Cannot copy pdf file from ext HD to desktop?
 

Can anyone figure out this buggeration, please?
I'm trying (in vain) to remove all files I want to keep from an external HD and save them on my desktop prior to performing a full format of the external HD. However some files are refusing to copy to my desktop, I have one particular file as an example, a large pdf file (640,000kb) which if I copy and paste, drag and drop etc always starts to copy fine but then hangs at 77%.
As far as I can tell it isn't corrupted as it opens perfectly in Acrobat Pro 7 and even if I try and save to the desktop from there it still hangs every time! It's starting to become slightly irritating...
Any ideas?

-RP

*PC is running Win10, if that may be relevant?*

I presume you have checked that it is not protected?

You can quickly check to see if a PDF file is secured in Adobe Reader by looking up in the title bar and looking for the word SECURED. You can see specific permissions by clicking on Edit and then clicking on Protection and then Security Properties

You can also try by opening the pdf file, selecting print - print to "Micrsoft print to PDF"

Strange problem indeed! The first thing that comes to mind is maximum file sizes related to the type of formatting on your drive. It might be the wrong approach but if you have another external drive or a large enough USB stick, you could try copying to that instead and see if that gets you the same results. If that fails too, check the type of format on the various drives (ie. FAT32 or NTFS etc.) If the format of the source and destination drive is the same then we'll have to look elsewhere.

Another thing to try is plugging the external drive in another USB port, preferably one that's directly on the system's mainboard. That would eliminate issues with dodgy USB hubs.

Another avenue worth exploring is to download another pdf reader program and see whether you can load the file and save it somewhere else with that.

Some pdf files just don't want to work with certain software and hardware combinations. I have a particular pdf file that refuses to load properly on an iPad using my usual viewer program, yet it works just fine with another app that allows pdf files to be viewed. It works fine on a PC with all viewers.

The error occurs at the same place in the file regardless of whether the file is copied to another application and edited and recoded, or not. Copying the file back and forth to a PC from the iPad makes no difference and downloading the file on a PC and then transferring it to the iPad results in the same error.

The closest idea I have for the reason this may happen is that the pdf compression algorithm results in a string of characters that the viewer program or the computer interprets as an end of file marker. Just a theory, but short of going through the pdf file byte by byte, it is the best guess I can make.

The only other idea is that with a particularly complex or large graphic included in the file, the iPad simply runs out of memory to decode that page. The page does contain some very detailed images and text.

Thanks for the replies, folks, however, it turns out that the pdf file was in fact corrupted, even though it opened fine! After having slogged through it page by page, I found several pages at what would've been about 77% through the document that were somehow merged over other pages, never seen that before?
In the end I've ended up deleting it, which is infuriating as it was the complete Phantom FG.1/FGR.2 RR Spey propulsion system AP101! :{

-RP

Well for the future you could open the file and then in another window create another blank pdf file. From the original document highlight the thumbnails of the uncorrupted pages and drag them into the new document.

It works on my Mac, not 100% certain about W10/PC.

Thanks, I'll try and remember that before hitting delete in future! :)

-RP

well you have a backed up copy of the original of course........... don't you...........

On this occasion, unfortunately not...

-RP

My goodness I have at least 5 copies of all my documents, the original on my internal drive, one on my time machine (with multiple versions), one on my HD clone, one on my external HD (documents, photos and music) backup and one on my cloud backup.

I also wear a belt and braces.

I wont lose anything again.