Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with file

How do you open .MAT files with variables?

cali59 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:13:09 -0800

I need help opening Matlab workspaces I'm on a computer running Windows XP. Until today, Matlab workspaces (.MAT) opened just fine, but then out of nowhere it reverted back to thinking they were some sort of file associated with Microsoft Access. I went into Windows Explorer > Tools > Folder Options > MAT > Advanced > Edit and changed it back to opening with the Matlab.exe file, but now the workspace variables don't appear. Googling hasn't helped much.

Does anybody know what the nuance is to opening these files with the workspace variables? Perhaps if someone could just copy the settings they have to here that would be enough. Thanks.

WIN XP Directory Tree Software help?

dorgla — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:13:54 -0800

Need software which enables saving my Windows XP file directory tree and shows subfolders as a .gif, .jpg or .bmp. Google found some software which saves it as a text file, but I want the visuals of the actual folders in the tree structure.

Little deaths 4kb at a time

arniec — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:27:59 -0800

Is my data gone? Convoluted data storage question involving two Macs, a Drobo, and some file permission errors... Question on possible recovery options, and questions on how to stop it from happening again. I have recently switched to a mostly Mac household, with one Windows XP machine and one Windows laptop still around.

For data storage I picked up a Drobo and put in 3 1TB disks on it. I have it hooked to a Mac Mini on the network so it can be used for data storage. I have been moving files off my primary machine (a Macbook Pro) to the Drobo when space was needed on my hard drive.

I have gone back to get some of that data and I cannot get to it. I get the error message:

Item "itemName" is used by Mac OS X and cannot be opened.

I have tried opening these files from my Macbook Pro, from the Mac Mini where the Drobo is directly connected, I've tried moving the files to a new location, opening the files, etc. and I keep getting that same message.

I have checked and even reset all the file permissions to ensure my account does have rights but still the file won't open.

Now it appears many of the files are only 4k or 8k making me think that something went wrong. I'm guessing these files are names only taking up the minimum possible space on the disk and that my data is gone...is that right?

But I don't know if something went wrong when moving the data to the Drobo, when just being stored on the Drobo, or something else. Has anyone encountered anything like this at all?

Cloud File Storage with Tagging

king walnut — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:15:26 -0800

What's a good cloud file storage service that has TAGGING? It doesn't have to be free. I've looked through dozens of reviews, and I can't find one that offers file tagging. At least none of the ones that look like they'll still be around next year.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

How do you get the mat file name?

cali59 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 03:50:49 -0800

How do you get a Matlab script to know the name of its own .mat file? I have a bunch of .mat files that have descriptive names (ex "round fluffy A.mat", "square fluffy B.mat") and I'd like to process the data and generate a figure with the name of the mat file, only .fig. I don't want to have to hard code the filename, or use a dialog box to input it or anything, I just want a way to be able to retrieve the argument that was used in the command that shows up when you double click the .mat file, namely

load('C:\PATH\FILENAME.mat')

I'm sure there's plenty of other ways I could be doing this, but after searching google and MATLAB help, it's kind of driving me nuts that I can't just find a simple way to do this. Am I overlooking something? Thanks.

How to find out Mac creator / type info on a PC?

jzed — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:24:03 -0800

Is there a windows utility to read the creator / type information of old (pre OSX) mac files? I've inherited a lot of old mac files (probably .eps or old .ai's or something but I'm not really sure at this point) and I'm trying to get them open on my windows machine. I think I probably have the most likely applications I'll need to open them, but brute force guessing what program to try is time consuming. Is there a straightforwards (preferably freeware) utility to help automate this process? My googling has revealed this util which looks... a bit unwieldy; and this mac app which would do the job if it ran on windows!

How can I swap large .wav files back and forth for a long distance music collaboration?

markjamesmurphy — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:37:47 -0800

My cousin in New Hampshire wants to collaborate on music with me. I'm in Seattle. I'd like to figure out a convenient way for us to pass large .wav files to each other. I can pull his completed rock songs into a multitracking program and create vocal tracks - then I need to pass the vocal tracks back to him in the form of .wav files so he can add them to the mix on his end. I know there are web based file storage sites, and I can randomly try some out, but I thought I'd start with the hive mind: Can anyone recommend a service like this? I'm thinking free, uncomplicated and capable of handling large file sizes. The files don't need to live there for a long time - just a reasonable window of time to pass them back and forth. Have any of you done this kind of thing?

Resources for creating a good, extensible file format

SilentSalamander — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:35:32 -0800

My team and I are writing a computer application for which aspects of the file format are very likely to change in future releases. The format is in XML. Does anyone know any resources on the web that lays down general principles about how to make a file format that is as extensible as possible for the future (and minimizes the possibility of cross-version breakage)?

Expression Engine file upload won't work. Why?

davebush — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:56:37 -0800

Why won't Expression Engine's file upload work? My first Expression Engine website has gone smoothly, with the exception of the file upload function within the Edit window. The server path and directory permissions are both correct (I've checked and re-checked). The file browser works fine (which I assume confirms the path is right), but attempted uploads give me the error message "An error of an unknown type was encountered."

EE's support staff haven't been able to provide a solution yet (via my forum thread) and searching through past forums threads shows me others have had this problem, but it's normally the result of server path or permissions issues.

I've begun to think the problem might stem from an issue with the host's temp directory. Apparently, uploaded files initially reside in a temp directory before being copied to the final destination (my "uploads" folder).

One more troubling aspect - the host's control panel file upload works fine.

Any suggestions? I'm baffled and frustrated. I'll attempt phone support with the hosting company tomorrow, but I'm hoping to know more about a possible solution before then.

Help me create order out of electronic chaos

janecr — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:22:10 -0800

My electronic life is in total chaos - I have multiple copies of word and powerpoint files (usually all with the same name) on four or five different USBs or varying ages, a network drive (in multiple places), a laptop, work pc, and ifolder. I need to sort it all out! Is there any software that can help me find multiple versions of the same file across all these different places, work out which is the most recent and then delete/archive the rest? Going forward, what is the most sensible way to start again with an organised structure for file management and keeping everything synced between various computers (have a mac at home and pc at work)?

tar -pz in Windows?

oblio_one — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:49:57 -0800

I'm trying to find a procedure to create a zip file in Windows and preserve Unix file permissions from the original files... I have a set of bash scripts to be archived, originally created on a linux machine with file permissions 755. Some people in our group are using Windows and if they archive the files then pass them back to a Linux user, the file permissions are lost, unzip extracts files with 644 permission, so an additional step is needed to execute them. No problem if the archival was preformed on linux, but not all members of our group are comfortable with it.

Situation is the same whether using the default XP "Send to compressed", or something like winRar or 7-zip, I can't find any option that will respect / preserve the UNIX permissions from Windows, anyone know of a way?

Massive, simple, customized file uploading

signal — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:11:54 -0800

I need to hire a file upload service for a printing company so their customers can send files that can be in excess of 2GB. I'm thinking something like Rapidshare and its brethren, that :

0) Does not require the customers to sign up, in or on, or download anything, and is super simple to use.
1) Allow a customized frontend, with my client's colors, logo, etc.
2) Sends some sort of notification to my client whenever a file is uploaded.
3) Allows some sort of organization, so maybe each customer has their own folder (which might contravene point 0, I realize, so maybe there's some sort of intermediate solution).
4) Is fast.
5) Has essentially no size limits.
6,7,8,9) Is 100% reliable, stable, etc.

Price is an issue, but not the main one.

Which papers go in the rectangular file and which go in the circular file?

fiercecupcake — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:08:53 -0800

What important household papers and documents must I keep and file? What papers are OK to throw away? My wife and I are going to go through a ton of old stuff tonight that needs to be filed. What is important for us to hold on to? What is not worth our time to file?

We bought a house last year. We have two cars and no car payments. We have student loans.

Documents may include, but are not limited to:
- mortgage stuff
- water and utility bills (electric, septic maintenance)
- tax things from previous jobs
- insurance bills/statements (car, house, life)
- ??? whatever fun things have been stacked in piles

Please hope me. This seems daunting.

How do I get rid of a Mac user acct w/o losing files?

Piscean — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:35:54 -0800

I have a MacBook Pro running Leopard. It has two admin accounts. Some time ago I stopped using account "A" in favor of new account "B" (the reason behind the creation of account B isn't relevant to this question, however). If I delete user account "A," what precautions must I take to ensure the preservation of the files created under "user A," and what automatically happens to the ownership of those files?

The shortest computer-less path between a camera and an external drive is...

bassjump — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:17:30 -0800

Looking for ideas for backing up photos while traveling in the middle of nowhere, with no guaranteed access to a computer. I'm going to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan for a few weeks soon, going through cities and towns as well as travelling through more remote areas. I'd like to find a reliable way to back up my photos as I go, but I will not have a laptop with me, and I don't know how often I'll have access to a computer (nor what shape any computers might be in).

I've seen this question, but I won't be in any major cities, and I don't know what kind of infrastructure will be available. And it's always possible that things have changed in the past year.

I could buy extra memory cards, as suggested in the previous question, but that would give me only the additional storage without any supplemental backup. I have an external hard drive that I'm happy to bring, and I could get a card reader, but how do I push the photos from the camera to the drive without a computer interface? Or do I just count on finding a computer once in a while so I can plug in the card reader and the external drive? I have a Flickr Pro account, but that would require both computer access and a reasonably fast internet connection. Apple used to make a device for downloading photos to an iPod, but it's been discontinued, and anyway I only have an 8-gig Nano.

Ideally, I'd like to find something that will allow me to back up my memory cards on the external drive. But I'm open to all suggestions.

Active Synchronization Across a Network?

sciencemandan — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:09:49 -0800

I need a lightweight program that can actively synchronize files across a network. I am looking for something like Dropbox that can actively monitor when a file is changed and synchronize it across a network. I have no trouble finding programs like Microsoft's SyncToy, but this requires running a synchronization operation, which has to be scheduled.

I really like Dropbox, but its space limits along with the need to upload a modified file to their server and then subsequently download the file on the other networked computers have me looking for something else.

Web based document sharing

dukes909 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:39:02 -0800

Non-profit group looking for a web based document storage / file sharing system to allow remote offices to share (mainly download) relevant organization documents. Does not have to have check in/check out capabilities. Will need to be able to password protect access so that general public does not have access. Could also use web portal capabilities and wiki like features - a lite CMS, but not required. Have looked at things like Drupal (too complicated to get set up), Alfresco (wayy too expensive!), OWL (couldn't get demo to work). Prefer to host on our own Linux based webserver, and have tech resources for installs etc, but not extensive coding.

How can a writing workshop share their work online?

patnasty — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:32:24 -0800

What would be the best web-based file hosting service to use as a shared "Documents" folder for the various members of my writing workshop? I'm looking for a cheap (or even free!) way to set up a communal web storage folder so that the members of my writing workshop and I can make the latest drafts of our work available to one another in between workshop meetings.

Here are the tricky bits:

Many of my workshop-mates are fairly technophobic. If the login/uploading process is at all difficult-looking, they won't use it. Also, it would be probably be best that it not require the downloading of any sort of desktop client, unless the installation and configuration thereof would be simple enough for an 80 year old grandmother who was raised in a remote region of the Brazilian rainforest, by monkeys.

Finally, we'll be using several different document types. Some will be using regular docs, some will be using the screenwriting program Final Draft's proprietary format, and some will be using the format used by the open source screnwriting program, Celtx. It would probably be asking too much for the hosting service to automatically convert these various formats into PDF or something, so I'm pretty much resigned to having to go on and do some converting on my own... but it would be nice if, once I convert the document to PDF or HTML, for people to be able to just click on a document to read it.

Oh, and it'd be best if I could set up sub-folders for the various members of the group, so our stuff isn't all mixed up together.

So... any suggestions?

iphoto :: get filepath

H. Roark — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:08:08 -0800

What's the quickest way to get the complete filepath of an image in iphoto copied into the clipboard? (ie, to fill in a "Browse..." to upload button a webpage) All the "info" stuff I see just gives me a filename. The only way I see to do it now is "Show File" in iphoto, which open finder window, then right on icon and do "Show Info", but maddeningly the "Where" field is not selectable to copy onto clipboard.

File Browser with tags

sidr — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:19:33 -0800

So I have this growing movie collection. What I want is a file browser that lets me tag each movie (either my own tags, or metadata from the files). Basically something like labels in Gmail or tags in Flickr/Delicious etc. Ubuntu here. I've heard of Gnome Meta-Tracker, is there anything else that will help organize my collection?

I'm used to paying ikea prices, what is reasonable for a library card catalog file cabinet?

achmorrison — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:24:19 -0800

What is a reasonable price to pay for a library card catalog cabinet? I would really like to have a library card catalog cabinet, like the ones that held the thousands of catalog cards in all the small file drawers. I think it would look awesome in my office and make for great storage for all my small electronics projects.

The problem is that people who are selling these on craigslist and ebay are usually asking ~1000 dollars or so for the type I want. This seems really high to me. Anyone have a feel for a realistic range of prices?

Taxes for NJ dwellers working in NY.

spacefire — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:13:14 -0800

Online Tax help specifically for people who live in NJ and work in NY? My wife and I both lived in Jersey and worked in NYC last year. I prepared and filed our taxes as a married couple, but going through all the steps was a bit of a pain.We also got some correction letter from the IRS.
I'd like to find an easier, less error-prone way for this year.
Tax preparers charge over $200 dollars for our combined income bracket. We can't afford to pay that because my wife was laid off at the end of last year. (by the way, are there any tax rebates for people who were laid off last year?)
The main difference between this year's filing is the added income, not too much, from my wife's books.
So, can TurboTax help for this situation? IIRC we need to file federal, NY and NJ, with some 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' deductions involved at state level. Are there any other e-file programs or websites that can actually handle this process for people working in one state and living in another in a more streamlined manner?
I don't mind paying under $50 just to make sure we're doing it right and fast.

Thanks mefites!

Accessible playlists

miss_scarlett — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:46:22 -0800

How would one go about creating a playlist akin to a mixtape (ie with specifically ordered songs), to share with a friend via thumb drive/zip file? I know this is possible using iTunes, but what if the recipient doesn't use iTunes?

I want to make a universally accessible playlist, which can be 'zipped' together with notes and images...Is there a software program that will do this for me? Some way I can attach data or formatting to a list of individual files?

How can I see how many fragments a file uses in Windows?

worldshift — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:21:40 -0800

How can I see how many fragments a file uses in Windows? I have several large files that I'm trying to keep defragmented in Windows XP.

It would be great to be able to see at a glance how many fragments a given file is using, so that I can see if I need to defrag again.

Windows obviously has this information, but doesn't seem to display it anywhere - you cannot see this in Windows Explorer or anywhere else that I've looked.

Am I missing some Windows trick to see this, or is there perhaps a small freeware app that one can use to see this information for a given file?

Why are file sizes different on XP to Vista Machines??

maxmix — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:44:22 -0800

Why do file sizes vary from Windows XP to Vista????? I have been transfering Photo files from my old XP desktop to my new Vista Laptop and noticed that the file sizes were sometimes smaller on the Vista machine by 200MB on a 1Gig file. I initially thought that some pictures had been missed, so tried copying them again. Noticing that they were still smaller. I decided to count the actual pictures and there was the same amount!!!
So, how/why is this possible???????