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Tasks and Jobs
When I run a job some tasks complete successfully while others don't. How can I determine why a task isn't running to complete success?
Make sure you are logging the task. After you run the task, examine the log file, looking for any error messages. The most likely reasons a task doesn't run without errors are...
- Inadequate user permissions on one or more drives or folders.
- Inadequate disk space.
- An unstable or dropped network / Internet connection. In this instance, sometimes using a pre-existing mapped drive that points to the remote computer -- rather than a UNC -- can provide more reliable results.
I networked my Windows home computers but when I try to browse to a remote PC I don't see any folders. Why?
For a folder to be visible from another computer on your network it must be shared.
I can copy files back and forth using a task but XKat fails after I set the task to zip files. Why?
Your user account probably doesn't have adequate permissions. To zip a file, you must have at least delete permission on the source folder. To unzip a file, you must have at least delete permission on the destination folder.
Can I move a task to a different job by dragging and dropping?
Sorry, no. This is not supported in the current release of XKat. You will have to re-create the task in the job in which you want it to reside.
When I first set up my task I used a mapped drive letter as my destination. But the mapped drive letter changes occasionally. As a result, I have to continually edit my task. Is there a way to get around this?
Use the universal naming convention (UNC) to designate your destination computer. Under a UNC, the computer name is always preceded by two backslashes. This is followed by a single back slash and the share name...
\\ComputerName\ShareName
So if the remote computer's name is Server1 and the share name is MyFolder, enter the following as the destination: \\Server1\MyFolder.
I accidentally deleted a job. Can I recover it?
No, sorry. You will have to re-create it.
When I copy back an XKat zipped file from the Internet, the file is automatically unzipped. But when I copy back an XKat zipped file from another Windows computer, it remains zipped. Is there something wrong?
No, this is by design. Only XKat zipped files downloaded from the Internet are automatically unzipped.
I installed XKat on my server but run it from my laptop. Sometimes the tasks work; sometimes they don't. Can I run XKat from a remote computer?
No, do not run XKat remotely. It must be run at the same computer on which it was installed.
Sometimes when copying to another computer, the task cannot connect or complete. Why?
Many things can cause this. Check if a firewall is set up on the remote computer, blocking or restricting access to your computer or user account. Be sure the logged in user account has permission to connect to the shared folder on the remote computer.
Additionally, the remote computer's CPU could be overloaded, especially if it is a non-dedicated server in a peer-to-peer network. Sometimes using a pre-existing mapped drive that points to the remote computer -- rather than a UNC -- can provide more reliable results.
Faulty or overloaded network cabling, hubs, and switches can result in file copying failure. Here, too, sometimes using a pre-existing mapped drive that points to the remote computer -- rather than a UNC -- can provide more reliable results.
If you're on a relatively busy network and you are using XKat to copy files to a computer that resides on the other side of a router (if you're connecting to a PC that's located in another city, this is almost certainly the case), connections can time out and packets can be dropped. To copy files across a WAN, you would probably have better success using an internal FTP server as an "Internet Destination" in the task.
Internet
Why can't I connect to my Internet service provider?
You may be using an invalid user name or password. Please note that for some service providers, not only is the password case sensitive but so is the user name.
It's also possible the Internet address you entered into XKat is invalid. Be sure to double check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) as to the address you should use when connecting to their servers using FTP. Most all ISPs will have this information posted somewhere on their website. If your ISP provides you with an address that begins with FTP://, omit the FTP:// when entering the address into XKat.
Also, some service providers are not compatible with XKat. AT&T users, for example, cannot use XKat to copy files back and forth to the Internet.
Another possible cause: You are behind a firewall or proxy and your user or computer account has not been granted "full FTP access." If you don't have full access granted, you will have to ask your network administrator for assistance.
More: If you connect to the Internet using a dial-up connection, you must first make the connection to the Internet yourself -- using whatever method you normally use to connect when surfing or checking email -- before using XKat to copy or display remote files.
In general, if you can fully connect to your remote site using Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, you should also be able to connect using XKat since XKat taps into the Internet Explorer "engine."
I can connect to an Internet site but I can't copy files to or from my Windows computer. Why?
The user name that you used to connect to the site probably does not have adequate permissions set on the Internet computer and possibly on the Windows computer as well. You will have to contact the Internet Service Provider and ask for at least "write" permission on your folders in order to copy files and "delete" permission to erase them.
I can copy files back and forth to the Internet using a task but file compression fails. Why?
Your user account probably doesn't have adequate permissions. To zip a file, you must have at least delete permission on the source folder. To unzip a file, you must have at least delete permission on the destination folder.
I can copy files back and forth to the Internet at home but at work Internet copying fails. Why?
Your user account probably doesn't have adequate permissions. Many companies will not allow employees to upload and download files to and from the Internet. You will have to ask your Information Technology Department for assistance.
When I connect to my Internet site using a program other than XKat, I see a file called syndex.syn in my folders. What is that?
This is an XKat index file. For each remote Internet folder that XKat visits, it creates an index file named syndex.syn. The syndex file takes up minimum disk space. XKat uses it "to remember" files' last modified dates. Without this file, there would be no Windows-Internet file synchronization.
When I connect to my Internet site using a program other than XKat, I see that the files' modified dates are different from those displayed when browsing the same site using XKat. Why?
When copying a file across the Internet, the receiving computer -- by convention -- assigns a new last modified date to the file. This is somewhat confusing and counter-productive to average computer users because they actually didn't, in the usual sense, modify the file -- they simply copied it. And this makes it natively impossible to synchronize files between a Windows PC and an Internet server. To avoid the confusion and to allow Internet file synchronization, XKat creates an index file and places it in the folder on the remote Internet computer. When XKat displays your files that are on the Internet computer, it scans the index and provides you with the last modified dates as they were a moment before upload. When XKat copies back a file from the Internet, it uses the index to reassign the file its "true" last modified date.
I uploaded a file to my Internet site using a program other than XKat. Will I still be able to synchronize this file to my Windows PC?
No. When copying a file across the Internet, the receiving computer -- by convention -- assigns a new last modified date (which will be the current system date on the receiving computer) to the file. When XKat uploads a file, it indexes the file and thus "remembers" its last modified date. Other programs will not index a file before copying it to the Internet. And without an accurate index, XKat won't be able to synchronize files in folders.
I originally zipped a file using WinZip. I copied the file to the Internet using XKat. Now when I drag and drop the file from the Internet to my Windows PC, the file is not automatically unzipped. Why?
XKat will only attempt to unzip files that it zipped. XKat zipped files have an extension of xkt.zip. Additionally, XKat can only unzip a zip file if it contains a single file.
I cannot connect to my files on an Internet server using XKat. To troubleshoot this, I tried to connect to the Internet server using Internet Explorer and I received a message that includes the following: "The Proxy Server is not set up to allow full access..." What's going on?
You are probably behind a firewall or proxy and your user or computer account has been given only limited access to FTP services -- the file transfer technology that XKat and Internet Explorer both use to transfer files. Without full FTP access -- where you can copy, rename, and delete files -- XKat will fail to connect. To use Internet resources with XKat, you will need to adjust the firewall or proxy or, if you are in a business environment, contact your network administrator, asking for full FTP access. Click this link for information on a similar "FTP access" message.
I cannot connect to my files on an Internet server using XKat. I continually receive a dialog that says "Request Timed Out." What's going on?
You are probably behind a firewall or proxy and your user or computer account has been given only limited access to FTP services -- the file transfer technology that XKat and Internet Explorer use to transfer files. Without full FTP access -- where you can copy, rename, and delete files -- XKat will fail to connect. To use Internet resources with XKat, you will need to adjust the firewall or proxy or, if you are in a business environment, contact your network administrator, asking for full FTP access.
Miscellaneous
I cannot create or save jobs or tasks and I continually receive the following message: "An unexpected event occurred. Number 430. Desc: Class does not support automation or does not support expected interface..." What's going on?
You will need to install the latest version of MDAC on your Windows computer. This is a Microsoft data access technology used by XKat.
Go to http://support.microsoft.com or search the Internet using your favorite search engine...keywords: Update MDAC. You can also go to the following address (valid at this writing), http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com, where you can update Windows on your computer automatically -- be sure to select the MDAC update. If there is no selection for MDAC, return to support.microsoft.com and search using the keywords above.
Why don't I see a schedule icon in XKat like I see in the Help file picture of XKat's Main Screen?
Windows ME, Windows 98, and Windows 95 cannot use the XKat Scheduler to run jobs and tasks at an appointed time. However, it's relatively easy to create a batch file and use Windows Task Scheduler to schedule a task or job to run. The Help file has instructions on how to do this, or drop us a line and we'll try to help.
Sometimes after running an XKat task that copies or syncs files to another Windows PC I see an inactive mapped drive in Windows Explorer. I can right-click the drive and choose disconnect and it disappears -- but why is it there?
This sometimes happens if your task copies to a folder under the shared folder -- rather than directly into the shared folder -- on a remote computer. You can change the destination in the task so it copies files directly into the shared folder rather than a sub folder off the share. Also, in our tests, the mapped drive will not reappear in Windows Explorer after rebooting. |
