Open LZW files from read-only network directory

TA
Posted By
tom_a_rogers
Sep 2, 2007
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275
Replies
4
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Closed
This probably is not the right forum for this question but perhaps someone can point me in the right direction. We recently started using LZW on TIF files stored on our Windows network. These image files are stored in a restricted-use directory. Designers and document layout people have read-only access to this directory. But when they try to open the compressed file or try to place them in a ID or Quark document, they get an error message that file cannot be access. They don’t have any problems with uncompressed files.

We’re on a Windows server (don’t know the current version) and all are using Windows XP systems to access the network. Seems like we can’t be the only people in the world who have experienced this problem. So, I’m hoping someone can suggest who I need to talk to or what I need ask of our network people.

Can anyone help?
Thanks

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P
Phosphor
Sep 2, 2007
"These image files are stored in a restricted-use directory. Designers and document layout people have read-only access to this directory."

<Adam Savage from Mythbusters TV show>"Wull, there’s your problem."<Adam Savage from Mythbusters TV show>

Sorry, but your managers need to completely rethink this. If the designers aren’t supposed to do anything with them, well, are there any employees who do have write access to the files?

Can you COPY the files to your desktop, and then work on them, THEN, write the new version back to the server(s)?

That’s the way you should be working anyway. Working directly off a server is a crapshoot ripe for disaster, and is a workflow that has repeatedly confounded some of the best IT people in the business. The number of questions about that in these forums is testament to that. It’s also a workflow that Adobe neither endorses nor recommends.
TA
tom_a_rogers
Sep 5, 2007
Actually network storage has worked very well for us for the past five years. It’s the LZW compression that creates the problem. The idea was to try to reduce the amount of space our image storage requires. Copying and saving files to other places just isn’t a practical solution for that.

The images in the restricted directory are linked to our publishing database and, from there, to dozens of large and small catalogs. If someone purposely or accidentally alters, moves or deletes those files, the effects are widespread. There are a few people with write access to those files after securing client and management approval to do so.

So I would ask Adam Savage, what is the problem: Needing to produce multiple 800 page catalogs a year, or using a server to store the source material?

Thanks anyway.
EH
Ed_Hannigan
Sep 5, 2007
Copying and saving files to other places just isn’t a practical solution for that.

Worked that way for many years in a large publishing operation. No problem. Adobe specifically warns against opening and saving files over networks.

You can use he server to store source material but you should drag the files to your desktop, work locally and Save, then transfer back to the server.

< http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=33 2534&sliceId=2>

Maybe VersionCue is the solution you want? Never used it myself.
SP
Sid_Phillips
Sep 6, 2007
Try changing the directory from restricted-use to wide-open-use and put the designers in a user-group with read-only privileges. Maybe that will satisfy the apps.

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