A Question for the Mac Experts

Ginseng

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,734
I recently used Stuffit (v8) to compress a folder and now I can't get it to unstuff. Here are the details:

While doing some semi-regular disk cleanup, I used Stuffit Dropstuff (v 8.0.2) to compress a folder to an OS X SIT file. Compressed size was 132MB. The operation seemed to complete with no issues but a few weeks later when I went to open it up, I got the following error message:

"The item "Docfolder.stix" is in use right now and cannot be opened.

Try again when the current task (such as moving or copying an item or emptying the trash) is complete."

Of course, it is not in use. It has just been sitting on the drive for a few weeks. Now, I am aware of the terminal workaround to delete a file that is in limbo, but I don't want to delete it as I still need the file. I built the archive on my 2004 iBook under OSX 10.4.3. and am now running 10.4.5.

Any help would be appreciated.

Wilkey
 

chesterqw

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
May 9, 2005
Messages
1,968
Location
singapore,jurong
quote from some short movie" you own a macintosh! the file is f88king gone!"

i think the only thing you can do is to delete it away and get a new one from someone you know of.
 

James S

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
5,078
Location
on an island surrounded by reality
why does anyone use stuffit anymore when the zip archive stuff is built into the system now? I'd use that for future archival purposes :)

You've restarted since this happened and the problem continues? (I know thats basic ;) But you'd be amazed how many times I make people restart when they never thought of it even though they have restarted their OS9 or windows box three times today already, OSX just rarely needs that)

I would re-install stuffit too since the system upgrade may have fmirkled something in their libraries.

Then I would duplicate the file in the finder and try to decompress the duplicate.

After that fails ;) I'd create a new user account on the machine and copy the file over to their home directory. Log out and back in as the new temporary user and try to decompress it from there.

Though it's never happened to me I hear that some people have problems running the incremental upgrades from software update that can cause strange seemingly random issues. If you used software update to update your OS these last few versions then go to apple's site and download the combo updated for the latest version and re-run it and then try again.

Lastly I'd restart into single user mode (hold s at startup if I recall?) and try to do it from there. The only thing I can think of is that there is a spotlight indexing process trying to index the file, is there a spotlight plugin for stuffit? and it's choking on it and just hanging with the file open?

good luck!
 

Ginseng

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,734
Thanks James. I'll give all that a try.

I wouldn't be so concerned except for the reason that this folder contains every single thing I've done in, on or with flashlights over the the last three years. Yup, it's dear to me.

Wilkey
 

benh

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 2, 2005
Messages
169
Backups, man, backups. :)

I burn my important stuff to DVD on a regular basis. Documents, email, iPhoto library, etc.
 

binky

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 1, 2002
Messages
1,036
Location
Taxachusetts, USA
By any chance do you have FileVault turned on in your "Security" system preference? My gut tells me that sounds like a FileVault error as the UnStuffit app tries to access the huge file that the OS is trying first to unencrypt and isn't doing efficiently on your iBook. That suggestion of James' that you try uncompressing the file in another account can resolve the dreaded FileVault problems as well as a host of other possibilities. (FileVault is 99% wonderful though.)

An alternative to doing this yourself is to take the iBook to an Apple retail store if there's one nearby you. If you have an Apple retail store near you, then you can bring in your laptop-with-file to a genius there and they should be able to help you since Apple did distribute the UnStuffit with their OS before 10.4. Dupe the file as James suggests and have the Genius work on the Duplicate. (When you walk into the store, sign up to put yourself into the queue at any one of the floorshow computers. Beware that if you don't have the "ProCare" plan then it might take you hours to get served at a popular store, so plan to sign up, go shopping/eating/whatever.)
 
Top