Expert: Kevin Stohlmeyer - 6/30/2010

Question
QUESTION: I have recently bought a new mac running 10.6.2 and installed CS4 back onto it. I had been using CS4 on my last mac for a couple of weeks with no real issues.

I have now found that when I am in Illustrator and I try to save an eps onto my work server via the network it says that it "cannot save the illustration because the file is busy or in use". My teccy guys thought that it may have been the system on the server as this was pretty old but we have just upgraded this but with no success.

The eps' will save to my desktop without any issues, and I can save other files such as ai's to the server but just not eps'.

Are you able to shed any light on this please.

ANSWER: Hi Jason,

This is a known issue with servers. Adobe *Highly* recommends that you do not save across a server. The transfer rate is slower than your application is saving.

You are lucky that it does give you this error. The alternative would be that it saves, but then cannot be reopened. Always save and work to your desktop until they can solve the server communication error.

Thanks

Kevin


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Kevin, I will work this way in future. Why would it have started doing this now when I have never had this problem before (in 10+ years)?

Answer
Hi Jason,

The answer is simple - you upgraded your mac and installed CS4. I'm guessing your sparkling new mac is faster than the server connection and iit s running into a lag when saving.

Unfortunately, desktops will always be faster than a server connection. Think of it this way - when you save a 40 mb file to your desktop, its almost instantaneous. Now try dragging that file to the server and wait. It could take a few seconds, or even a minute or two (hopefully no longer than that). Now imagine trying to write that file to the server.

Its like quickly pouring a lot of water down a small funnel - it can only take so much before it runs over. Thats whats happening when you are trying to save directly to your server.


Kevin