Friday, August 13, 2010

How to troubleshoot Error 0x800004005 in Windows XP

The file compression tools such WinZip are extremely helpful as they reduce the files and folders size considerably. This helps in saving a lot of disk space and, also, in transferring the data over systems and on the Internet as well. It also helps in keeping the ZIP files safe from virus infections. At times, the ZIP file gets corrupt due to improper handling, noise during data transfer, etc. There could be lot of solutions for this problem that can be tried. If nothing succeeds, then you should take the services of a third-party ZIP repair software to repair ZIP file.

Let's consider an example in which you are trying to extract a ZIP file in a Windows Vista Service Pack 1 system that you have received in your email. After extracting the ZIP file, you get the following error message:

Copy Folder
An unexpected error is preventing the operation. Make a note of this error code, which might be useful if you get additional help to resolve this problem:
Error 0x800004005: Unspecified error
Try Again | Skip | Cancel”

The file extraction process happens but it results in a 0-byte file. Also, the 0-byte file is created in the target folder.

Note: You extract the ZIP file by either using the 'Extract All' option or by using a drag-drop on the ZIP file.

Cause:
Such problem is cause due to some bugs in Windows Vista Service Pack 1 version. The computer refers to these files as a 0-byte file as these files, being folder items, do not have the directory flag set in the external file attributes field.

Additionally, in Windows Vista SP1 the files are parsed first. Thus, the 0-byte files are created before the folders. Because of this, the extraction process fails as the folder structure cannot be created.

Resolution:
To resolve this situation, you should download and install the latest hotfix for Windows Vista Service Pack 1. You should ensure that you restart the system after installing the hotfix. Now, try extracting the ZIP file again. It should be extracted in the desired way now.

However, if the file is still not extracting properly then it may have got corrupted due to any of the aforementioned reasons. In such situations, you can download the ZIP file again.

If even that does not help, then you should look for other options such as a third-party ZIP repair utility to repair .ZIP file. The main advantage of using these tools is that they are non-destructive in nature that do not overwrite or modify the existing ZIP file.

1 comment:

  1. Zip files are very popular everywhere. Not so long ago I dug up a program which can resolve like problems - fix zip error.

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