WebRequest Class Not Working Properly!!!!

[gorbit]

I'm writing a sub in one of my VB programs for downloading .exe files from an HTTP server to the local machine. But when ever the file is downloaded it appears to be corrupted because no icon shows on the file and it wont run. The same code works fine for ordinary HTML pages but not exes it seems. Can anyone help with this problem? - here's the sub:

 

        Dim v_base As String = "http://www.talbotech.com/"

       Public Sub GetFile(ByVal uri As String, ByVal toFile As String)
           Dim wreq As Net.HttpWebRequest = Net.WebRequest.CreateDefault(New Uri(v_base & uri))
           wreq.AllowAutoRedirect = True
           wreq.Proxy = Net.WebProxy.GetDefaultProxy
           Dim resI As Net.HttpWebResponse = wreq.GetResponse
           Dim wres As IO.StreamReader = New IO.StreamReader(resI.GetResponseStream, System.Text.Encoding.Default)
           Dim buff(resI.ContentLength - 1) As Char
           wres.Read(buff, 0, buff.Length)
           Dim fileIO As IO.StreamWriter = New IO.StreamWriter(IO.File.Open(toFile, IO.FileMode.Create), System.Text.Encoding.Default)
           fileIO.Write(buff, 0, buff.Length)
           fileIO.Close()
           wres.Close()
           resI.Close()
       End Sub

[MrPaul]

Executables are not text

 

The problem is almost certainly to do with the fact that you're treating the response as text. I suggest you try reading directly from the Stream rather than using a StreamReader:

 

Dim stm As Stream
Dim buff As Byte()

'Read from the stream
stm = resI.GetResponseStream()
ReDim buff(stm.Length - 1)
stm.Read(buff, 0, buff.Length)
stm.Close()

'Write to the file
stm = New FileStream(toFile, FileMode.Create)
stm.Write(buff, 0, buff.Length)
stm.Close()

 

Good luck :)

[gorbit]

It didn't work, mate. I got rid of "fileIO" and just used "stm" as an io.stream an i still got the same result. can't run the file. i know the problem's not with the server either - it'll work if i use internet explorer to download it. the file on the server and the one downloaded using the sub are exactly the same size and even when i open the two in notepad, i see the same gibberish in each. i have no idea what is going on.

 

here's the new sub

 

        Public Sub GetFile(ByVal uri As String, ByVal toFile As String)
           Dim wreq As Net.HttpWebRequest = Net.WebRequest.CreateDefault(New Uri(v_base & uri))
           wreq.AllowAutoRedirect = True
           wreq.Proxy = Net.WebProxy.GetDefaultProxy
           Dim resI As Net.HttpWebResponse = wreq.GetResponse
           Dim stm As IO.Stream = resI.GetResponseStream
           Dim buff(resI.ContentLength - 1) As Byte
           stm.Read(buff, 0, buff.Length)
           stm.Close()
           stm = IO.File.Open(toFile, IO.FileMode.Create)
           stm.Write(buff, 0, buff.Length)
           stm.Close()
           resI.Close()
       End Sub

[dynamic_sysop]

there are a couple of examples on downloading files in the codebank, my example was used to download an image, i've simpley replaced the image name with an exe ( in this case windows messenger live on microsoft's site )

with it i downloaded the complete exe which you can launch.

   Private Sub download()
       Try
           Dim exepath As String = "[url]http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/A/4/1A4FEB1A-18E0-423A-B898-F697402E4F7F/Install_Messenger_nous.exe[/url]" '/// "[url]http://g.msn.com/8reen_us/EN_NOUS/INSTALL_MSN_MESSENGER_DL.EXE[/url]"
           Dim wRequest As HttpWebRequest = DirectCast(HttpWebRequest.Create(exepath), HttpWebRequest)
           Dim wResponse As WebResponse = DirectCast(wRequest.GetResponse(), WebResponse)
           Dim sWriter As FileStream = New FileStream("c:\msgr.exe", FileMode.OpenOrCreate)
           Dim ContentLength As Integer = wResponse.ContentLength
           Dim sizeInKB As String = (ContentLength / 1024).ToString()
           Me.Text = "The Size of the file is: " & sizeInKB.Substring(0, sizeInKB.IndexOf(".") + 3) & "KB"
           Dim buffer(ContentLength) As Byte
           Dim length As Integer = ContentLength
           Dim position As Integer = 0
           Dim complete As Integer = 1
           Dim returned As Integer = 0
           ProgressBar1.Value = 0 '/// clear the progressbar.
           ProgressBar1.Maximum = ContentLength '/// set it's length.
           While Not complete = 0
               position = wResponse.GetResponseStream().Read(buffer, returned, length)
               sWriter.Write(buffer, returned, position)
               complete = position
               returned += position
               length -= position
               ProgressBar1.Step = returned
               ProgressBar1.PerformStep()
           End While
           Me.Text = "Completed download"
           sWriter.Close()
           wRequest = Nothing
       Catch ex As Exception
           Console.WriteLine(ex.Message)
       Catch webex As WebException
           Console.WriteLine(webex.Message)
       End Try
   End Sub