10.8.3 Troubleshooting FTP File Transfer Problems

If you're having trouble transferring files using the FTP or SFTP client, consult the following list:

  • You must be connected to a server before you can transfer files.

  • If a transferred file is not usable (for example, you can't unzip a zipped file, you can't run an executable file, or you can't read an ASCII file), be sure that you are selecting the correct file transfer method prior to transferring the file.

  • Transfers to a server may be unsuccessful if you don't have write permission to the destination directory on the server.

  • If an "Access denied" message displays when you attempt to transfer a server file to your PC, you have a read-only file in the PC destination directory that has the same name as the file you are trying to receive, or you do not have write permission to the PC directory.

  • If you see an error message when you attempt to transfer files between two remote hosts, the sending or receiving server may not be configured to support this feature.

  • If a transferred ASCII file contains incorrect characters, you may need to use character translation to preserve the characters present in the source file when they are transferred to the destination file. When necessary, the FTP Client can translate between the server character set and either the Windows or DOS character set. Character translation ensures that characters present in the source character set are translated to characters available in the destination character set. For example, if you transfer files from a server that uses the DOS character set for use in a Windows application, or if you want to transfer an ASCII file that contains accented characters and symbols for a specific national language, you need to set character translation options to perform necessary translation during file transfer. See the Character Sets Dialog Box topic for more information.

  • If you are having trouble transferring files when the file names contain spaces, quotation marks, or wildcard characters, see the Quotation Marks in FTP or SFTP Commands topic for more information.

  • If you are having trouble canceling a file transfer you may need to reconnect to the server. Some servers close your connection if you cancel a transfer while you are receiving (getting) a server file.

  • If File Exists settings apply only to transfers within the Reflection FTP Client. If you use drag-and-drop to transfer a file from a FTP Client display pane to your desktop or an open Windows Explorer window, Windows will always display a Confirm File Replace dialog box whenever a file with the same name exists in the selected location, regardless of the configuration of the Reflection FTP Client. To take advantage of the currently configured FTP Client option, always use the FTP Client panes for drag-and-drop transfers.