Random timestamps on downloaded files

Technical support and discussion of Newsbin Version 6 series.

Random timestamps on downloaded files

Postby stalmage » Sat Jul 13, 2013 4:11 pm

When I download a file using Newsbin Pro (for example a .jpg file), sometimes the file is given a seemingly random timestamp rather than the current system time. I can't seem to figure out any rhyme or reason to the incorrect timestamps--they're not related to the post's date or time, the odd timestamps only occur occasionally, and not always at the beginning of a Newsbin Pro session. It happens with various types of encodings (uuencoded and yenc encoded) as well as with both plain text posts and mime-encapsulated posts. Some of the timestamps I've seen are things like 8/31/2001 17:47, 7/27/2008 13:34, 9/3/2009 17:35, 4/21/2006 18:11...

Is anyone else seeing this? Is this a known issue? I never had this problem in older versions of Newsbin Pro (such as 5.X and early 6.X versions).
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Re: Random timestamps on downloaded files

Postby Quade » Sat Jul 13, 2013 5:50 pm

Newsbin doesn't set timestamps on files. Files inside rars though may have timestamps that aren't "now" because the rar encode file timestamps in itself.
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Re: Random timestamps on downloaded files

Postby stalmage » Thu Aug 01, 2013 9:17 pm

I figured out where the varying timestamps are coming from. They're not random--they're from the EXIF information in the picture. Pictures without a time and date stamp inside have the current day and time as their timestamp, but ones with EXIF time and date information get that timestamp.

Is there any way to turn this option off, so that all new downloaded pictures get a current timestamp rather than having it set to the EXIF timestamp?
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Re: Random timestamps on downloaded files

Postby Quade » Thu Aug 01, 2013 10:57 pm

You'd have to turn it off in windows. It's windows that's interpreting the EXIF timestamps, not Newsbin.
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Re: Random timestamps on downloaded files

Postby DThor » Thu Aug 01, 2013 11:01 pm

I download pictures all the time and don't see this. I do indeed see the time metadata in the image, but that's not being set as the timestamp for the file, not by newsbin. I do use directory opus, though, which displays what it should. I'm wondering if something has tweaked your file explorer to be 'smart' and show this information? Sort of a media friendly approach for servers that show home pictures, stuff like that.

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Re: Random timestamps on downloaded files

Postby stalmage » Fri Aug 02, 2013 5:50 pm

Okay. This may also explain why I only started to see this behavior when I migrated to a new Windows system. I must have turned it off a long time ago on my old system and completely forgot about it.

Thanks!
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Re: Random timestamps on downloaded files

Postby stalmage » Fri Aug 02, 2013 6:07 pm

And the answer is: when a folder is optimized for Pictures (right click on folder->Properties->Customize), the file's actual creation date is replaced with EXIF data, if there is any. Changing the folder to "General Items" turns off this behavior.
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Re: Random timestamps on downloaded files

Postby dexter » Sat Aug 03, 2013 12:00 am

That's good to know. Nice troubleshooting.
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