How to get files to copy correctly onto Samba share?

soho1 · 26 May 2018

Happy weekend all. Cheapskate that I am, I have a network drive that is a share on my router. I have not quite gotten ready to buy a NAS. Trouble is, bigger files are not copying correctly.

Use case: I have a 3 GB iso file on my system C: partition and am trying to copy it to a NET USE'd samba share off my TM-AC1900 (AT&T) router. I have tried copying the file in various ways and the copies all claim (no error) to have made it there, however, no copy compares the same as the original (and not to each other!)

One handy tool I use for comparison is Beyond Compare by Scooter. Other tools can compare too, or the file copied back again to C: and the derivative copy compared against the first using any binary check tool.

So, I can only assume there is some problem with the AT&T Samba processing, as I can copy the same file to any drive plugged directly into the computer, skipping the router.

Might anyone have a suggestion for better sorting what the problem is? If a large file (3 GB) has a problem that rules out using it for backups and might suggest there could be problems coming up in smaller files too.

Whilst you pontificate on issues with Samba networking I shall go hunt Amazon for a cheapo NAS, or perhaps you can make a recommendation for a skinflint such as me. Cheers!

Snick · 29 May 2018

Hi soho1,
Have you tried compressing the file, WinRar zip, or 7-Zip zip then copy to Samba Share. FYI, If I try to upload, say Win7 ISO (3.7GB) to Google Drive, M$ One Drive, etc., then download it and compare SHA-256 hash, they never match. Zipping the files they match every time.

I also noticed even uploading a VB Script or Batch file to SevenForums, downloading and comparing SHA-256 hash doesn't match, and most of the time trying to run them results in error. Technically speaking, a bit flip occurs, at least on the VB Scripts or Batch Files, as I've decompiled them with Olly-Debugger, and I assume the same happens to larger files. When you compress/zip it, it is basically encapsulated within the zip folder and is shielded from whole upload/download process.

Better off buying an External Hard Drive to backup your system.

Nic

mrjimphelps · 30 May 2018

It sounds like you have the shared drive connected to your router. Perhaps things would work better if you connected the drive directly to one of your computers, and then shared it off of that computer. That's how my shared drive works; and I never have any problem copying big files. In fact, if you install the drive in/on your main computer, you won't have to do a network share when on that computer because the drive is installed in that computer.