The Compressed (zipped) Folder is invalid or corrupted

[Guest]

All information I've been able to find on this topic/error messaged had to do
with downloading files from the Internet. I did NOT do this to cause the
problem.

I intended to use the Windows XP utility to password protect a massive
amount of data I have on a secondary hard drive, formated as NTFS. About 60
gig of data was residing in a normal folder (e.g., OldDataFolder) in the root
on the secondary drive: G:/OldDataFolder

Following the supposedly accepted Microsoft XP method, I created a
"Compressed (zipped)" folder, (e.g., G:/Archive_01) on the same secondary
drive. I then moved ("Shift-drag) the OldDataFolder in to the Compressed
Archive_01 folder. The movement of data showed that everything was being
compressed and was moving into appropriate/corresponding folders/files down
under Archive_01. Then, when the move operation was almost finished (after a
couple of hours), the following message was displayed in and error message
window:
The Compressed (zipped) Folder is invalid or corrupted. (with an OK button
in the middle of the window).
Now, every time I click on the Archive_01 folder I get the same error
message in an error message window. The now inaccessable Archive_01 folder
shows in the root of the secondary drive with a size of about 5 gig. Almost
all of the data did seem to MOVE out of the old normal folder,
"OldDataFolder", leaving only a very small amount of data back in
"OldDataFolder". I was also able to copy the entire seemingly corrupted
Archive_01 compressed folder to another external secondary dirve connected
via a USB 2.0 port. This took something like an hour to copy but I get the
same error message when I try to access the folder on the external hard
drive. There is nothing wrong with my secondary drives from a phyisical or
file system point. I am able to create other folders and properly store
files on the drives.

Since there appears to be data in the "...invaled or corrupted" Archive_01
folder, is there some way I can get it back out? Some of the data is
important and consists of install .exe files I would like to use again on my
new system.

I admit that I should have "backed up" the data prior to attempting the
MOVE. However, I tried a small test of the XP method of XP method for
password protecting folders and files and it worked fine. I am extremely
disappointed in XP and that it would do something like this. Plus, it has
been impossible for me to find any information on this particular problem.

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

The error mesage means exactly what it says - some of the files may be
corrupted.
--


Will Denny
MS MVP Windows Shell/User
Please reply to the News Groups

 

[Shenan Stanley]

All information I've been able to find on this topic/error messaged
had to do with downloading files from the Internet. I did NOT do
this to cause the problem.

I intended to use the Windows XP utility to password protect a
massive amount of data I have on a secondary hard drive, formated
as NTFS. About 60 gig of data was residing in a normal folder
(e.g., OldDataFolder) in the root on the secondary drive:
G:/OldDataFolder

Following the supposedly accepted Microsoft XP method, I created a
"Compressed (zipped)" folder, (e.g., G:/Archive_01) on the same
secondary drive. I then moved ("Shift-drag) the OldDataFolder in
to the Compressed Archive_01 folder.

Where is that listed as the "supposedly accepted Microsoft XP method"?

Just curious - because it is definitely not something that makes logical
sense. I would never MOVE/COMPRESS/ENCRYPT that much data until I was sure
it was backed up and I cannot see anyone else (Microsoft included) having a
procedure that just takes the data and compresses it without at least
suggesting a backup be performed first.

I really think you wanted this process:

To compress a file or folder on an NTFS drive
1.. Open My Computer.
2.. Double-click a drive or folder.
3.. Right-click the file or folder you want to compress, and then click
Properties.
4.. On the General tab, click Advanced.
5.. Select the Compress contents to save disk space check box, and then
click OK.
6.. In the Properties dialog box, click OK.
7.. In Confirm Attribute Changes, select the option you want.
Notes

a.. To open My Computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.
b.. You can only use NTFS compression for files and folders on drives
formatted as NTFS. If the Advanced button does not appear, the file or
folder you selected is not on an NTFS drive.
c.. If you move or copy a file into a compressed folder, it is compressed
automatically. If you move a file from a different NTFS drive into a
compressed folder, it is also compressed. However, if you move a file from
the same NTFS drive into a compressed folder, the file retains its original
state, either compressed or uncompressed.
d.. Files and folders that are compressed using NTFS compression cannot be
encrypted.
e.. You can choose to display NTFS-compressed files in a different color.
For more information, click Related Topics.

The movement of data showed
that everything was being compressed and was moving into
appropriate/corresponding folders/files down under Archive_01.
Then, when the move operation was almost finished (after a couple
of hours), the following message was displayed in and error message
window:
The Compressed (zipped) Folder is invalid or corrupted. (with an OK
button in the middle of the window).

Yeah - that is a lot of data to compress in the way you stated you did it at
one time. I'll be honest and say I have never seen a 60GB zip file - which
seems to be what you are creating. Unfortunately - you chose to MOVE the
files into this file (It's really a file from the information you gave -
Windows XP's built in compression (ZIP) methods are just showing it to you
as a folder) - so if it got corrupted somehow (many ways - including a
hardware issue or just too much in a ZIP file) you do not have the original
data to fall back on.

Not saying it is impossible and maybe someone will come in to help and have
a wonderful way to fix it - but in my eyes - everything that was moved is
toast.

Now, every time I click on the Archive_01 folder I get the same
error message in an error message window. The now inaccessable
Archive_01 folder shows in the root of the secondary drive with a
size of about 5 gig. Almost all of the data did seem to MOVE out
of the old normal folder, "OldDataFolder", leaving only a very
small amount of data back in "OldDataFolder". I was also able to
copy the entire seemingly corrupted Archive_01 compressed folder to
another external secondary dirve connected via a USB 2.0 port.
This took something like an hour to copy but I get the same error
message when I try to access the folder on the external hard drive.
There is nothing wrong with my secondary drives from a phyisical or
file system point. I am able to create other folders and properly
store files on the drives.

Yes - the drive is fine. The ZIP file - methinks - has reached some limit
of its abilities. NTFS compression, not ZIP compression was likely what
should have been used here - and only after backing up the data to another
location. =)

Since there appears to be data in the "...invaled or corrupted"
Archive_01 folder, is there some way I can get it back out? Some of
the data is important and consists of install .exe files I would
like to use again on my new system.

I cannot honestly say. a quick search (Google) for "fix invalid or corrupt
zip file" does show hope - but i have no experience in this matter.

I admit that I should have "backed up" the data prior to attempting
the MOVE. However, I tried a small test of the XP method of XP
method for password protecting folders and files and it worked
fine.

You are not really password protecting them - you are putting them into a
ZIP Compressed file and password protecting them.
Your best method for protecting data (and easiest to recover from in case
something goes wrong) is simple file and folder permissions. After that -
if used wisely - EFS (Encryption.) Since being able to put files in a large
zip file and password protecting it was around long ago - you'd think it
might be stable - but I never thought it was a great way of doing things -
seeing as you had to decompress to use and it did not seem practical for
large amounts of data..

I am extremely disappointed in XP and that it would do
something like this.

XP did what you asked it to try and do. I think you may not have
understood/known about all your options - which leads me back to your own
point. Backups - before you try anything crazy like this again - research
and backups first - then crazy thing.

Plus, it has been impossible for me to find
any information on this particular problem.

Tried Google?

 

[Richard Urban]

60 gig is an awful lot of data to zip up. If you were successful you would
have found that accessing that zip file would likely take ages. There may be
a limitation I don't know of that restricts the amount of data that can be
zipped. You may also have tried to zip a corrupted file, causing the process
to fail.

For the future - don't "move" files into a zip file (or anywhere else for
that matter). Copy the files to where you want them to go, then check to see
if the copy was successful, then delete the original files.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Guest]

For all those who KNOW and/or recommend that I should have backed up my data
before performing this operation, I COMPLETELY AGREE, no matter what my
reason/excuse was for not doing it! This is a lesson WELL LEARNED!

Now that we’ve established I admit to my stupidity and mistake, I would
still like to submit the following clarification:

I am basically looking for a service or utility that could "pick" through
the bits/bytes in sectors, thus possibly circumventing the File System type
access to the disk/files (or whatever the problem is), and possibly restore
or partially restore what’s in the 5 gig showing for the size of the
corrupted Archive_01 folder. Maybe such a thing exists and maybe it doesn't
(which would surprise me).

To answer the question of, 'Where is that listed as the "supposedly accepted
Microsoft XP method …"?
Go to:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;306531
Then click on
How Use Password Protection

Also note that I was NOT using "Disk Compression" and all my storage drives
are NTFS format. My guess is that "zipping" a file or folder only
"compresses" the data. It likely does not "encrypt" the data. Encryption
normally requires a "key", which a password could possibly serve as; however,
I never got to the part of providing a password.

To reiterate, only that one zipped folder is messed up ("invalid or
corrupted"). The rest of the drive and file system on that NTFS formatted
drive works perfectly well.

So, I was wondering if someone out there knows of some way I might be able
to totally or partially access the data in the "corrupted" folder, OR if I'm
just plain out of luck? Is there possibly another forum or information
source I should go to?

Thanks,

 

[Richard Urban]

There is no utility that I know of that will allow you to repair a corrupt
zip file of that size. Any I have used in the past seem best suited for
smallish zip files. And no, I disremember what they were, as it was many
years ago that I tried to recover a zip file (unsuccessfully if I remember
correctly).

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Warren Brackmann wrote:

I am basically looking for a service or utility that could "pick"
through the bits/bytes in sectors, thus possibly circumventing the
File System type access to the disk/files (or whatever the problem
is), and possibly restore or partially restore what's in the 5 gig
showing for the size of the corrupted Archive_01 folder. Maybe
such a thing exists and maybe it doesn't (which would surprise me).

To answer the question of, 'Where is that listed as the "supposedly
accepted Microsoft XP method ."?
Go to:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;306531
Then click on
How Use Password Protection

Your mistake is in believing this was a better method than file/folder
permissions or that it was capable of doing such a large amount of data - I
suppose. I can see where one would make this mistake - as other posters
said - I cannot find any mention of such limitations. It is only using my
gut feelings that I would not venture to make 60GB of data into a ZIP file.

Again - this is compression - like WinZip would do - in fact - no different
at all - same algorithms I believe. This includes the password protection
that you can add to this. You are not creating a folder - the built in
Windows compression algortihms make it LOOK this way. And with 60GB of
data - no way I would trust that over a less intrusive method like
file/folder permissions. Albeit those are not as portable - but a 60GB file
is not exactly portable. *grin*

Also note that I was NOT using "Disk Compression" and all my
storage drives are NTFS format.

No one said you were. But if your purpose was not just to password protect
(which a similar end could have been reached through file/folder
permissions - and a safer method indeed.) but to also save space - then NTFS
compression would have been your best bet combined with file and directory
permissions.

My guess is that "zipping" a file
or folder only "compresses" the data.

You are correct. ZIP, RAR, etc. All compression algorithms - and not
something I would do unless trying to save space. There are better ways of
protecting data than compressing them and risking (especially with that much
data) losing some information in the process. =)

It likely does not "encrypt"
the data. Encryption normally requires a "key", which a password
could possibly serve as; however, I never got to the part of
providing a password.

No - you did not and no - it was not encrypting it. It was taking
everything you told it to and putting it into one compressed file.. One
extremely large compressed file. I believe - thginking back - your probelm
may simply be that in order to properly compress I think you need as much
disk space available as you are compressing.. So if you were compressing
60GB - I hope it was on a 120+GB hard drive.

To reiterate, only that one zipped folder is messed up ("invalid or
corrupted"). The rest of the drive and file system on that NTFS
formatted drive works perfectly well.

Yes - but according to your story - that "file" contains almost 60GB of your
data. Most of that data MOVED from the said drive. There is nothing likely
wrong with your hard drive.

So, I was wondering if someone out there knows of some way I might
be able to totally or partially access the data in the "corrupted"
folder, OR if I'm just plain out of luck? Is there possibly
another forum or information source I should go to?

I pointed you to a resource.
A quick search (Google) for "fix invalid or corrupt
zip file" does show hope - but i have no experience in this matter.

Chances are - you are out of luck - but filter through the google searches
and try some products - see what they find. You have less to lose now than
you did a few days ago. =)

 

[Richard Urban]

Shenan,

I do think that you have nailed it here.

Thinking back I remember reading that when zipping, a temporary file is
created. That temp file is then compared (CRC check) with the original
files. If the compare is OK, then the original files are deleted (if you
choose this option) and the temp file is written to the end location. Then
the temp file is deleted also. I believe this occurs with PKZip.

You need more than double the free space of the size of the files you are
trying to zip. 60 gig would mean 120 gig of free space on a single drive.
What a workout for the hard drive.

In any event, it's an awful lot of processing for any standard computer to
go through with 60 gig of information being zipped up. No wonder there was a
failure.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!