Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

When I download a file from an FTP server to my desktop, I was expecting the
file creation date to change to the current date and time of my system. It
doesn't. It keeps the same creation date and time that it had on the FTP
server. This goes against what I thought I knew.

Also, when I send myself an email attachment, and then download the
attachment, the creation AND the last modfied time are updated to the current
time of my system. Shouldn't just the creation time change and not the last
modifed?

Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks!

Becky

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

"cybergirrl" <cybergirrl@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:AFC07A00-1BC5-4276-A63A-3FA02667D2A0@microsoft.com...
> When I download a file from an FTP server to my desktop, I was
> expecting the
> file creation date to change to the current date and time of my
> system. It
> doesn't. It keeps the same creation date and time that it had on the
> FTP
> server. This goes against what I thought I knew.

A real FTP program will let you decide how to handle the date. It can
use the date for the source file (which is the normal behavior) or
change it to the date of when you downloaded the file (which destroys
later verification that the file you got had the correct date). IE is
*not* an real FTP client. Yeah, it provides a pretty interface but with
extremely limited FTP options. The ftp.exe DOS command also has limited
features; i.e., it supports what is considered normal behavior for FTP
operation. FileZilla and other FTP programs will give you more options,
like "Preserve date/time of downloaded files" (enabled behaves normal,
disabled behaves how you want). FileZilla is free.

> Also, when I send myself an email attachment, and then download the
> attachment, the creation AND the last modfied time are updated to the
> current
> time of my system. Shouldn't just the creation time change and not
> the last
> modifed?

That's because there is *no* file attached to your e-mail. The content
of the file is extracted and encoded into the body of your e-mail
message; i.e., the file no longer exists as a file and is instead a
section of a bunch of garbled ASCII text which is the encoded content of
the binary file. There is no file. There is body of your e-mail which
may contain the encoded contents of the original file. When you extract
that encoded section from the body of your e-mail, you are indeed
creating a *new* file. You are not copying a file. You are getting the
contents of that file and then creating a NEW file when you extract it
from your e-mail.

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

On Sun, 4 Sep 2005 17:38:08 -0700 in
microsoft.public.windowsxp.general, cybergirrl favored us with...
> When I download a file from an FTP server to my desktop, I was expecting the
> file creation date to change to the current date and time of my system. It
> doesn't. It keeps the same creation date and time that it had on the FTP
> server. This goes against what I thought I knew.

This is a setting in your FTP program. Check Options or Preferences.

For instance, in WS-FTP you'd select Options -> Pro and UN-check
"preserve file time on transfer from remote".

I can't answer your other question, sorry.

--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com/
"And if you're afraid of butter, which many people are nowa-
days, (long pause) you just put in cream." --Julia Child

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.general (More info?)

Makes pefectly good sense the way you explained it! Thanks so much!

Becky

"Vanguard" wrote:

> "cybergirrl" <cybergirrl@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:AFC07A00-1BC5-4276-A63A-3FA02667D2A0@microsoft.com...
> > When I download a file from an FTP server to my desktop, I was
> > expecting the
> > file creation date to change to the current date and time of my
> > system. It
> > doesn't. It keeps the same creation date and time that it had on the
> > FTP
> > server. This goes against what I thought I knew.
>
> A real FTP program will let you decide how to handle the date. It can
> use the date for the source file (which is the normal behavior) or
> change it to the date of when you downloaded the file (which destroys
> later verification that the file you got had the correct date). IE is
> *not* an real FTP client. Yeah, it provides a pretty interface but with
> extremely limited FTP options. The ftp.exe DOS command also has limited
> features; i.e., it supports what is considered normal behavior for FTP
> operation. FileZilla and other FTP programs will give you more options,
> like "Preserve date/time of downloaded files" (enabled behaves normal,
> disabled behaves how you want). FileZilla is free.
>
> > Also, when I send myself an email attachment, and then download the
> > attachment, the creation AND the last modfied time are updated to the
> > current
> > time of my system. Shouldn't just the creation time change and not
> > the last
> > modifed?
>
> That's because there is *no* file attached to your e-mail. The content
> of the file is extracted and encoded into the body of your e-mail
> message; i.e., the file no longer exists as a file and is instead a
> section of a bunch of garbled ASCII text which is the encoded content of
> the binary file. There is no file. There is body of your e-mail which
> may contain the encoded contents of the original file. When you extract
> that encoded section from the body of your e-mail, you are indeed
> creating a *new* file. You are not copying a file. You are getting the
> contents of that file and then creating a NEW file when you extract it
> from your e-mail.
>
>