The amazing changing file extension …..


I was asked by Draytek support to send some diagnostic information to help with a router issue we have been having. Using the web interface to the 3300 router in question – I clicked on download configuration – saved the file and then emailed it as an attachment. Suupport came back to say that the file was corrupt and could I check it again.

At this point I took a look at the message I had sent and the attachment that went with it. Then I noticed it. The file extension which should have been .cfg was .zip. How did this get changed. So I checked the directory that I had initially downloaded it to and hey – it was a .zip file.

But I distinctly remembered that the file it offers to create from the web page is 3300.cfg and I logged back on to the router to prove it. Using IE8 beta – I clicked on the link and yes the files name is 3300.cfg and it saves to disk as that and attachs to email as that.

So where did the 3300.zip file come from ?

Opera – thats where. Repeated the transfer logging in with the opera browser and whoopee do – it prompts to save the file as 3300.zip !!! This most certainly doesn’t make the file into a zip file – and confuses the person receiving it since it will not open as a zip archive !!!

So another Opera oddness for us to watch out for!!