Why do files with commas in their names disappear when zipped by XP's inbulit compression software?

[Laphan]

Hi All

I don't know if you are going to be able to help me on this one, because it
only happens on 2 out of the 4 Win XP Professional PCs we have, but I will
give it a try.

Basically if I have a file or folder with a comma in the name and I
right-click on it and send it to Win XP's own in-built 'Compressed (zipped)
file' from the context menu, when I try to extract these same files from the
compressed archive they've disappeared.

An example is as follows:

1) I create a folder called Test.

2) I put 2 files in this folder one called Rob, test.txt and one called Rob
test.txt

3) I right click on the Test folder and 'Send to' the Compressed (zipped)
file option.

4) When I open/extract the compressed file, only one file remains in the
folder and that is the one WITHOUT the comma.

This goes one further that if I have a sub folder with a comma in the name
then this folder and all it's contents with disappear as well.

It's as if the comma is a special path delimiter and because a comma is in
the name the preceding files down the files and folders hierarchy are lost.

For your ref, these 2 machines have had this problem throughout the
different updates and service packs of WinXP and are currently on the
latest. The other 2 machines have also gone through these same updates and
they are fine.

We can't re-install the OS on these machines as there are a lot of
development progs on these that would take an age to re-install, so does
anybody have any idea what this could be and how we can resolve it?

Many thanks.

Rgds


Laphan

[Rob Strover]

Laphan,

What you have observed is true with the built-in XP zip handling. However,
using the excellent Winzip program there is no such difficulty. That
suggests to me that the problem is a bug in the XP implementation, not a
problem with the ZIP format files.

Winzip is a commercial program (distributed as shareware), but there are a
number of freeware ZIP-type apps about that your organisation could perhaps
look at if buying a number of Winzip licences is an issue.

HTH

Rob.

"Laphan" > wrote in message
...
> Hi All
>
> I don't know if you are going to be able to help me on this one, because
it
> only happens on 2 out of the 4 Win XP Professional PCs we have, but I will
> give it a try.
>
> Basically if I have a file or folder with a comma in the name and I
> right-click on it and send it to Win XP's own in-built 'Compressed
(zipped)
> file' from the context menu, when I try to extract these same files from
the
> compressed archive they've disappeared.
>
> An example is as follows:
>
> 1) I create a folder called Test.
>
> 2) I put 2 files in this folder one called Rob, test.txt and one called
Rob
> test.txt
>
> 3) I right click on the Test folder and 'Send to' the Compressed (zipped)
> file option.
>
> 4) When I open/extract the compressed file, only one file remains in the
> folder and that is the one WITHOUT the comma.
>
> This goes one further that if I have a sub folder with a comma in the name
> then this folder and all it's contents with disappear as well.
>
> It's as if the comma is a special path delimiter and because a comma is in
> the name the preceding files down the files and folders hierarchy are
lost.
>
> For your ref, these 2 machines have had this problem throughout the
> different updates and service packs of WinXP and are currently on the
> latest. The other 2 machines have also gone through these same updates
and
> they are fine.
>
> We can't re-install the OS on these machines as there are a lot of
> development progs on these that would take an age to re-install, so does
> anybody have any idea what this could be and how we can resolve it?
>
> Many thanks.
>
> Rgds
>
>
> Laphan
>
>
>
>

[Laphan]

Just an added thing Rob

Why is it that 2 x WinXP machines can perform this task without problems,
but the other 2 can't?

Rgds

Laphan


Laphan > wrote in message
...
Hi Rob

Can u give me any further info on this bug.

Has MS recognised it?

What is the reason for it?

Rgds

Laphan


Rob Strover > wrote in message
...
Laphan,

What you have observed is true with the built-in XP zip handling. However,
using the excellent Winzip program there is no such difficulty. That
suggests to me that the problem is a bug in the XP implementation, not a
problem with the ZIP format files.

Winzip is a commercial program (distributed as shareware), but there are a
number of freeware ZIP-type apps about that your organisation could perhaps
look at if buying a number of Winzip licences is an issue.

HTH

Rob.

"Laphan" > wrote in message
...
> Hi All
>
> I don't know if you are going to be able to help me on this one, because
it
> only happens on 2 out of the 4 Win XP Professional PCs we have, but I will
> give it a try.
>
> Basically if I have a file or folder with a comma in the name and I
> right-click on it and send it to Win XP's own in-built 'Compressed
(zipped)
> file' from the context menu, when I try to extract these same files from
the
> compressed archive they've disappeared.
>
> An example is as follows:
>
> 1) I create a folder called Test.
>
> 2) I put 2 files in this folder one called Rob, test.txt and one called
Rob
> test.txt
>
> 3) I right click on the Test folder and 'Send to' the Compressed (zipped)
> file option.
>
> 4) When I open/extract the compressed file, only one file remains in the
> folder and that is the one WITHOUT the comma.
>
> This goes one further that if I have a sub folder with a comma in the name
> then this folder and all it's contents with disappear as well.
>
> It's as if the comma is a special path delimiter and because a comma is in
> the name the preceding files down the files and folders hierarchy are
lost.
>
> For your ref, these 2 machines have had this problem throughout the
> different updates and service packs of WinXP and are currently on the
> latest. The other 2 machines have also gone through these same updates
and
> they are fine.
>
> We can't re-install the OS on these machines as there are a lot of
> development progs on these that would take an age to re-install, so does
> anybody have any idea what this could be and how we can resolve it?
>
> Many thanks.
>
> Rgds
>
>
> Laphan
>
>
>
>

[Frank]

It is too easy to mix up a comma and a period......


Laphan wrote:
| Just an added thing Rob
|
| Why is it that 2 x WinXP machines can perform this task without
| problems, but the other 2 can't?
|
| Rgds
|
| Laphan
|
|
| Laphan > wrote in message
| ...
| Hi Rob
|
| Can u give me any further info on this bug.
|
| Has MS recognised it?
|
| What is the reason for it?
|
| Rgds
|
| Laphan
|
|
| Rob Strover > wrote in message
| ...
| Laphan,
|
| What you have observed is true with the built-in XP zip handling.
| However, using the excellent Winzip program there is no such
| difficulty. That suggests to me that the problem is a bug in the XP
| implementation, not a problem with the ZIP format files.
|
| Winzip is a commercial program (distributed as shareware), but there
| are a number of freeware ZIP-type apps about that your organisation
| could perhaps look at if buying a number of Winzip licences is an
| issue.
|
| HTH
|
| Rob.
|
| "Laphan" > wrote in message
| ...
|| Hi All
||
|| I don't know if you are going to be able to help me on this one,
|| because it only happens on 2 out of the 4 Win XP Professional PCs we
|| have, but I will give it a try.
||
|| Basically if I have a file or folder with a comma in the name and I
|| right-click on it and send it to Win XP's own in-built 'Compressed
|| (zipped) file' from the context menu, when I try to extract these
|| same files from the compressed archive they've disappeared.
||
|| An example is as follows:
||
|| 1) I create a folder called Test.
||
|| 2) I put 2 files in this folder one called Rob, test.txt and one
|| called Rob test.txt
||
|| 3) I right click on the Test folder and 'Send to' the Compressed
|| (zipped) file option.
||
|| 4) When I open/extract the compressed file, only one file remains in
|| the folder and that is the one WITHOUT the comma.
||
|| This goes one further that if I have a sub folder with a comma in
|| the name then this folder and all it's contents with disappear as
|| well.
||
|| It's as if the comma is a special path delimiter and because a comma
|| is in the name the preceding files down the files and folders
|| hierarchy are lost.
||
|| For your ref, these 2 machines have had this problem throughout the
|| different updates and service packs of WinXP and are currently on the
|| latest. The other 2 machines have also gone through these same
|| updates and they are fine.
||
|| We can't re-install the OS on these machines as there are a lot of
|| development progs on these that would take an age to re-install, so
|| does anybody have any idea what this could be and how we can resolve
|| it?
||
|| Many thanks.
||
|| Rgds
||
||
|| Laphan



--
Tampa Bay