Can't edit and save across network

[jfwilson54]

With two networked computers, if we create a Koolmoves project on one computer in a shared directory, it can be opened and edited from the other computer. But if we try to save it (back to the other computer), we get the hourglass forever, losing the edits. A workaround is to save it locally then copy it, but any ideas on what the problem is and how to fix it.

Windows XP restricted account, latest Koolmoves 4.6.5.

[sdg_uk]

I posted an almost identical message a few days ago.
KM grinds to a halt when I try to save it [on the network].
My processor load goes up to 100% and stays there, and I usually have to stop KM from the task manager.

I have noticed that if you leave KM long enough then it WILL eventually complete the save process...

I have two PCs - a 'server' that is our main computer, and a second one that I get booted on to when my wife wants to do proper work. Files are all stored on the 'server' machine.

I've also noticed that when I save .fun files over the network then my files seem to grow massively in size. I was working on one (on the 'server' machine) and the file was about 100k. When I opened that same file over the network, made a few changes, and then saved it then it grew to 5Mb for no apparent reason.

I'm not experiencing problems with any other software and am successfully opening much larger files in other applications without issue. As far as I can tell my home network is running fine. I'm running XP Home, SP2, Administrator account and the latest KoolMoves.

I got a reply to my post from gusmus suggesting that using KM from a virtual drive wasn't giving him any trouble and must confess that I've not tried that approach as I've not had time.

[gusmus]

There certainly does seem to be a problem there. I've just run a couple of tests and it seems that Koolmoves sets up some kind of loopback from the network folder you are saving to. I was saving at about 400Kbs and had a return signal to the main computer of approx 370Kbs. I don't know if KM double checks what it is saving but that's what it seems like to me. 5 mins to save a 30K movie is a bit much lol. Plus the fact that it has now grown to 534K, that's a multiplication of 18. Thank God it was a small movie.
As to the Virtual Drive solution. That works fine for me but as Jfwilson54 points out, he is working from two machines saving to one central folder. Virtual Drive won't work that way because only one person at a time can use the program as it is a unique copy of KM on a host machine shared between the other comps on my network. I can work on one remote machine using KM while someone else is on the host machine using another program but they can't open KM because it is in use by another user or if they do then it crashes or freezes.

[Bob Hartzell]

Why would this problem occur in a networked situation and not a non-networked situation?

On saving, the steps are:

1) If the current file already exists, it is copied to ~backup.fun in the saved directory.

2) The name of a temp file to write to is created - ~temp.fun in the saved directory and it is opened for writing.

3) The contents of the animation are saved to the temporary file.

4) On completion, the temp file is copied to the real file.

5) The temp file is deleted.

[gusmus]

Ive no idea why there should be a difference Bob, but it is likely that the "user" computer is saving to a temp or backup file on the local machine while trying to save the original file to a remote machine. It's the only explanation I can think of. It'd be worth have some other users try it out and getting some feedback on their results but it certainly is the case by my own experience. The thing that is worrying is not the time scale needed to save a file but the fact that the file seems to become huge in comparison with the original, as I mentioned, mine became 18 times bigger on a test run (30K original file to 534K on the saved file) yet there seems to be no difference between the two when opened again in KM. All those bytes are being stored somewhere yet they don't affect the file in any way. As I said before. I have KM set up on a virtual drive and it works a bit like PCanywhere or similar remote programs and it doesn't affect me in any way but it is limited to one user at a time. The obvious choice would be to have a central shared folder with multiple remote users and that is where the problems seem to come in. I've tried saving to remote with Photoshop, XaraX and the Office 2003 suite "Word,PPT,Info,and Excel" with no problems, it only seems to be KM that is affected.

[Bob Hartzell]

I have a very simple test -- a one line code change -- which I will make to 4.7 beta. I will put the ~tempbuf.fun in the local temp directory rather than the directory being saved to. I will send you this executable for re-testing.

[gusmus]

Ok Bob,, Send it when you wish. I have my servers on a separate Ip so I can try it out without risking any of my work. I can just copy them to the public files if there is a problem,