Problems uploading digital photos

[Theodoric]

Until a few weeks ago I had no problems in sending jpeg files over the Internet to a couple of firms that I use for printing; they both use the fotowire software. However, I now always get an error message saying that the files have been corrupted during transmission and, sometimes, that the file size didn't match the expected size. I emailed fotowire but all I received was one of those vague, general-purpose replies telling you to reinstall the software and close down any firewalls; nothing that was particularly useful.

This afternoon, I found another firm, Digi Prints, that used different software for uploading. Again I couldn't send anything to them, although the error messages were different.

So, before I phone ntl, I thought that I'd try here. I have XP HE with a Sygate firewall and Norton 2002 AV. I've recently been downloading the latest Windows updates including the IE cumulative one, 867801 - a bit of googling on this didn't throw up any possible explanations.

[paulyoung666]

are you suffering from packet loss , not totally sure if this is the cause of the problem , just a thought :erm: :)

[Tech_Boy]

could be a proxy issue, sometimes we find this with ebay.....

[Womble]

Which set top do you have?? I had the same problem, swapped my Pace for a Samsung and hey presto!

[Theodoric]

are you suffering from packet loss , not totally sure if this is the cause of the problem , just a thought :erm: :)
I checked with the speed test that Paulyoung666 kindly posted (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=9429) and there don't seem to be any problems here.

[Theodoric]

could be a proxy issue, sometimes we find this with ebay.....
It could be a possibility. I've just checked the FAQs on the Digi-prints site and it gives the comment below. Would changing my proxy manually, as described by Stuartbe, (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=8783) be worth trying? As far as I can see, it should be easily reversible (he says optimistically).

Q. I've been told my order has been cancelled as it is corrupt, why is this?

A. This is usually due to 'transparent proxies' being the problem. Your ISP's network might intercept all attempts you make to connect to the web (by means of the HTTP protocol on TCP port 80), and route your request through a transparent web proxy cache, technically known as an interception proxy.

NTLworld used Inktomi Traffic Servers, but is now introducing NetApp NetCache appliances. Your ISP does this in order to reduce the traffic on their backbone, and to reduce the traffic they exchange with other operators' networks. If a proxy cache works well, it can also improve performance for the customer, by supplying locally cached copies of web pages and graphics much more quickly than by fetching them from the remote original web server.

However, when the proxy web cache is overloaded, it can make your web browsing appear slower than the nominal speed of your cable modem. For this reason, you should not rely on HTTP download speeds as evidence of the practical speed of your cable modem. This in turn can cause images to be corrupt by the time they reach us. If your images were corrupt and your order cancelled, then try resubmitting your order, or sending your images on CD along with our mail order form. Customers will not be charged if images are confirmed as corrupt and unprintable.

[Theodoric]

Which set top do you have?? I had the same problem, swapped my Pace for a Samsung and hey presto!
Are there different types of boxes? I thought that they were just plain ntl boxes. I'd better have a look at any fine print on the box.

[paulyoung666]

i would be surprised if a different box cured the problem :erm:

another stupid thought , have you tried removing the software and reinstalling it :)

re reading your first post , maybe you have , out of interest , can you upload a jpeg to this site and see if you have a problem with it :)

[homealone]

It could be a possibility. I've just checked the FAQs on the Digi-prints site and it gives the comment below. Would changing my proxy manually, as described by Stuartbe, (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=8783) be worth trying? As far as I can see, it should be easily reversible (he says optimistically).

it's worth a try, Theo - and yes, it's easily reversible ;)

- plus what paulyoung666 said about uploading to here, sounds like a good idea, too :tu:

[DeadKenny]

Are there different types of boxes? I thought that they were just plain ntl boxes. I'd better have a look at any fine print on the box.


There are Set Top Boxes (STB) which are the TV boxes that have cable modems built in (I believe these come in a few flavours. There are newer ones to allow higher modem speeds, and different areas might get different boxes)...

... and then there are Stand Alone Cable Modems (SACM). These come in various brands, but most these days are the NTL branded ones (Ambit?). These are quite different as they are full cable modems, capable of much higher speeds (if the network allowed). As they are not sharing the TV coax, they might be better.

[nate]

Try changing your proxy.

In Internet Explorer:

Tools > Internet Options > Connections > Lan Settings

Check the box that says "Use a proxy server"
Enter 62.255.0.6 into the address and 8080 in the Port.


See if that sorts it.
This is the Bristol Number 2 cache which I can verify is definately fully functional.

[Theodoric]

Try changing your proxy.

In Internet Explorer:

Tools > Internet Options > Connections > Lan Settings

Check the box that says "Use a proxy server"
Enter 62.255.0.6 into the address and 8080 in the Port.


See if that sorts it.
This is the Bristol Number 2 cache which I can verify is definately fully functional.
Thanks (and to the others who have replied). I'll give it a try over the next few days and report back. A few words of reassurance are always nice before you commit yourself to doing something new computer-wise.

[Theodoric]

The problem seems to have solved itself (well, almost). I've just managed to successfully send of my 17 photos to Directfoto. However, I did get the message about a corrupted file after the 14th photo, but restarting the upload solved the problem.

Why it has solved itself I do not know (interestingly, my other problem with a delay in connecting to the Internet also seems to have solved itself), but I'll stop while I'm ahead. However, if the problem reoccurs, I will definitely look into switching the proxy server option.

Thanks for all the replies.