Corrupted Downloads

This week I would like to talk a bit about corrupted downloads. When downloading files, it is possible that the file gets corrupted in the download process and some information is 'scrambled'. What can result with embroidery designs is variety of problems but include:

- outlines being significant misplaced
- objects being misaligned in the design
- stitches being misplaced
- a file that will not open or unzip.

Often, because of a lack of education in respect to corrupted downloads, the customer blames the design and digitizer because a section of the design or outline is misplaced. Where, if the customer simply redownloaded the design, the issue is likely to rectify itself (and that the problem lies in the download not the actual digitized file).

If you have a design that is doing something you do not expect, it is recommended that you redownload the design again as redownloading will correct a corrupted download (unless you have the misfortune of getting two corrupted downloads in a row).

I also recommend opening the design in an embroidery software before stitching it out such as http://www.embird.com . A program such as embird will display the design on your computer before stitching it on a project and you will see if anything looks odd or it will tell you if the file is unreadable. In which case you can download the design again and see if something has gone awry before any heartache occurs on the machine.

Please also note that your internet connection plays role in the likelihood of a corrupted download. Dial up connections are often slower in downloading and as a result, increases the risk of corrupted or scrambled data. High speed connections, although not infallible, reduce the likelihood of corrupted downloads.