worked! Thhaaaaaannnnk yoooou!!!!! What would I hv done without you!? I owe you a coffee. Are you London-based?

Your welcome.

Between Rochdale and Burnley so too far north for the coffee.

cheers

David