mac MAIL messes up downloading zip files

R

roninsmurf

Registered
hey there. I'm macbook pro 10.6.2
using macmail 4.2 1077
when I get a normal unzipped attachment, it's no problem-- downloads fine.
whenever I get a zip file attached, tho, I can see the components in the mail window, like normal. but when I download, it throws the (lets say 5) files onto my desktop and none can be opened by any app. arg.

when I go back to my aol software (that ancient piece of nonsense) it sees the zip file and doesn’t presume to tell me what’s inside. the decrepit AOLsoftware then downloads the zip file, and then expands it after, and voila! I get everything perfectly inside a folder on my desktop.

I had this problem with the last macmail I was using with 10.4, too
what gives? is there a setting I can change?

thanks so much for your time, everyone.
 
Every day, millions of Mac users send and receive .zip files as attachments with nary a problem. The fact that you are having problems means that something unusual is happening. The question is: "What is it?"
  • When did this behavior begin?
  • What is the source of the files?
  • Does this happen with .zip files from all sources or just those from one source?
  • What about .zip from other sources such as the Internet or given to you on a CD or thumb drive by friends and colleagues?
 
thanks for your reply!

yes, something is odd.
when I use AOL to download the zip file, it downloads the folder correctly, and then unzips it perfectly, and all is well. the parts are separated in the folder and load fine
I'm not sure which program AOL/my mac uses to unstuff -- but something on my mac is automatically used to decompress.

there's no problem with .zip files coming from a thumbdrive or anything like that.

it seems to be a macmail issue. only when macmail tries to download and unzip the files is there a problem. (macmail shows the PARTS of the file in the email -- is that because it feels it's already unzipped the appendant folder?)
anything coming from macmail gets put onto my desktop -- already unzipped/ not in a folder. each file goes to the drive separate -- and unloadable...

I've had this problem ever since I started using macmail, from 10.4, years ago.
now that I'm on 10.6.2 the problem persists -- for all sources/senders

thanks for your thoughts!
 
yes, I have stuffit expander 13.0.3 intel build
have had it for some time and it seems to be how the AOLmail app is expanding things? don't know why it wouldn't work with macmail

why does macmail show me the individual files instead of just showing me the zip folder file? is that because macmail thinks it's expanding the zip file automatically? is there a way to stop this? could this be the problem?
 
I created a folder on my Mac Mini (10.6.2). I added one document to the folder.
I used the compress option (right click on folder) to create a zipped file.
I attached the zip file to a gmail message and sent it to my Mac.com address.

The file showed up as a single file which revealed a folder and the contents described above when uncompressed via the download.


I did the same with another folder, but this time I dropped six items in the folder. Same result. One zip files. Folder and six items inside when uncompressed. Stuffit (v 14) did not open the file, however. This was done with Apple's own Archive Utility (automatically). You don't actually need Stuffit for zipped files... though it is needed for other archive formats that Archive Utility does not handle well, or at all.

So... this takes us back to the collection of zipped files you received.So I sent myself six separate zipped files rather than enclosing them in a folder. I sent to my gmail account and from the gmail account back to my Mac... In both instances they arrived as six separate attachments. Though Mac Mail did provide the option to click one button to download all in one hit.

I am using Mail Version 4.2 (1077) so perhaps this isn't a very good comparison.

Are you using Mac Mail 4.2 or an earlier version perhaps?

When the files unzip automatically from AOL you can see what app unzipped the file by going to the Apple menu and looking at what is listed in Recent Items.

No definitive answer for you I'm afraid. I don't have an AOL account so cannot test like-for-like. If you are using an AOL browser perhaps something is built into the browser itself in the same way as Firefox, say, has apps assigned to different file types.

So... I'm not having any problems as is obvious from the above experiments, but hope I have provided some food for thought.

Curiosity got the best of me so I created an AOL Account and sent myself six separate zips in one message. They appeared as six separate items in AOL mail and had to be downloaded separately. I then sent myslef the same files but this time in their enclosing folder. The folder arrived at the AOL address as a single 'foldered' file and downloaded as such (still in a compressed format). Still no help I guess, but it does seem to indicate that if the files are sent in a folder they arrive in a folder... though not unzipped. Mac Mail unzipped them automatically on download. I had to double click on the AOL attachment download to make Archive Utility do its stuff (and yes Archive Utility showed in recent items as the application responsible for the unzipping... and flashed briefly in my Dock when doing so).
 
you're awesome! I love your curiosity!

hm: still no clue what to try tho...
I am using the same macmail as you....

hm
I'm getting a lot of attachments these days so it's pretty annoying.
I guess it must be an aol problem??
 
I don't think it is an AOL problem. As a folder of attachments arrived as a folder in my AOL account I think it is just the way attachments are sent to you: as individual files rather than grouped into a folder. Sounds like you may need to indulge in educating those that send attachments. It has to be hard work for them to attach files one by one (I couldn't command or shift click on attachments in AOL to up load them in a single action), so you would be making life easier for them than it is now if you promote folder use.
 
but wait, if someone sends me attachments, i should be able to get them.
it shouldn't matter what their process is. if they a) put multiple files into a folder and then compress THAT FOLDER
or b) if they send an email with multiple files attached (and then their email program automatically zips the files)
either way, macmail should be able to unstuff those files.
and now: it can't.
arg.
 
Is there any difference if you just drag-and-drop those attachments directly from the email message? You can just drag those to a convenient folder, rather than just drop on the desktop... Does Mail still process the zip files if you just drag the files out of the message?
Lastly - what exactly are those files? What app is supposed to use them? Are they always the same file types?
 
arg! so frustrating!
I got an email that had 4 files in a zipped folder
as usual, macmail showed me the 4 files separate, in the body of the email window.
I tried to just get one at a time -- one PDF worked -- and the other PDF didn't!

and then when I clicked SAVE, it splashed all 4 separate files on my desktop -- (no zip file) and yet the same PDFs opened and the other didn't. the ical file opened and the MSwd file didn't.....

arg!
then I went back into the old clunker AOL app and I downloaded the zip file -- which unzipped and now ALL the files worked... huh.
both PDFs worked thru aol......

??

anyone know why this might be? macmail downloads files to some temp location it looks like, so maybe that's the problem?
the problem is always that it sends some files through and others haven't been unzipped properly.
but all files do have data! they're not just shells (or at least cmnd+I says they do. the unworking PDF was 2mb)


???
 
roninsmurf said:
arg! so frustrating!
I got an email that had 4 files in a zipped folder
as usual, macmail showed me the 4 files separate, in the body of the email window.
...
Click to expand...
You assume that the four separate attachments that you received originated as a single ZIPped folder with the four files inside? What is the basis of this assumption?
 
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