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Monster Media 1993 #2
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educate
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UNPACK.TXT
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1993-05-20
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7KB
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135 lines
----------------------------------------------------------------
UNPACKING AND INSTALLING
INCLUDING ARCS, ZIPS, LZH AND MORE
----------------------------------------------------------------
Many times a shareware package is quite large and has been
compressed or "archived" to fit on the disk. Another use for
archiving, or packing many files into one highly compressed
file, is to decrease telephone charges and time when transmitting
files by modem. In a previous section we indicated the following
filename extensions as pertaining to compressed or "archived" files:
.ZIP ---------> Compressed file, use PKUNZIP to unpack
.ARC ---------> Compressed file, use ARC system
.PAK ---------> Compressed file, use PAK system
.LZH ---------> Compressed file, use LHARC
.ZOO ---------> Compressed file, use ZOO system
Let's take a closer look. For example, the file FUN454.ZIP
might contain the following files contained within the
ZIP archive.
FUNNELS EXE
FUNNELS DOC
FUNNELS INV
ATC DAT
FUNNELS SCR
FUNNELS TXT
By the way, in the above example, FUN454.ZIP, we are given the
probable clue that this might be Version 4.54 of the program.
This is another odd but useful convention when dealing with
the shareware community and archived or compressed files.
In the shareware trade, one frequently hears the terms "ARCING,
ZIPPING, UNZIPPING, LHARCING, PAKING" and similar terms. You
can quickly understand that "archive processing" or compressing
and uncompressing disk files is what these terms refer to!
Not all disks contain archives - some do, some don't. To unpack
the program you need a few blank floppies (or a hard drive) and
a special unpacking utility program to unpack. If your software
needs this utility, it is usually available on one (or several) of
your disks or can be ordered from most computer clubs or shareware
disk vendors. Here is how to unpack an archive file ending in
ZIP. Other files ending in .LZH, .ZOO and other file extensions
are quite similar in use.
Files which end in .ZIP are unpacked with PKUNZIP.EXE. For our
example let's pretend we are unpacking the file SAMPLE.ZIP.
Start with a BLANK formatted floppy. Copy the program file you
wish to unpack (e.g., SAMPLE.ZIP) and the file PKUNZIP.EXE
onto the blank floppy. Hard drive users may prefer to simply
copy the file to be unpacked and the unpacking utility
PKUNZIP.EXE to their hard drive. For our example, SAMPLE.ZIP and
PKUNZIP.EXE are now on a floppy in the A: drive.
Next we need a place to put the unpacked files! For computers
without a hard drive put a blank formatted floppy in your other
empty B: floppy drive. This is where the unpacked newly expanded
files will go: the DESTINATION OR TARGET drive for the unpacked
software. Hard drive users will probably just unpack to the hard
drive (C:) using a subdirectory on the hard drive as the target
area.
Using the examples which follow, type an unpacking command
showing the source drive containing the packed file, the name of
file and the final destination drive; press enter or return key
after typing the unpacking command. Of course, substitute the
name of the file you are using for the file SAMPLE.ZIP. Blank
spaces in the command ARE essential.
EXAMPLE: A>pkunzip A:SAMPLE.ZIP B:
Translation: unpack or unzip all files from the packed file
SAMPLE.ZIP contained on the A: floppy drive and send the
unpacked files to the B: floppy drive. Press enter or return key
after typing the command.
EXAMPLE: C>pkunzip C:sample.ZIP B:
Unpack files from C: hard drive area to a blank floppy on B:
drive.
By the way, you can omit the .ZIP file extension for a shortcut.
EXAMPLE: C>pkunzip C:sample B:
Files are now unpacked and ready to use in the conventional
manner - after unpacking you will probably see the readme, text
and documentation files you need. The data is now in a more
familiar DOS file format. The archive can "inflate" more than
200% from its compressed format in some cases!
Some programs are very large and may be submitted to you in
several parts. You might find a program which consists of
three or four packed .ZIP, .LZH or other archive file(s) on
several disks.
NOTE! for hard drive users you are usually wise to unpack each
program to a separate subdirectory on your hard disk. For
example, to use pcwrite you might unpack the files to C:\PCW. Of
course, you must first create a subdirectory called PCW on your
hard drive BEFORE you start. To prepare a subdirectory, use the
DOS md (make directory) command (example c>md pcw.) Hard drive
users might wish to delete the original compressed ARC/ZIP files
from their hard drive since the unpacked versions are now ready
and the original floppies serve as your backup copies.
UNPACKING ARCHIVED/COMPRESSED PROGRAMS
ON SINGLE FLOPPY SYSTEMS LACKING A HARD DRIVE
A problem arises trying to uncompress archived programs on
single drive systems. Most computers have at least two drives.
On a single drive system you may need to uncompress your
programs to a special memory area of the computer called a RAM
DRIVE. Your DOS manual covers this option or you can obtain a
shareware package which produces a ram drive and thus allows
your computer to "think" it has two floppy drives. This is
about the only alternative for unpacking software on a single
drive machine. Generally single drive computers may not be fully
IBM compatible with many modern software packages which may need
two drives. Suggest you 1) return disks to vendor for refund or 2)
consider adding a second drive as most modern fully compatible
machines offer or 3) attempt unpacking with a RAM DRIVE then
copy back to disk. Later versions of DOS contain a RAM DRIVE
program. You can also obtain RAM DRIVE programs from shareware
and other software vendors.