I can't open any zip files

[labecs]

It started happening a couple of weeks ago. I could not open any of the zip files I downloaded from Dropbox for example. I thought my computer was acting up and it was time for a nice fresh re-instalation and re-formatting. But I still have the problem. I downloaded a zip file, and tried opening it with Jzip, The Extractor and 7zip, but it keeps saying "jzip does not support the file format of the file you are trying to open".

Help me, please?

 

[Ztruker]

Can you attach one of the zip files in a post here so we can look at it, or give us a link to it in your Dropbox Public folder?

 

[Wrenches]

Sound like the file extension had been renamed.

 

[labecs]

The Dropbox folders that I can't open, are the ones they zip for download. This is the link to another folder, not from Dropbox that I cannot unzip.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8032286/Transforming Cancer.zip

 

[Ztruker]

Who zips it, Dropbox? I've never downloaded more than a single file from Dropbox so if there is an automatic zip I've never run into it.

Your zip file is definitely bad. I just tried downloading the Photos folder from my Dropbox account and it automatically zipped it. Once downloaded, I can browse it and unzip it, so it looks like there is a problem on your end somewhere.

Can you try a smaller set of files to download, see if that works? Scratch that, not Dropbox specific I see. Who/where did you get the file from? It is definitely corrupted or not a zip file.

 

[labecs]

Who zips it, Dropbox? I've never downloaded more than a single file from Dropbox so if there is an automatic zip I've never run into it.

Your zip file is definitely bad. I just tried downloading the Photos folder from my Dropbox account and it automatically zipped it. Once downloaded, I can browse it and unzip it, so it looks like there is a problem on your end somewhere.

Can you try a smaller set of files to download, see if that works? Scratch that, not Dropbox specific I see. Who/where did you get the file from? It is definitely corrupted or not a zip file.

I only download these files either from Dropbox, and they are compressed by them. The others I haven't been able to open are files received through sites like WeTransfer, etc. I am at a loss...:shock:

 

[labecs]

I've been downloading with Firefox... IE is giving me other sort of problems I won't get into here, but very frustrating.
Still can't unzip my file

 

[Ztruker]

Try running Firefox without Add-ons.

Click on the orange Firefox drop down at top left, select Help then Restart with Add-ons disabled, see if that works.
Try it with IE, see if that works.

 

[Wrenches]

Also you can right click on the file and say open with to choose your unzipper.

 

[torchwood]

interesting

Hi Labecs,
In your last post >> ive got other probs with IE<<, this is beginning to look like a malware/virus problem,
would suggest you run MBAM and your AV's and pop over to the am i infected sub-forum.(system security)

Roy

 

[labecs]

Hi Labecs,
In your last post >> ive got other probs with IE<<, this is beginning to look like a malware/virus problem,
would suggest you run MBAM and your AV's and pop over to the am i infected sub-forum.(system security)

Roy

I haven't been able to fix this, and I haven't found any malware. Very frustrating.

 

[dperecky]

Do you have a different computer that you can download .zip files to? If so, download a small one there, onto a Flash Drive. Test the unzip there first...

2nd: Insert the Flash Drive with the zipped file into the computer you're having a problem with and try to view the compressed files on that computer.

Let us know what happens....

------------------------------------------------------------------
ETA: There are a lot of compression/decompression programs out there. You will find them on www.download.com. I prefer Infozip for a pinch, although it is a command line tool (only, AFAIK).

Infozip syntax example to test a .zip file for integrity: unzip -vt thecompressedfile.zip
Where: -v - verbose
t - test the file. Will not unzip it.

 

[XweAponX]

I usually use WinRAR which can open most archives. If there is a problem with this achive, I'll know if it is valid or not. I use Dropbox the same way and I've never had any problems with it, but I never use the the internal Windows ZIP opener. It may be you have it disabled in your copy of Windows.

 

[XweAponX]

You have a BAD Archive. All this means is that it was probably an incomplete download from Dropbox, or, an incomplete upload:

 

[dperecky]

I usually use WinRAR which can open most archives. If there is a problem with this achive, I'll know if it is valid or not. I use Dropbox the same way and I've never had any problems with it, but I never use the the internal Windows ZIP opener. It may be you have it disabled in your copy of Windows.

Yes.. the regular Windows unzip facility does not provide much info when things go wrong. That's why Infozip is mentioned.

All the best.

 

[XweAponX]

Well, the issue was not , he could not open "any" zip files, he just could not open that one, because it was a bad file. As a matter of fact, I have had this same problem with the Dropbox archiving thing, so I stopped using it. It probably stops uploading to the archive when the iPhone goes into sleep mode, thus making the backup archive incomplete. For it to work right, you have to keep the phone on and powered up to full power, which it does not want to do. Some iPhone Apps force the device to stay live, say Video apps , dropbox is not one of them, to it always renders incomplete archives when using that feature.

It is better to use the archiving feature with the website. Actually I don't know if he made this archive using an iPhone or the Dropbox website from a PC, but he should check the source and make sure it is complete there.

 

[BillTopDog]

I had the same problem with Dropbox. What I found is that Dropbox can create valid ZIP files if you are logged into your own account, but if you are on a Link Share page, Dropbox cannot create valid ZIP files. The programming is wrong.

To get around this, I create a folder with some JPG files in it, and then create a ZIP file containing those files and place that ZIP file in the same folder.

When someone who has the link goes to look at it, the usual view of all the images is there. But down at the bottom is a line showing the ZIP file. If you click on the ZIP file name, a new page opens giving you the opportunity to download the ZIP file. And if you download it, you can open it just fine and see all the images.

Here's a link to a shared Dropbox folder demonstrating my workaround.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vknzuzbfzxskcem/rwEmziVAFh

First get Dropbox to download all the files and try opening the ZIP file it produces. Then just click on the ZIP file at the bottom and download it. You'll see the difference.

 

[Ztruker]

Your link is bad. Says dropbox, but the link is actually:

http://www.sevenforums.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=2439674

 

[radiogate]

check dropbox folder name

I had a weird dropbox folder name somthing like "* JPEGS for EMAIL" which caused my windows 7 unzip tool to fail. I fixed the problem by renaming my dropbox folder to something like "JPEGS-for-email" and windows 7 unzipped the folder just fine.