Library items in Red?
 

I'm using a Mac G4 & OS 10.3.4, & Limewire 4.0.4

When I started using this version a month ago, one or 2 items in the Library items from my InComplete folder were listed in red colour. Now I have quite a few such items in red. What does this mean? Is it a serious problem & how can it be overcome if it is a problem?

(I started using this Limewire version after a 2+ year battle to get my internal modem working. Before a month ago I was using Limewire 2.x with its problems on a G3 in OS 8.5. Such dramatic improvements in this version.)

I am trying to start a solutiion discussion here:
http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showth...threadid=26392

The short answer to your quesion is that if the files in your incomplete library are red, they are going to start over at zero percent when and if they resume. That has been my experience uisng the pro version on 9.2.2.

In options, there's a place where you can specify how long to keep them but I have had that change from 365 days to 7 by a ghost at least twice.

People, these files are not incompletes, although I forget what they are (again, if someone is willing to tell the masses one more time...). Consequently, if you click resume on them then the dld will start at O%.

I am kind of new to this, and don't mean to be argumentative but if they are not incompletes, what the hell are they? I am absolutely positive that the red files in my incomplete library were partially downloaded files. In fact, as I look at the ones I have left in there, I can see exactly how much each one has downloaded, but when I resume the download, they begin at zero.

If these are not an incomplete files, then tell us what they are and how this happens if it's not as I have mentioned: "Days to keep incomplete files" expires as a result of that number arbitrarily changing to less than what I had set it for. Specificallly, mine is set for 365 days but it has changed to default (7) without my having physically changed it. It' s that pesky LimeWire ghost that's wreaking havoc on my files.

The questions I think to be addressed are these.

1) Is there a way to make those files resume where they left off downloading after they changed to red?

2) What is the relationship between downloads.dat and/or downloads.bak and the incomplete files?

3) Would it make sense to back up the entire incomplete folder and could it replace the newly changed one containing red files when this happens?

Surely there is a solution and an explanation of what downloads.dat and downloads.bak are?

From what little I myself know, downloads.bak and downloads.dat are not to be tampered with: they contain the information of whatever happens in your incompletes folder: how much of a file is dlded and stuff. If you want to upgrade to, say, a newer OS with a clean install (I mean, format then install), then back up the incompletes folder (and whatever else you want backed up of course). When you reinstall LW, a new Incompletes folder is created with a new set of download.bak and download.dat files. Delete these and replace them with the ones you backed up (and, of course, add all the incomplete files you backed up in the new incompletes folder): LW should now know what files were dlding last time you used it (with the previous OS) and what other files were in your Icompletes folder.
Updating only LW keeps the old preferences, including the old Incompletes folder and shared folder so you don't have to do any of that if you only change the version of LW you are using.

As I said before, I am quite positive that the red files are not Incompletes (if you go to your incompletes folder in the finder, I'm pretty sure that you won't find them there) because one of the more experienced people in these forums told me so (I believed him), but unfortunately, I forgot what they were exactly and have no idea how to look for that particular post.

I looked for my post and I was -partially- right. It was one of the more experienced people (so to speak) that replied to my, virtually identical thread: stief and then sberlin (one of the software developers).

stief tried to give me an explanation thru his own knowledge (thanks man) , but then a software developer came to clear thing up.
Here's what he wrote:
"Red rows in the library mean that the file is not shared. For incomplete files, sharing means that the file is eligable for partial file sharing (PFS). A file being shared via PFS will not be found by normal querying methods, but is instead shared only through the "download mesh". When you download a file, you insert yourself into the download mesh. As other clients download a file, they try sources that are advertised in the mesh.

The download.dat (download.bak being an automated backup of download.dat, used when LimeWire senses that .dat is corrupt), as stief mentioned, is an index into your incomplete files. It keeps track of exactly what byte-ranges have been downloaded for any given incomplete file. If an incomplete file is not listed in download.dat, then it will not be shared through PFS (and will be listed in red in the library)."

Neat huh?
You understand of course the 'so to speak' at the beginning: a software developer is, well, indeed a whole lot more experienced than most regarding one of the apps he helps create and improve.

OK, this is starting to make sense to me.

downloads.dat CAN be backed up and probably could be used as a replacement to restore partially downloaded files that turn red as I am 100% positive has happened to me.

Still, I don't see any way to restore those partially downloaded files to the state they were in previously without a backup.

Would probably be helpful to others if this post were combined with "What A Bummer."

http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showth...threadid=26392

I really appreciate your response murasame & I'm sure the others in these related threads & many other people are also appreciative & interested to know the answers. Pity you can't remember or find that particular thread. How far back was it? It will probably shed a great amount of light on this topic!

Likewise I agree with jordan2, your comment:

'As I said before, I am quite positive that the red files are not Incompletes (if you go to your incompletes folder in the finder, I'm pretty sure that you won't find them there) because one of the more experienced people in these forums told me so (I believed him), but unfortunately, I forgot what they were exactly and have no idea how to look for that particular post.'

Unfortunately both jordan2 & I have found the items in Red are in our Incomplete folders & their file sizes agree with what LW's Library window says. You are either suggesting that LW's Library (or download.dat file) has a bug toward keeping track of partial download files or as I suggested earlier, in the related thread 'What a bummer', that these items in red have lost their links with their counterparts in the download window. Which I suppose is arguably a bug or just inefficiency. It does say in the manual/FAQ something semi-related to this about attempting to keep files grouped. Unfortunately, it seems I'm unable to open the LW manual PDF on my mac. (I have a suspicion it's been configured for opening on a pc.)

I think it would be of great value to all of us if you could possibly locate that article/thread you mentioned. Because your response doesn't seem to totally ring true. As far as the prefs becoming corrupted, I wouldn't be surprised. LW's engineer's still haven't quite cleaned up that issue. jordan2 would be more than happy to tell you.

Sorry murasame, after reviewing your post I realised you had found your earlier thread. Can you possibly leave a link for it either in this thread or in jordan2's thread 'What a bummer' ?!?

I'm presently processing video so my processor is rather busy & I can't really view the manual again (I viewed it online yesterday or the day before.)

I read another thread, I think it was in the os x section that somebody lost their entire systems & apps' prefs thru using Safari. jordan2 I don't suppose you use Safari if you're using OS9? That app can conflict with other apps, particularly internet apps. Still, although you have problems with your entire LW prefs returning to default, it was only a couple of my LW prefs that returned to default yesterday/12 hrs earlier. Which version of LW do you use again?

Any file can be placed in the 'Incomplete' folder on your computer. It is just a folder, after all. When you choose to view the 'Incomplete' folder in LimeWire, it will display every file it finds in that folder. If LimeWire does not have information about a particular file (the hash of the completed file and/or the range of bytes that have been downloaded for that file) then it will not consider it an 'incomplete' file and will display it in red.

The downloads.dat (downloads.bak just being an automated backup of downloads.dat, should it become corrupt in any way) file is essentialy a map that keeps track of filenames, and for each filename it points to the completed hash & range of downloaded bytes for that file.

downloads.dat is the only way LimeWire can keep track of what files it is currently downloading, and how far along those downloads have progressed. If it is missing information or is malformed, then LimeWire won't be able to re-start old downloads. This will lead to LimeWire saying, "Sorry, but LimeWire was unable to restart your old downloads." when LimeWire starts.