The Euro symbol has been around in Windows for quite a while since the currency was introduced. However it was a recent problem when archiving files for an Accountancy client that I can across a strange issue trying to move the files or put them in an archive folder. The common thread between the failure to copy and the inability to create a zipped compressed folder with the files in it was that the filenames either started with or containing the Euro (Alt 0128) € symbol.
The message given when trying to create the compressed file was
“The compression cannot be performed because the file or directory ‘D:\testfilewitheurosymbolinname’ contains characters in its name that Compressed (zipped) folders cannot store:”
The solution in this case was to rename the files containing the offending character.
I couldn’t find a list of characters that would trigger this problem but obviously the Euro symbol is one of them so beware…
In a similar vein a folder for a particular client of the account was in the form firstname.surname and refused to be copied also with an error
Cannot recreate or replace firstname.surname: cannot find the specified file
The solution here was to go into the folder that contained the folder with a fullstop in it and using dir /x get the full name for it.
In this case the folder was called con~1.o’n and using
rename con~1.o’N con_oneil
the folder was then able to be moved
And finally .. WordPress moved »« Webdrive – mapping a drive letter to an FTP server
As part of a project some years ago I was looking for a way to integrate an ftp server storing data from an application as a mapped drive under Windows.
To my surprise there weren’t many offerings out there for this sort of capability. The one that caught my eye at the time was Webdrive and I used it successfully for that particular problem. Recently it needed another airing as a client required access to data – extracted on schedule as xml but stored on a Redhat Linux server. The windows based app that need to consume and process the information to then transmit it via EDI did not have the capability to access the data directly so we installed Webdrive – created an FTP user and made their home directory on the Linux machine – the folder where the extracts would be created. We mapped a drive letter using Webdrive and confirmed that the PC could see the mapped drive and the files on it. A tweak of the refresh interval for that drive letter later and we had a solution.
The product is not expensive and for less that £40 you can save yourself a lot of work with scripts and other tools !! It also works for Mac’s running OSX so this could give you some very nice solutions for information sharing and collaborations…
As its developers describe it …
Unlike a typical FTP client, WebDrive allows you to open and edit server-based files without the additional step of downloading the file. Using a simple wizard, you assign a network drive letter to the FTP Server. By connecting through a virtual drive, there is no need to learn a separate FTP client interface. You access and edit files on the server the same way that you interact with files on your local PC
Euro for it now »« Something for all your file transfer needs – Filezilla
As mentioned here Winscp is a vital tool for file transfer to your ESX server. What about the other options for getting data to and from your Windows servers. The Filezilla project (comes as a server and a windows client option) come into their own when you want a free and easy to use option for file transferring. Download the tools from here and in this case install the server component on a Windows PC or server – XP/2003/Vista and you will soon have a great tool for internal or external file transfers (if you have a NAT router to open port 21 to the machine for).
I have found it an invaluable tool for the storage of data – for backups from ESX servers – using the PHD EsXpress package and for storing Malware removal tools and Antivirus installation sources when you are prevented from access sites on the web. You can always use the ftp command line option to get the files transmitted to your location.
Once installed – ensure that you have strong passwords on all accounts and disable the anonymous user if you do not want unauthorised access.
The functionality of the server is really quite high for such a useable piece of FREE software
Among others, the features of FileZilla include the following:
Easy to use
Supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
Cross-platform. Runs on Windows, Linux, *BSD, Mac OS X and more
IPv6 support
Available in many languages
Supports resume and transfer of large files >4GB
Powerful Site Manager and transfer queue
Bookmarks
Drag & drop support
Configurable transfer speed limits
Filename filters
Directory comparison
Network configuration wizard
Remote file editing
Keep-alive
HTTP/1.1, SOCKS5 and FTP-Proxy support
Logging to file
Synchronized directory browsing
Remote file search
Webdrive – mapping a drive letter to an FTP server »« Winscp – an essential tool for working with ESX / ESXI
