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1995-01-26
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ZIP'R Professional For DOS Version 2.18
Copyright 1993 - 1995
by
Stevenson Technical Services, Inc. (STSI)
108 Second Avenue West
Bertha MN 56437-0297
Phone: (218) 924-2050
FAX: (218) 924-2050 (Ext. 11)
The STSI BBS: (218) 924-2060, 8,N,1
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Welcome! │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Thank you for trying ZIP'R Professional For DOS! ZIP'R Pro is a hard
drive utility designed to automatically decompress an entire program
before it is executed, and compress it after it is exited. This process
saves valuable hard drive space by storing programs in compressed form
when they are not in use. ZIP'R Pro even achieves a substantial amount of
compression on hard drives that already use an on-the-fly compression
program, such as Stacker, SuperStor, or DoubleSpace! ZIP'R Pro is unique
because it not only compresses and decompresses entire programs, but it
launches them as well! This feature makes it possible to fully integrate
ZIP'R Pro into most, if not all menuing systems. ZIP'R Pro can use an
existing compression program such as PKZIP / PKUNZIP, ARJ, or LHA, or it
can use internal compression routines that are compatible with PKZIP 2.0!
If you appreciate ZIP'R Pro For DOS, you are encouraged to call The STSI
BBS at (218) 924-2060, and let us know! Comments, suggestions, and
enhancement requests are always welcome!
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Requirements │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
To run ZIP'R Pro reliably, you will need the following:
∙ DOS 3.3 or Higher
∙ IBM PC, PC-Compatible or MS-DOS Computer with a Hard Drive and 640K RAM
∙ EGA or VGA Color Monitor Recommended
Page 1
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Table of Contents: │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1
Quick-Start Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
Disclaimer / License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
ASP Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7
What Is ZIP'R Pro? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 7
ZIP'R Pro Feature List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8
10 Reasons To Use ZIP'R Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8
How Does ZIP'R Pro Work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10
Installing ZIP'R Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10
Using The ZIF Editor Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11
Executing The ZIF Editor Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12
Editing .ZPD Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 12
Opening and Deleting Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 24
ZIP'R Pro Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 24
Register ZIP'R Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 30
User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 31
Using ZIP'R Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 32
Using ZIP'R Pro With A Menuing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 33
What Happens When I Execute ZIP'R Pro? . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 33
Networks / Multitaskers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 37
DESQview Tips & Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 38
Using ZIP'R Pro With Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 39
How Effective Is ZIP'R Pro? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 40
Cautions When Using ZIP'R Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 41
Page 2
Troubleshooting / Common Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 42
Questions And Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 46
Comments From ZIP'R Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 46
Programs Mentioned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 47
ZIP'R Pro Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 49
Page 3
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Quick-Start Instructions: │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
To get ZIP'R Pro up and running in a hurry, follow these Quick-Start
instructions:
1. Run the Install program by typing "INSTALL" at the DOS prompt.
2. Reboot your machine to ensure that any changes made by the Install
program to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file have taken effect.
3. Execute the ZIF Editor Pro from the \ZIPRPRO sub-directory (or
wherever you installed ZIP'R Pro) by typing "ZIFPRO", and create a new
.ZPD file for the program you want to compress and launch through
ZIP'R Pro.
4. Once you have created a .ZPD file, exit the ZIF Editor Pro, make sure
you are still located in the ZIP'R Pro program directory, and type
"ZIPRPRO PROGRAM".
Examples of potential command lines could be:
ZIPRPRO PCSHELL
ZIPRPRO PSDELUXE
5. If the fields of the .ZPD file have been entered correctly, ZIP'R Pro
will display the prelog screen, and then execute the program you
designated in the .ZPD file. When you exit the program, ZIP'R Pro
will use the compression type you selected to compress the program
directory (including all sub-directories). When it is completed,
unregistered users will see a shareware nag screen before ZIP'R Pro
returns to a DOS prompt or the menu system being used.
6. The next time you want to run this program, use the same command line.
ZIP'R Pro will display the prelog screen, decompress the program, and
execute it normally. Once again, after exiting the program, ZIP'R Pro
will compress the program and exit.
7. To calculate how much disk space you are gaining by using ZIP'R Pro,
check the free hard drive space prior to compressing a program, and
again after compressing the program. Subtract the two numbers, and
the total will be the disk space saved through using ZIP'R Pro. The
more programs you choose to compress, the greater the savings will be!
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Disclaimer / License Agreement │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Page 4
What is shareware?
Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying
it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are
expected to register. Individual programs differ on details - some
request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial
period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to
continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual.
Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the
copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as
stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like
commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both
cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in
the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to
copy and distribute the software, either to all or to a specific group.
For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial
disk vendor may copy their Shareware.
Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should
find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's
commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs
easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is
low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee
- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it.
Disclaimer - Agreement
By using ZIP'R Professional For DOS, users indicate their acceptance of
the following terms:
"ZIP'R Professional For DOS is supplied as is. The author disclaims all
warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the
warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. Neither
STSI, The STSI BBS, or any STSI employees will be held responsible for any
damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of ZIP'R
Professional For DOS."
"Information in this documentation is subject to change without notice and
does not represent a commitment on the part of STSI. STSI may make
improvements and/or changes in this documentation or in the products
and/or programs described in this documentation at any time."
ZIP'R Professional For DOS is a "shareware program" and is provided at no
charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your
friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another
system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal
computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to
provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If
you find this program useful and find that you are using ZIP'R Pro and
continue to use ZIP'R Pro after a reasonable trial period, you must make a
registration payment of $49.95 (+S&H) to Stevenson Technical Services,
Inc. (STSI). This registration fee will license one copy for use on any
one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a
book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of
people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so
long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while
Page 5
it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two
different persons at the same time, ZIP'R Pro should not be used on two
different computers at the same time.
Commercial users of ZIP'R Professional For DOS must register and pay for
their copies of ZIP'R Professional For DOS within 30 days of first use or
their license is withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by
contacting STSI at (218) 924-2050.
Anyone distributing ZIP'R Pro for any kind of remuneration must first
contact STSI for authorization. This authorization will be automatically
granted to distributors recognized by the (ASP) as adhering to its
guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin
offering ZIP'R Pro immediately. (However STSI must still be advised so
that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version of
ZIP'R Pro.)
You are encouraged to pass a copy of ZIP'R Pro along to your friends for
evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find
that they can use it. All registered users will receive a copy of the
latest version of the ZIP'R Pro, along with a printed manual and bonus
disks.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ ASP Notice: │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
STSI is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP
wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are
unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by
contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP
Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member,
but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442-9427
USA, FAX 616-788-2765 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to
ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Registration: │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
ZIP'R Pro is distributed under the shareware concept. You may try ZIP'R
Pro for a period of two weeks. After this period, you must either
discontinue using it, or register it. A single-user license is only
$49.95 (+$5.00 S&H in the U.S., or $12.50 S&H on Foreign Orders). This
price includes a printed manual, 3 1/2" and 5 1/4" diskettes, along with a
Registration Name and Number allowing you to register your copy of ZIP'R
Pro.
To receive a temporary registration number over the telephone, call STSI
at (218) 924-2050, and charge it to your Visa, MasterCard, American
Express, or Discover credit card. Upon request, you will receive a
temporary registration name and number over the telephone. This will
allow the modification and/or removal of the prelog delay time, along with
Page 6
any nag screens.
Note: For registered users of the original ZIP'R For DOS, there is an
upgrade path available. A $20.00 upgrade fee will cover the difference in
price between the two products, as well as the cost to produce a new
manual and ship the complete package to you.
For further registration information and pricing, please read the
REGISTER.DOC file included with ZIP'R Pro. There is also a registration
form contained at the end of this documentation file.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Technical Support: │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Technical support is available to ZIP'R Pro users through the following
means:
The STSI BBS: New versions of ZIP'R Pro will be posted here as soon
as they are available. The STSI BBS uses a U.S.
Robotics V.Everything Modem, which is capable of
V.FAST, V.32bis, V.32, and 2400 baud connect speeds.
The access number for The STSI BBS is (218)-924-2060.
Technical support questions should be addressed to the
SYSOP.
STSI FAX: STSI has a FAX machine on-line 24 hours-a-day to accept
FAX transmissions. Technical support questions /
problems may be faxed to (218) 924-2050. Most FAX
transmissions will be automatically routed to the FAX
machine. If you have problems reaching our FAX
machine, wait until after the first ring, press 11, and
then begin transmitting.
Telephone: Technical support calls may be placed at (218) 924-
2050.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ What Is ZIP'R Pro? │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
ZIP'R (pronounced "zipper") Pro is a hard drive utility designed to
automatically decompress an entire program before it is executed, and
compress it after it is exited. This process saves valuable hard drive
space by storing programs in compressed form when they are not in use.
ZIP'R Pro even achieves a substantial amount of compression on hard drives
that already use an on-the-fly compression program, such as Stacker,
SuperStor, or DoubleSpace! ZIP'R Pro is unique because it not only
compresses and decompresses entire programs, but it launches them as well!
This feature makes it possible to fully integrate ZIP'R Pro into most, if
not all menuing systems. ZIP'R Pro can use an existing compression
program such as PKZIP / PKUNZIP, ARJ, or LHA, or it can use internal
compression routines that are compatible with PKZIP 2.0!
Page 7
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ ZIP'R Pro Feature List │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
ZIP'R Pro is a spin-off of the popular ZIP'R For DOS product. ZIP'R Pro
contains most or all of the features found in ZIP'R, and adds other
powerful features as well. If you like all the extra bells and whistles,
you'll love ZIP'R Pro! The following list shows a comparison of the two
products, and details some of the highlights of ZIP'R Pro:
Feature ZIP'R ZIP'R Pro
Automatic Compression Yes Yes
Automatic Decompression Yes Yes
Automatic Program Launching Yes Yes
Query Option (Optional Compression) Yes Yes
Update Option (Fast Recompression) Yes Yes
Sorted Extraction (PKUNZIP Only) Yes Yes
Built-In Compression Routines No Yes
Compression to Floppy Disks (PKZIP Only) No Yes
Store Compression Files On Any Drive/Directory No Yes
Compress/Decompress Only Option No Yes
Automatic Network/Multitasker Detection No Yes
Windowed Compression/Decompression No Yes
Heap Compaction (Eliminates Unnecessary Swapping) No Yes
On-Line Help Available In ZIF Editor No Yes
IN/OUT Commands Handled In ZIF Files No Yes
Atomic Lock Files Used No Yes
Automatic Cluster Size Detection No Yes
Swap To EMS, XMS, Or Disk Only When Necessary No Yes
Option To Test Archive Integrity No Yes
Selective Extraction / Exclusion No Yes
Improvements From ZIP'R To ZIP'R Pro:
* Significant speed enhancements in Update mode
* ZIP'R Pro is faster than ZIP'R
* Improved (more extensive) error trapping in ZIP'R Pro
* AFSC (Accurate File Size Calculation) now has 4 levels, for specific
customization
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ 10 Reasons To Use ZIP'R Pro │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
1. Saves Valuable Hard Drive Space!
Even though hard drive prices have dropped substantially in the past
year, the prices are still out of range for many computer users. In
addition, computer programs have become much larger, requiring far
more space than they used to. ZIP'R Pro can double, and in some
cases triple, the amount of data that can be stored on a hard drive.
Programs like SuperStor, Stacker, and DoubleSpace typically achieve
compression ratios around 30 - 35%. Even hard drives that use these
Page 8
on-the-fly compression programs can usuallly save an extra 20% or
more.
2. Does Not Require 40 - 50K Of Valuable Memory!
Programs like SuperStor, Stacker, and DoubleSpace require that you
surrender 40 - 50K of valuable conventional memory to use their
services. ZIP'R Pro does not! For users who are already cramped
for conventional memory, ZIP'R Pro is clearly the way to go.
3. Automatically Executes Programs After Decompressing Them.
ZIP'R Pro automatically launches programs after they are
decompressed. This allows you to continue with your work while
ZIP'R Pro takes care of the rest. Rather than manually
decompressing, launching, and recompressing your program, ZIP'R Pro
makes the entire process automatic.
4. Works On Networks And Under Multitaskers.
ZIP'R Pro has the built-in ability to detect when program execution
is occurring in a network environment and under a multitasker.
ZIP'R Pro takes extra steps to protect your data, such as making
sure that no one else can access your program at the same time you
are using it. Potentially dangerous situations are monitored and
handled elegantly by ZIP'R Pro.
5. Safe and Reliable!
One comment we receive regularly from our users is that ZIP'R is
"safe and reliable". We have carried that same reliability into
ZIP'R Pro. Our company has never had data corrupted when using
ZIP'R or ZIP'R Pro!
6. Store Compressed Programs On Any Drive And In Any Subdirectory.
One new feature of ZIP'R Pro is the ability to store compressed
files on any drive and in any subdirectory. This is a powerful
feature, giving you complete control of the compression and
decompression processes.
7. Compress Programs To Floppy Diskettes (PKZIP only)
Having the ability to store compressed files on floppy diskettes
gives you more flexibility, allowing you to completely remove
programs from your hard drive, if necessary. A special switch
within the ZIF Editor Pro allows you to turn on DOS Verify, ensuring
the integrity of your data.
8. Much Cheaper Than Buying A New Hard Drive!
ZIP'R Pro is a great way to double your hard drive capacity without
breaking your budget. Priced at just $49.95 (+$5.00 S&H, USA) (see
REGISTER.DOC for more information), ZIP'R Pro gives you the extra
space you need to delay the purchase of that next hard drive.
9. Compress programs at will using Query option.
Using ZIP'R Pro's Query option, users can decide on-the-fly whether
or not to compress a program. With a simple keypress, ZIP'R Pro
either recompresses the program, or leaves it uncompressed during
times when you're in-and-out more than usual.
10. Update option makes program recompression fast and easy!
Using the Update option, (available only with PKZIP or Internal ZIP
compression), ZIP'R Pro can significantly speed up the recompression
Page 9
process. Rather than waiting for a completely new compressed file
to be created, the old file is updated with any changes that have
occurred since the file was decompressed. You'll be amazed at the
dramatic difference in speed!
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ How Does ZIP'R Pro Work? │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
ZIP'R Pro works in combination with existing compression programs to
compress directories, sub-directories, and the files they contain into one
smaller, compressed file on the hard drive. This allows an entire
directory filled with files to be stored in compressed form when not in
use, saving a substantial amount of hard drive space.
When a program is executed, ZIP'R Pro invokes the proper compression
program to decompress the desired directory, and executes the requested
program. During this time ZIP'R Pro swaps itself to disk, EMS, or XMS
memory, leaving behind only about 2.5K plus the size of the command
processor and its environment. This usually is less than 10K. When the
program is exited, ZIP'R Pro invokes the chosen compression program to
compress the entire directory.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Installing ZIP'R Pro │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
The first step in testing a new piece of software is to perform a backup
and test its integrity. Since ZIP'R Pro will compress entire directories
into a single file, your potential losses are much greater if this file
becomes lost or corrupted.
Log to the drive where you are installing ZIP'R Pro from, and type
"INSTALL". The ZIP'R Pro For DOS installation program will ask you where
you are installing ZIP'R Pro from (usually, the current directory), and
the location where the program files should be stored. (The default
destination directory is C:\ZIPRPRO.) If you are upgrading from a previous
version, ZIP'R Pro will issue a warning before overwriting the ZIPRPRO.INI
file. If you have already set up your registration information and user
preferences in the ZIPRPRO.INI file, answer "N" (No) to instruct ZIP'R Pro
not to overwrite this file. When the installation is complete, ZIP'R Pro
will display a completion message and return to the operating system.
ZIP'R Pro can be installed on any drive in your system, including network
drives.
Important! Be sure to include a SET ZIPRPRO=N:\ZIPRPRO statement (or
wherever you put ZIP'R Pro), in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. If
this environment variable is not found, ZIP'R Pro defaults to
using the C:\ZIPRPRO sub-directory. (If either of those
directories cannot be found on your system, the current
directory is used.)
Page 10
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Using The ZIF Editor Pro │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
The ZIF (ZIP'R Information File) Editor Pro is a user-friendly interface
that was created to assist ZIP'R Pro users in the maintenance of .ZPD
files, and ZIP'R Pro configuration files. The ZIF Editor Pro allows the
direct editing of the following files:
.ZPD Files ZIP'R Pro For DOS Information Files (.ZPD Files)
contain program specific information that instruct
ZIP'R Pro how to execute a particular program, and what
archiving utility should be used. This information is
used to decompress, execute, and re-compress program
files and their sub-directories. These .ZPD files are
referenced from the ZIP'R Pro command line, and make
ZIP'R Pro an easy-to-use utility for novice and
experienced users alike.
ZIPRPRO.INI File This file contains program defaults for ZIP'R Pro.
From within the ZIF Editor Pro, users can enter their
registration name and number, and alter several program
settings described later in this documentation.
The following are a few technical notes about specific editing features
within the ZIF Editor Pro.
Editing Keys: The following keys are available to edit or type
new text into most text fields.
HOME Move to beginning of field
CTRL+HOME Move to beginning of field
END Move to end of field
CTRL+END Move to end of field
INSERT Insert Mode / Overstrike Mode
DELETE Remove character over the cursor
BACKSPACE Remove character left of the
cursor
LEFT ARROW Move cursor one character to the
left
RIGHT ARROW Move cursor one character to the
right
TAB Move cursor to next field
SHIFT+TAB Move cursor to previous field
ENTER Move cursor to next field
SPACE BAR Highlight file in file list box
Upper Case Characters: When new field entries are added to the ZIF Editor
Pro's editing screens, the ZIF Editor Pro will
automatically convert them to UPPER CASE
characters. This speeds up the typing process and
provides consistency within the ZIF Editor Pro.
The only field that serves as an exception to this
Page 11
rule is the "Parameters:" field. Some programs
are case sensitive when accepting passed
parameters, so the ZIF Editor Pro does not convert
the characters in this field to upper case.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Executing The ZIF Editor Pro │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
To invoke the ZIF Editor Pro, type "ZIFPRO" from the \ZIPRPRO sub-
directory (or wherever you store ZIP'R Pro), and press [ENTER]. The ZIF
Editor Pro's desktop space will display a logo containing version and
copyright information.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Editing .ZPD Files │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
The main menu allows users to create, open, and delete .ZPD files, modify
ZIP'R Pro default settings, register, and view information about the ZIF
Editor Pro. By creating or opening a file from the main menu, users have
access to the fields described below.
Special note about the user interface: Depending on which user interface
is being used (Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced), certain fields may
not be available. For example, the Beginner interface will only display
the ZIF Filename, Executable Filename, and Parameters fields listed below.
When Beginner is selected, the default compression to be used will always
be Internal ZIP, making ZIP'R Pro extremely easy to use.)
ZIF (ZIP'R Information File) Filename
The entry typed in this field will be the name of the .ZPD file used
to contain the program preferences entered on this screen. This file
will be referenced on the ZIP'R Pro command line to execute this
program. This filename should reflect the name of the program being
executed. A full path is required.
Executable Filename
This field should contain the full path and filename of the file to be
executed. You must add the correct extension of the file you wish to
execute. If you specify an incorrect extension, ZIP'R Pro will not be
able to find the correct file.
Parameters
This field can optionally contain any necessary parameters that should
be passed to the program being executed. These parameters are passed
as one variable, and since some programs require case sensitive
program parameters, ZIP'R Pro does not automatically convert the text
in this field to upper case.
Page 12
Maximum Users
If you are using ZIP'R Pro in a network environment or under a
multitasker such as Windows or DESQview, specify the maximum number of
concurrent users (or accesses) that should be allowed for this
program. For example, if a network program is only licensed for five
users, you will want to enter 5 in this field. This tells ZIP'R Pro
not to allow more than 5 users into this particular program at the
same time. If you are running a multitasker, you may run the risk of
opening multiple sessions of the same program at the same time. It
would be to your benefit to enter 1 in this field. That way, ZIP'R
Pro will only allow you to execute one copy of this program at a time.
The default for this field is 1. (Special Note: The unregistered
version of ZIP'R Pro only supports a maximum of 5 concurrent users in
one program at the same time. In order to have access for more than 5
users, you must register ZIP'R Pro.)
Compressed Filename
Enter the full path and filename of the compressed file that will be
created and used by ZIP'R Pro in this field. After you exit from the
chosen program, ZIP'R Pro creates the compressed file in the location
specified in this field, along with the filename you specify. Do not
add an extension to the filename you type. When ZIP'R Pro creates the
compressed file, it will append a .ZIP extension for files created
with PKZIP or Internal ZIP compression, a .ARJ extension for files
created with ARJ, or a .LZH extension for files created with LHA.
Note: The compressed file can be created on any drive and in any sub-
directory, including floppy diskettes. Common locations for the
compressed file include the directory where the program is executed
from, a special archive directory on your hard drive, a floppy
diskette (only available with PKZIP), or a network drive.
Compression Type
This field should contain the name of the compression program you want
to use to compress the specified program and its sub-directories. The
following table shows the compression utilities currently supported by
ZIP'R Pro, and the corresponding entry for this field.
Compression Utility Field Entry
ARJ ARJ
Internal (Built-In) Compression Internal ZIP
LHA LHA
No Compression NONE
PKZIP Version 1.10 PKZIP
PKZIP Versions 2.04c, 2.04e, and 2.04g PKZIP
The default entry for this field is "PKZIP" when using the
Intermediate or Advanced user interface. If the Beginner interface is
used, the default entry is "Internal ZIP". To change this entry, use
the mouse to click on the corresponding control, or use the up and
down arrow keys to highlight it.
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Test Integrity
When Test Integrity is checked, ZIP'R Pro will tell the compression
program being used to perform an integrity check on the archived
files.
Query Option
The "Query" option is a ZIP'R Pro feature that allows users to choose,
after the program is exited, whether or not it should be compressed.
If this box is checked, ZIP'R Pro will query (ask) the user whether or
not the program should be compressed each time it is exited. This
allows the user to have more control over the compression process,
instead of having to decide in advance whether a program should be
compressed.
Update Option (PKZIP and Internal ZIP Compression Only)
The "Update" option is a ZIP'R Pro feature which can significantly
reduce the time required to recompress a program. Normally, when
ZIP'R Pro decompresses a program, it extracts all of the program files
and sub-directories, and deletes the old compressed file. During the
compression process, ZIP'R Pro creates a new compressed file, and
moves all of the program files and sub-directories into it. This
method makes the most efficient use of hard disk space, but can
require a significant amount of time to recompress the program,
depending on the number and size of files that need to be compressed.
The "Update" option of ZIP'R Pro can save a tremendous amount of time
in this process. Instead of deleting the old compressed file when the
program files and sub-directories are extracted, ZIP'R Pro leaves it
in its original location. When the compression process starts, ZIP'R
Pro uses PKZIP (or the Internal ZIP compression) to update any files
and/or sub-directories that have been added or changed, and deletes
any files and/or sub-directories that have been deleted since the
program was extracted. In essence, if no files or sub-directories
were added, changed, or deleted since the program was decompressed,
ZIP'R Pro does not need to update any files. The old compressed file
is left in the directory and the program's files and sub-directories
are deleted.
Placing a check mark in this box instructs ZIP'R Pro to use the
"Update" method when compressing this program. (Note: The "Update"
option is only available for PKZIP / PKUNZIP or the Internal ZIP
compression.)
The amount of time that can be saved when using the "Update" option
varies between programs. I encourage you to try this option on a few
of your own programs. Here are a few hints that I've figured out from
experimenting with this option.
1. The greatest difference in speed will be noticed on programs that
have large files and/or files that have not changed. It takes a very
long time to compress large files using the normal compression method.
With the update method, if ZIP'R Pro detects that these large files
are identical to the ones already maintained in the compressed file,
all it needs to do is delete these files out of the directory, and the
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recompression process is complete!
2. You may notice that any lower-level sub-directories within the
program are always updated when the update option is enabled. Since
directories are deleted when a program is compressed, PKZIP must
create these directories before decompressing the program. When PKZIP
attempts to update the compressed file, it detects that the
directories have "changed", and therefore, is forced to update them in
the compressed file.
3. This option is useful to speed up the recompression process on
most programs, but it may actually increase the time of compression on
others. The programs that may not compress as quickly with the update
method are ones that have large numbers of small files and/or ones
that have many files added, changed, or deleted during each session.
If you're not sure, use a watch and time each method to see which way
would save the most time.
Advanced Options (Advanced ZIF Options)
Compress / Decompress Program Only (Do Not Execute)
This advanced feature of ZIP'R Pro allows you to specify whether or
not ZIP'R Pro should attempt to execute the program file once the
program has been decompressed. If this box is checked, ZIP'R Pro
will only decompress the program if it is in compressed format, and
only compress the program if it is in non-compressed format. This
option is potentially dangerous to the novice user. Caution is
advised.
Use Command Processor To Execute Program
This option allows users to specify whether or not ZIP'R Pro will
load a secondary command processor before executing the selected
program. If this is disabled, a command processor will not be
loaded, resulting in an extra 3 - 5K of free memory. The default is
on, indicating that ZIP'R Pro will load a secondary command
processor before executing the program. (Files with a .BAT
extension (or .BTM extension for 4DOS) MUST be executed with this
switch turned on. ZIP'R Pro contains fail-safe code to ensure that
this happens.)
Use Alternate Directory as Program Parent Directory
When this box is checked, the Program Parent Directory field is
enabled for entering the parent directory for the program being
compressed.
Program Parent Directory
Advanced users will want to use this optional field for programs
with unique requirements. While most programs maintain their
primary executable file in the parent program directory, some
programs maintain their primary executable file in a lower-level
sub-directory. A good example of this problem is found with Borland
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Pascal 7.0.
C:\
└─BP <---- Most executable files are located
├─PASCAL in this sub-directory.
├─DOC
├─BIN
├─BGI
├─EXAMPLES
├─RTL
├─UNITS
└─PENWIN
C:\
└─BP
├─PASCAL
├─DOC
├─BIN <---- Borland Pascal places the file BP.EXE
├─BGI in the C:\BP\BIN sub-directory.
├─EXAMPLES
├─RTL
├─UNITS
└─PENWIN
In order to compensate for situations like this, ZIP'R Pro (along
with the ZIF Editor Pro), allows users to specify a parent directory
for the program. In the case of Borland Pascal, the Executable File
field given on the front screen would contain "C:\BP\BIN\BP". To
compress all files and directories from the main subdirectory (C:\BP
and below), the Program Parent Directory field would contain
"C:\BP".
Use Alternate Directory To Launch Executable Program
When this box is checked, the Launch Directory field is enabled for
entering the directory where the program will be launched, or
executed, from.
Launch Directory
This field allows users to optionally enter the directory where the
selected program will be executed from, if it is a directory other
than the one where the program resides. For example, the program
Microsoft Works (C:\WORKS\WORKS.EXE) could be executed from a
directory such as C:\DOCS. This would allow Microsoft Works to edit
files in the C:\DOCS sub-directory without the need to change to
that directory from within the program.
Swapping
The three fields, labeled "Program Swapping", "IN File Swapping",
and "OUT File Swapping" allow you to specify when ZIP'R Pro should
swap itself to EMS, XMS, or disk. If ZIP'R Pro does not have to
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swap, execution of the Program, IN Commands, and/or OUT Commands
occurs much more rapidly than if swapping is necessary. There are
four options available for these fields.
Default Swap
This instructs ZIP'R Pro to use built-in trip points for swapping.
To view these built-in trip points, select the "View Trip Point
Values" command button.
Automatic Swap
This instructs ZIP'R Pro to swap itself to EMS, XMS, or disk ONLY
if there is not enough memory available, as specified by the
corresponding Trip Point.
Always Swap
This option instructs ZIP'R Pro to always swap itself to EMS, XMS,
or disk, no matter how much memory is available. This is the
safest method for executing programs and/or DOS commands, although
it can consume more time.
Never Swap
This instructs ZIP'R Pro that it should never swap to EMS, XMS, or
disk, no matter how much (or how little) memory is actually
available. Use this option carefully, as it could cause programs
and DOS commands to issue out of memory error messages.
Trip Point
This option allows users to specify the trip point (or memory
availability requirement) that should be used for ZIP'R Pro to
decide when it should swap itself to EMS, XMS, or disk. The trip
point only works when "Automatic Swap" is selected as the swapping
type.
Compression Options
These PKZIP / PKUNZIP options may be used to choose less compression
in exchange for more speed, or more compression in exchange for less
speed.
ZIP -e0 switch. (PKZIP 2.0 Only)
ZIP -es switch. (PKZIP 1.1 or 2.0)
ZIP -ef switch. (PKZIP 2.0 Only)
ZIP -en switch. (PKZIP 2.0 Only)
ZIP -ex switch. (PKZIP 1.1 or 2.0)
These figures were generated using PKZIP 2.04c.
No Compression ZIP Results Compression
ZIP -e0 2,980,853 2,985,751 0%
ZIP -es 2,980,853 1,535,935 48%
ZIP -ef 2,980,853 1,432,248 52%
ZIP -en 2,980,853 1,401,026 53%
ZIP -ex 2,980,853 1,392,625 53%
In addition to these options, additional parameters may be added to
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the PKZIP 2.04c, 2.04e, and 2.04g command lines to solve specific
hardware and software compatibility problems. These extra parameters
are as follows:
3 -> Disable 32-bit Instruction Usage.
) -> Disable DPMI Support.
( -> Use "Slow" MemCopy.
+ -> Disable EMS Usage.
- -> Disable XMS/UMB Usage.
~ -> Disable Network Detection.
Each of these parameters is explained in the troubleshooting section
of the PKZIP documentation. To use any of these options, place a
check mark beside the corresponding entry on the Compression Options
screen.
The following compression options are available for people using
ARJ.EXE to compress / decompress programs. The default ARJ
compression setting is to use the -m1 switch.
ARJ -m0 switch ARJ -m1 -jm switches
ARJ -m1 switch ARJ -m2 -jm switches
ARJ -m2 switch ARJ -m1 -jm1 switches
ARJ -m3 switch ARJ -m2 -jm1 switches.
ARJ -m4 switch
These figures were generated with ARJ 2.30.
Switches No Compression ARJ Results Compression
ARJ -m0 2,980,853 2,983,500 0%
ARJ -m1 2,980,853 1,406,625 53%
ARJ -m2 2,980,853 1,414,245 53%
ARJ -m3 2,980,853 1,444,400 52%
ARJ -m4 2,980,853 1,593,074 47%
ARJ -m1 -jm 2,980,853 1,403,524 53%
ARJ -m2 -jm 2,980,853 1,403,524 53%
ARJ -m1 -jm1 2,980,853 1,404,949 53%
ARJ -m2 -jm1 2,980,853 1,404,949 53%
Test Temporary Archive
In addition to these options, ARJ allows users to test the temporary
archive that is created when compressing files. To do this, place a
check mark in the "Test Temporary Archive" check box.
The following compression options are available when using Internal ZIP
compression:
Compression Method
When using Internal ZIP, you can specify if files should be
compressed using the Deflate, Implode, Shrink, or Store methods, or
you can let ZIP'R Pro use the Best method, depending on each file.
The best compression ratios can be achieved using the Deflate
method, while the least effective is Store, which simply stores the
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program file inside the .ZIP file without compressing it.
Deflate Level
When the deflate compression method is being used by the Internal
ZIP compression routines, a deflate level can be specified to
improve the overall compression. The range of values is from 1 to
9, with 1 being the least compression, and 9 being the most. The
higher this value is set, the more time will be required to compress
the program.
Implode Match Length & Implode Repetitions
The implode match length and repetitions settings can be adjusted to
improve compression or speed on files that are imploded. The match
length must be in the range of 4 to 288, and the repetitions much be
in the range of 4 to 960. The default value for both fields is 4.
The higher the numbers, the greater the compression will be on
imploded files.
Special Features
Use Selective Extraction (PKUNZIP Only)
When this box is checked, Selective Extraction is turned on, and
only the files listed in the Selective Extraction File List will be
extracted from the .ZIP file when this program is decompressed. The
original .ZIP file is preserved (similar to the process used when
Update Option is enabled). After the program is exited, the
original .ZIP file is updated with any changes that were made during
the current session. When Selective Extraction is enabled, Query
Option is ignored, and the Update Option is always used. All
multiple-user access features are disabled when using Selective
Extraction. Only one user is allowed into a program at a time when
Selective Extraction is enabled.
To edit the Selective Extraction Files, select the corresponding
Edit button.
Selective Extraction File List
This box contains a list of the files that should be extracted from
the .ZIP archive when the program is decompressed. Rather than
extracting an entire archive, you can choose to decompress only the
files that are needed for program execution. This can dramatically
speed up the compression and decompression process. For example, to
run the Norton Utilities SFORMAT.EXE, the only files needed are
SFORMAT.EXE and NORTON.INI. By entering these two files, PKUNZIP
will only extract the two files specified before executing
SFORMAT.EXE.
When entering filenames into this file list, wild cards may be used,
such as *.EXE, *.DOC, ???.CFG, etc. If a filename is entered that
does not exist in the .ZIP file, PKUNZIP.EXE will not attempt to
extract it, and it will not issue an error message.
Be very careful when using this option! If you forget to extract a
file necessary for proper program execution, your program could
terminate unexpectedly or issue error messages.
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Use Selective Exclusion (PKUNZIP Only)
When this box is checked, Selective Exclusion is turned on, and all
files listed in the Selective Extraction File List will be excluded
from the extraction process when the .ZIP file is decompressed.
When Selective Exclusion is enabled, Query Option is ignored, and
the Update Option is always used. All multiple-user access features
are disabled when using Selective Exclusion. Only one user is
allowed into a program at a time when Selective Exclusion is
enabled.
To edit the Selective Extraction Files, select the corresponding
Edit button.
Selective Exclusion File List
This box contains a list of the files that should be excluded from
the extraction process when the .ZIP archive is decompressed.
Rather than extracting an entire archive, you can choose to exclude
certain files that are not needed for program execution or
operation. This can dramatically speed up the compression and
decompression process. For example, most programs do not require
*.DOC files to be present in order to run successfully. By entering
"*.DOC" into the Selective Exclusion File List, PKUNZIP will not
extract these files, saving time during the compression and
decompression processes, and disk space while the program is
running.
When entering filenames into this file list, wild cards may be used,
such as *.EXE, *.DOC, ???.CFG, etc.
Be very careful when using this option! Excluding a file that is
necessary for proper program execution could cause your program to
terminate unexpectedly or issue error messages. Also remember that
if Selective Extraction AND Selective Exclusion are both enabled,
Selective Exclusion files take precedence. That means that if
PROGRAM.EXE is listed in both file lists, it will always be
excluded.
Use IN Commands
When this box is checked, IN Commands are enabled, and any DOS
commands listed in the IN Commands memo field will be executed prior
to executing the selected program.
To edit the IN Commands, select the corresponding Edit button.
IN Commands
IN Commands are DOS commands that are executed prior to running the
selected program. An example of this would be to swap a printer
port prior to executing the program. Another example would be to
flush and disable write caching before running a disk utility
program.
To use this feature, enter any necessary DOS commands that should be
executed prior to going "IN" to the program in the corresponding
memo field.
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Important! Do NOT attempt to invoke or remove TSR (Terminate and
Stay-Resident) programs from memory with IN or OUT DOS commands.
This is virtually guaranteed to cause conflicts with ZIP'R Pro. If
you need to invoke a TSR before running a program, or remove one
after exiting a program, see the section on TSR's.
Use OUT Commands
When this box is checked, OUT Commands are enabled, and any DOS
commands listed in the OUT Commands memo field will be executed
after the selected program has been exited or terminated.
To edit the OUT Commands, select the corresponding Edit button.
OUT Commands
OUT Commands are DOS commands that are executed after exiting the
selected program. An example of this would be to swap a printer
port back to its original state after exiting from the program.
Another example would be to re-enable write caching, if it had been
previously disabled using the IN Commands, after exiting from a disk
utility program.
To use this feature, enter any necessary DOS commands that should be
executed after going "OUT" of the program in the corresponding memo
field.
Important! Do NOT attempt to invoke or remove TSR (Terminate and
Stay-Resident) programs from memory with IN or OUT DOS commands.
This is virtually guaranteed to cause conflicts with ZIP'R Pro. If
you need to invoke a TSR before running a program, or remove one
after exiting a program, see the section on TSR's.
Use TSR Pre Commands
When this box is checked, TSR Pre-Program Commands are enabled, and
any DOS commands listed in the TSR Pre-Program Commands memo field
will be executed prior to executing the selected program.
To edit the TSR Pre-Program Commands, select the corresponding Edit
button.
TSR Pre-Program Commands
Just like IN Commands, TSR Pre-Program Commands are DOS commands
that executed prior to executing the selected program. The main
difference is that TSR Pre-Program Commands invoke one or more TSR
(Terminate-and-Stay-Resident) programs. TSR's can be a bit tricky
to handle due to the fact that ZIP'R Professional cannot tell what
memory has been used by any TSR's that load later. But ZIP'R
Professional makes TSR's easier to manage by creating a "TSR
Container File". This file is simply a temporary batch file that
contains commands that surround the command line used to execute the
program with the TSR (Pre) and TSR (Post) commands. When the
program is executed, this batch file is executed instead of the
program, allowing TSR's to load and unload while ZIP'R Professional
is dormant. No user intervention is required. ZIP'R Professional
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automatically creates, and then deletes this temporary batch file.
TSR's that can be loaded and unloaded via command line parameters
can usually be invoked successfully with this method. The key point
to remember is to unload TSR's in the REVERSE order that they were
loaded. The following example illustrates this concept more
clearly.
TSR (Pre) Commands : TSR1 (Load)
TSR2 (Load)
TSR (Post) Commands: TSR2 (Unload)
TSR1 (Unload)
TSR2 must be unloaded first, since it was the last TSR loaded, and
is loaded last in memory. Once TSR2 is unloaded, TSR1 may be safely
unloaded, because it is now the last TSR in memory.
The important point to remember is that if you load a TSR before
executing the program, you MUST unload it after exiting the program.
Otherwise, control will not be returned to ZIP'R Pro. When this
happens, ZIP'R Pro will not perform the compression process,
resulting in several problems. If the Update option was enabled,
the compressed file will still be in the compressed file directory,
and the program files will still be in the program directory. This
could be dangerous, if you don't know what you're doing. It is
recommended that you delete the compressed file before attempting to
execute the program again. You may also find some files in the
\ZIPRPRO sub-directory with a .U00 or .P00 extension. If no one
else is accessing the program at the time, you should delete them.
To avoid such problems as these, either don't load TSR's at all, or
make sure that you unload them using the TSR (Post) Commands.
Use TSR Post Commands
When this box is checked, TSR Post-Program Commands are enabled, and
any DOS commands listed in the TSR Post-Program Commands memo field
will be executed after exiting from, or terminating, the selected
program.
To edit the TSR Post-Program Commands, select the corresponding Edit
button.
TSR Post-Program Commands
Just like OUT Commands, TSR Post-Program Commands are DOS commands
that executed after exiting from, or terminating, the selected
program. The main difference is that TSR Post-Program Commands
remove one or more TSR (Terminate-and-Stay-Resident) programs from
memory. TSR's can be a bit tricky to handle due to the fact that
ZIP'R Professional cannot tell what memory has been used by any
TSR's that load later. But ZIP'R Professional makes TSR's easier to
manage by creating a "TSR Container File". This file is simply a
temporary batch file that contains commands that surround the
command line used to execute the program with the TSR (Pre) and TSR
(Post) commands. When the program is executed, this batch file is
executed instead of the program, allowing TSR's to load and unload
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while ZIP'R Professional is dormant. No user intervention is
required. ZIP'R Professional automatically creates, and then
deletes this temporary batch file. TSR's that can be loaded and
unloaded via command line parameters can usually be invoked
successfully with this method. The key point to remember is to
unload TSR's in the REVERSE order that they were loaded. The
following example illustrates this concept more clearly.
TSR (Pre) Commands : TSR1 (Load)
TSR2 (Load)
TSR (Post) Commands: TSR2 (Unload)
TSR1 (Unload)
TSR2 must be unloaded first, since it was the last TSR loaded, and
is loaded last in memory. Once TSR2 is unloaded, TSR1 may be safely
unloaded, because it is now the last TSR in memory.
The important point to remember is that if you load a TSR before
executing the program, you MUST unload it after exiting the program.
Otherwise, control will not be returned to ZIP'R Pro. When this
happens, ZIP'R Pro will not perform the compression process,
resulting in several problems. If the Update option was enabled,
the compressed file will still be in the compressed file directory,
and the program files will still be in the program directory. This
could be dangerous, if you don't know what you're doing. It is
recommended that you delete the compressed file before attempting to
execute the program again. You may also find some files in the
\ZIPRPRO sub-directory with a .U00 or .P00 extension. If no one
else is accessing the program at the time, you should delete them.
To avoid such problems as these, either don't load TSR's at all, or
make sure that you unload them using the TSR (Post) Commands.
Floppy Options
This screen allows users to select options to be invoked when creating
a compressed file on a floppy diskette.
Important Note: Options for floppy diskette compression will only work
when PKZIP / PKUNZIP is used as the compression program. Also note
that the Update option can NOT be used when compression is occurring
to floppy diskettes.
One of the following options can be selected as the default when
creating a compressed file on a floppy diskette.
Erase All Files and Sub-Directories
Format Destination Diskette (Quick Format)
Format Destination Diskette (Full Format)
Format Low-Density Disk in High-Density Drive (Quick Format)
Format Low-Density Disk in High-Density Drive (Full Format)
For an explanation of these options, see the Backup Guide supplied
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with PKZIP 2.0.
Use DOS Verify
If you want DOS Verify to be turned on when compressing files to a
floppy diskette, place a check mark in the "Use DOS Verify" check
box. This adds an extra level of security to make sure that files
are created error-free.
Browse (Browse for Executable File)
One powerful feature of the ZIF Editor Pro is the ability to browse
for files using file and directory list boxes. Selecting the "Browse"
button will display a file browsing screen to allow you to search for
the executable file for the designated program. Once a file is
selected from this screen, the drive, directory, and executable file
will be automatically pasted into the "Executable File" field.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Opening and Deleting Files │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Also available from the main menu is the ability to open or delete a
previously created .ZPD file. Use the "Open An Existing File" screen to
search through available drives and directories for the .ZPD file you want
to edit. Once you've located the file you want to open, click on it with
the mouse, or press [ENTER] when it is selected with the highlight bar,
and the ZIF Editor Pro will read the information and import it into the
editing screen to be viewed or modified.
If you choose "Delete An Existing File" from the main menu, a similar
dialog box will appear, allowing you to search through available drives
and directories for the .ZPD file you want to delete. When you find it,
click on it, or press [ENTER] when it is selected with the highlight bar.
A confirmation dialog box will be displayed to confirm that you want to
delete the selected file.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ ZIP'R Pro Settings │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
From the ZIP'R Pro Settings menu, users can have access to the default
settings for ZIP'R Pro.
Advanced Options
Network/Multitasker Execution (Yes, No, Auto)
For users who intend on using ZIP'R Pro under a multitasker or in a
network environment, ZIP'R Pro has automatic network/multitasker
detection. (For a list of current networks/multitaskers supported,
see Question #2 at the end of this documentation.) When this option
is set to Yes, ZIP'R Pro always assumes that the advanced
network/multitasker features should be used. If this option is set to
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No, ZIP'R Pro will never use the advanced network multitasker
features. The default setting is Auto, which instructs ZIP'R Pro to
automatically detect whether or not execution is occurring in a
network environment or under a multitasker.
Cluster Size Calculation (Auto Detect, Manual)
When ZIP'R Pro uses the Accurate File Size Calculation, it needs to
know the size of the allocation unit used on the program's disk drive.
By selecting "Auto Detect", you can instruct ZIP'R Pro to
automatically detect the true cluster size. If you select "Manual",
you can enter the cluster size you want ZIP'R Pro to use when making
these calculations. When in doubt, use Auto Detect.
Cluster Size
If the Cluster Size Calculation option is set to "Manual", enter the
cluster size that ZIP'R Pro should use for disk space calculations.
Accurate File Size Calculation (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4)
Before ZIP'R Pro is able to decompress a program, it must calculate
the amount of disk space that will be required to hold the
decompressed program. There are 4 levels of accuracy/speed available.
The more accuracy that is desired, the slower the calculation process
becomes.
Level 1
If Level 1 is selected, ZIP'R Pro "guesses" at the amount of space
required to hold the decompressed program files.
Level 2
If Level 2 is selected, ZIP'R Pro performs a more accurate
calculation for the space needed to successfully store the
decompressed files. This level is recommended for most users, since
the calculation used is fairly accurate, and usually errs on the
conservative side.
Level 3
Level 3 uses the same calculation as level 2, but with one
difference in the video display. Level 2 views the contents and
total size of the archived file by redirecting the output to the
screen. Level 3 redirects this output to a file, which takes
longer. If you use Level 3, you won't see the archive file contents
"flying-by" on the screen, but it will take a bit longer to process
it.
Level 4
This is the most complicated (and most time-consuming) method of
calculating the space needed for the decompressed files. But, it is
EXACT. ZIP'R Pro reads the size of each file from the archive file
contents, and uses the Cluster Size to determine exactly how much
space a file will consume once it is extracted. This method takes a
longer time to complete, but there should be NO DOUBT about whether
enough space exists on the hard drive to complete the decompression
process successfully.
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Manually Create Sub-Directories Under OS/2
Users who are running ZIP'R Pro under OS/2 in combination with Novell
NetWare will want to enable this option. Problems have been reported
when using PKUNZIP in a global network session, where PKUNZIP cannot
create the sub-directories properly during the decompression process.
(This problem has been reported to PKWare.) When this option is
enabled, ZIP'R Pro will manually created the needed sub-directories
before instructing PKUNZIP to decompress the compressed file.
Use Atomic Lock Files
When the network/multitasker features of ZIP'R Pro are being used,
users can specify whether or not atomic lock files are used. For a
discussion on atomic lock files, see the "Networks / Multitaskers"
section of this documentation.
Sorted Extraction (PKUNZIP Only)
When Sorted Extraction is set to "Yes", ZIP'R Pro will extract files
from the .ZIP archive in alphabetical order. This feature is
especially useful on network drives that generally prevent utilities
of this nature from working. If this option is set to "No", files are
extracted in the order in which they appear in the file.
Sub-Directory Deletion (PKZIP 2.04g Only)
Disabling sub-directory deletion will instruct PKZIP 2.04g not to
delete any of the program's sub-directories (located under the parent
directory) when compressing a program. The default is On, which means
that PKZIP will automatically delete the lower level sub-directories
once the compression process is complete.
Windowed Compression
When Windowed Compression is set to on, ZIP'R Pro will attempt to
execute the program compression process within the limits of a window.
Otherwise, program compression will occur on a full DOS screen.
Windowed Decompression
When Windowed Decompression is set to on, ZIP'R Pro will attempt to
execute the program decompression process within the limits of a
window. Otherwise, program decompression will occur on a full DOS
screen.
Cleanup Password
Menu Item Is Protected!
Before modifying the cleanup password for ZIP'R Pro, you must enter
the cleanup password for verification that you have authorization to
perform this action. If the cleanup password is blank, or has not
been set up, this dialog box will not appear.
Cleanup Password
Enter the new password that must be entered before a user can execute
the Cleanup Files option.
Page 26
Cleanup Files
Menu Item Is Protected!
Before executing the Cleanup Files option, you must enter the cleanup
password for verification that you have authorization to perform this
action. If the cleanup password is blank, or has not been set up,
this dialog box will not appear.
Signal File Cleanup
This dialog box warns you that all signal files created by ZIP'R Pro
during normal network or multitasker operation will be deleted, or
cleaned up, from the ZIP'R Pro sub-directory. If your machine has
ever hung while running a program through ZIP'R Pro, or if unusual
errors have taken place during the compression or decompression
processes, you probably have old signal files left over in the ZIP'R
Pro sub-directory. It is a good idea to perform this operation
occasionally. Make sure ZIP'R Pro is not being used by any other
programs or network workstations before performing this operation!
Compression Paths
ARJ Path
Enter the appropriate path to the file ARJ.EXE in the format
"C:\ARJ\". Do not add the actual filename or extension. If this
field is left blank, or if ZIP'R Pro cannot find ARJ.EXE in the path
entered, it will search the ZIP'R Pro sub-directory. If it is still
unable to locate ARJ.EXE, it will search the DOS Path. If ARJ.EXE is
not located, an error message will be issued.
ARJ Version
Enter the version of ARJ that you will be using. Currently, ZIP'R Pro
supports version 2.41 of ARJ.
LHA Path
Enter the appropriate path to the file LHA.EXE in the format
"C:\LHA\". Do not add the actual filename or extension. If this
field is left blank, or if ZIP'R Pro cannot find LHA.EXE in the path
entered, it will search the ZIP'R Pro sub-directory. If it is still
unable to locate LHA.EXE, it will search the DOS Path. If LHA.EXE is
not located, an error message will be issued.
LHA Version
Enter the version of LHA that you will be using. Currently, ZIP'R Pro
supports version 2.13 of LHA.
ZIP Path
Enter the appropriate path to the files PKZIP.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE in
the format "C:\PKZIP\". Do not add the actual filename or extension.
Both of these files must be located in the same sub-directory. If
this field is left blank, or if ZIP'R Pro cannot find either of these
two files in the path entered, it will search the ZIP'R Pro sub-
directory. If it is still unable to locate them, it will search the
Page 27
DOS Path. If PKZIP.EXE or PKUNZIP.EXE is not located, an error
message will be issued.
ZIP Version
Enter the version of PKZIP/PKUNZIP that you will be using. Currently,
ZIP'R Pro supports versions 1.1 and 2.04 (2.04g preferred).
Delays
Non-registered copies of ZIP'R Pro will ignore any changes on this
screen and use the default settings. Registering ZIP'R Pro with the
author will allow you to completely remove the prelog pause and delay.
Pause during Prelog
Place a check mark in this box if you want ZIP'R Pro to pause with a
"Press Any Key" message when the prelog screen is displayed.
Delay during Prelog
Place a check mark in this box if you want ZIP'R Pro to delay when the
prelog screen is displayed. Enter the amount of the delay in the
Prelog Delay field.
Prelog Delay
Enter the number of seconds ZIP'R Pro should pause on the prelog
screen before ZIP'R Pro attempts to execute the selected program.
This field is only valid if the "Delay during Prelog" box has a check
mark in it. Experienced ZIP'R Pro users can set this field to 0,
which will prevent ZIP'R Pro from displaying the prelog screen.
Novice users may want to set this field to 4, to allow a short time to
view the information displayed on the prelog screen.
Swapping
Compression / Decompression Swap (Default, Automatic, Always, Never)
This option allows you to specify whether or not ZIP'R Pro swaps to
EMS, XMS, or disk when it attempts to compress a program. There are
four options available for this field:
Default Swap
This instructs ZIP'R Pro to use built-in trip points for swapping.
To view these built-in trip points, select the "View Trip Point
Values" command button.
Automatic Swap
This instructs ZIP'R Pro to swap itself to EMS, XMS, or disk ONLY if
there is not enough memory available, as specified by the
corresponding Trip Point.
Always Swap
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This option instructs ZIP'R Pro to always swap itself to EMS, XMS,
or disk, no matter how much memory is available. This is the safest
method for executing programs and/or DOS commands, although it can
consume more time.
Never Swap
This instructs ZIP'R Pro that it should never swap to EMS, XMS, or
disk, no matter how much (or how little) memory is actually
available. Use this option carefully, as it could cause programs
and DOS commands to issue out of memory error messages.
Since swapping generally slows a program down, it is best to let ZIP'R
Pro decide when to swap by using the "Automatic Swap" or "Default
Swap" options.
Compression / Decompression Trip Point: This option allows users to
specify the trip point (or memory availability requirement) that
should be used for ZIP'R Pro to decide when it should swap itself to
EMS, XMS, or disk. The trip point only works when "Automatic Swap" is
selected as the swapping type.
Swapping Preferences
Use EMS For Swapping
This check box allows you to specify whether or not ZIP'R Pro should
attempt to use EMS for swapping on your computer.
Use XMS For Swapping
This check box allows you to specify whether or not ZIP'R Pro should
attempt to use XMS for swapping on your computer.
Swapping Priority
Use EMS First
If both EMS and XMS are enabled under Swapping Preferences, you can
specify whether ZIP'R Pro should attempt to swap to EMS or XMS
first. If this option is selected, ZIP'R Pro will try to swap to
EMS before it swaps to XMS.
Use XMS First
If both EMS and XMS are enabled under Swapping Preferences, you can
specify whether ZIP'R Pro should attempt to swap to EMS or XMS
first. If this option is selected, ZIP'R Pro will try to swap to
XMS before it swaps to EMS.
View Trip Point Values
When this command button is selected, a dialog box will be displayed
showing the internal trip points that will be used for compression and
decompression swapping when "Default Swap" is selected as the swapping
type.
Page 29
TAME Options
Use Custom TAME Batch File
If this option is selected, ZIP'R Pro allows you to create a
customized ZPROTAME.BAT batch file that can be used under Windows,
OS/2, or DESQview to invoke TAME prior to running a program.
TAME Path
This field should contain the drive and path where TAME is located on
your hard drive. This path you enter here will be hard-coded into the
ZPROTAME.BAT batch file.
Create Custom ZPROTAME.BAT Batch File
When this button is pressed, ZIP'R Pro creates a ZPROTAME.BAT batch
file in the ZIP'R Pro subdirectory. This can be used to execute
programs under Windows, OS/2, and DESQview.
Video Options
Screen Writes (BIOS, Direct, Auto Detect)
This option allows you to specify whether ZIP'R Pro should write
information to the screen using BIOS or Direct. The default is Auto
Detect.
Scan Activity Indicator (File Count, Twirling Bars, None)
The scan activity indicator is a small display that occurs on the top
of the compression screen when ZIP'R Pro is scanning for added or
deleted files. If File Count is selected, ZIP'R Pro will display the
number of the current file that it is checking as it proceeds through
the file list. If Twirling Bars is selected, a pair of twirling bars
will spin, letting you know that there is continued activity on the
part of ZIP'R Pro. Select None if you do not want either of these two
options displayed. (Note: This process has been speeded up
significantly from the original ZIP'R, and in most cases, you probably
won't notice this indicator. It is most useful on extremely large
archives with many files.)
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Register ZIP'R Pro │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Registration Name
If you are a registered user of ZIP'R Pro, enter your registration
name in the Registration Name field. The Registration Name cannot be
longer than 36 characters. If you are not a registered user, please
read the "Registration Terms" section below.
Registration Number
If you are a registered user of ZIP'R Pro, enter your registration
number in the Registration Number field. If you are not a registered
Page 30
user, please read the "Registration Terms" section below.
Network Users
When you register ZIP'R Pro for a network license, you will receive a
registration code that supports a specific number of network users.
In order for your registration code to work properly, you must enter
the exact number of stations your network license is registered for.
If you are not using ZIP'R Pro on a network, simply leave this field
blank.
Registration Terms
ZIP'R Pro For DOS is shareware. You may try ZIP'R Pro for a period of
two weeks. If you continue using ZIP'R Pro after the initial two week
period, you must register it. Standard registration is only $49.95 (+
$5.00 S&H). Registered users will receive the newest version of ZIP'R
Pro on diskette, along with a printed manual, and a registration
number. To register, call (218) 924-2050. We accept Visa,
MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, as well as personal checks
and money orders. (Checks / money orders must be in U.S. Funds drawn
on a U.S. Bank!) If you wish to register by mail, print out the
order form entitled REGISTER.DOC, and send it to:
Stevenson Technical Services, Inc.
108 Second Avenue West
Bertha MN 56437-0297
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ User Interface │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
One of the most useful features of the ZIF Editor Pro is the ability to
specify a user interface. The user interface level determines what
features will be available when editing a .ZPD file and modifying the
default settings for ZIP'R Pro.
Here's a general overview of the benefits of each of the user interface
levels:
Beginner The Beginner interface is for novice users who want to be
sheltered from all of the complexities of ZIP'R Pro. With
the Beginner level, users can simply enter the name of the
.ZPD file being created, the executable program, and any
needed parameters. All advanced options are hidden from
view, making ZIP'R Pro less intimidating. When Beginner
is selected, Internal ZIP compression is used on programs,
meaning that no outside programs are needed to operate
ZIP'R Pro.
To modify default ZIP'R Pro settings, Beginner level users
have access to the Delays screen, as well as the
Registration screens.
Page 31
Intermediate The Intermediate interface is for users who want to use an
external compression program, such as ARJ, LHA, or PKZIP,
or who want to specify the settings for the Test
Integrity, Query Option, or Update Option fields. While
these options are hidden from view on the Beginner level
interface, these options are accessible to intermediate
users.
To modify default ZIP'R Pro settings, Intermediate level
users have access to the Compression Paths screen, in
addition to the screens mentioned under the Beginner
interface level described above.
Advanced The Advanced interface is for users who want to have
access to all of the features available in ZIP'R Pro. All
of the desired "bells and whistles" can be accessed when
using the Advanced interface. This includes Selective
Extraction and Exclusion, IN and OUT commands, TSR
commands, Advanced Options, Compression Options, and
Floppy Compression Options. Advanced users can specify
the name and location of the compressed file, storing it
on any available drive and directory.
Advanced level users also have access to all of the
available ZIP'R Pro settings. The settings available to
Advanced users should only be modified after reading this
documentation and understanding their impact on ZIP'R Pro.
The user interface level can be changed at any time. Beginner users can
step up to an intermediate or advanced interface, and advanced users can
step down to an intermediate or beginner interface. Files created within
one interface can be opened using another interface. This will not affect
the integrity of the .ZPD file being edited.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Using ZIP'R Pro │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Once ZIP'R Pro system preferences have been set up in the ZIF Editor Pro,
and .ZPD files have been created for each program, you are ready to use
ZIP'R Pro. Log to the ZIP'R Pro program sub-directory, and type
"ZIPRPRO.EXE". ZIP'R Pro will display a collection of buttons. Each
button represents a .ZPD file that exists in the \ZIPRPRO sub-directory.
Simply use the mouse to left-click on a push button, and ZIP'R Pro will
execute the corresponding program. You can also right-click on the same
push button, and ZIP'R Pro will execute the ZIF Editor and allow you to
edit the corresponding file. When you are done editing the file, you can
exit the ZIF Editor and immediately return to the ZIP'R Pro button menu.
Although using ZIP'R Pro's button menu is helpful, you may wish to execute
a program directly, without accessing the button menu. To do this, log to
the \ZIPRPRO sub-directory, and type "ZIPRPRO PROGRAM", where PROGRAM
represents the name of the file to execute. Examples of potential command
lines could be:
Page 32
ZIPRPRO PCSHELL
ZIPRPRO PW
ZIPRPRO PSDELUXE
ZIPRPRO LOTUS123
ZIPRPRO THEDRAW
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Using ZIP'R Pro With A Menuing System: │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
To use ZIP'R Pro with a menuing system, you must modify the location and
program name specified for each program that will be run through ZIP'R
Pro.
QuikMenu Example:
OLD Location: C:\PFS
Command: PW
NEW Location: C:\ZIPRPRO
Command: ZIPRPRO PW
AutoMenu Example:
OLD C:
CD\PFS
PW
CD\
AUTO
NEW C:
CD\ZIPRPRO
ZIPRPRO PW
CD\
AUTO
All programs that are executed through ZIP'R Pro must have C:\ZIPRPRO (or
the actual location of the ZIP'R Pro files) specified as the path. The
location of the program to be executed is specified in the .ZPD file that
was created with the ZIF Editor. ZIP'R Pro automatically changes to the
proper directory before executing the desired program.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ What Happens When I Execute ZIP'R Pro? │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Several things take place through the course of using ZIP'R Pro. Here is
a brief summary of what ZIP'R Pro does, and what you can expect to see on
the screen:
When using the following variable on the ZIF Editor's .ZPD editing screen:
Page 33
ZIF Filename....: C:\ZIPRPRO\PCSHELL.ZPD
Executable File.: C:\PCTOOLS\PCSHELL.EXE
Parameters......:
Maximum Users...: 1
Compressed File.: C:\PCTOOLS\PCTOOLS
Compression Type: ZIP
and entering the command line: ZIPRPRO PCSHELL
the following events would take place:
1. ZIP'R Pro checks for the existence of the .ZPD file. If the .ZPD file
cannot be found, ZIP'R Pro issues an error message. If ZIP'R Pro was
able to locate the .ZPD file, ZIP'R Pro proceeds to step #2.
2. ZIP'R Pro displays the prelog screen. The unregistered version of
ZIP'R Pro will pause for 10 seconds while this screen displays.
Registered users may reduce the delay period, or remove it entirely by
using the ZIP'R Pro Defaults screen within the ZIF Editor. (For more
information, see "ZIP'R Pro Default Settings".)
This screen contains a wealth of information for users with different
system configurations. The following is a summary of this
information, and what it means.
Conventional
Displays the amount of available conventional memory.
EMS
Displays the amount of available EMS memory.
Virtual
Displays the amount of free disk space on the drive where ZIP'R Pro
is being executed from.
Environment
Displays the amount of available environment space.
Free Space
Displays the amount of free disk space on the drive where the
program is being executed from.
Cluster Size
Detects the Cluster Size being used. If Auto Detect was selected in
the ZIF Editor, ZIP'R Pro will display the size of the allocation
unit that it detects on the target drive. If Manual Entry was
selected in the ZIF Editor, ZIP'R Pro will display the size that was
manually entered.
ZIP'R Pro Maximum Users
Displays the maximum number of network users allowed to use ZIP'R
Pro at the same time.
Program Maximum Users
Displays the maximum number of concurrent users allowed for this
Page 34
program, as set up in the specified .ZPD file.
Query (QRY)
Displays a check mark if Query mode is enabled in the specified .ZPD
file.
Update (UPD)
Displays a check mark if Update mode is enabled in the specified
.ZPD file.
Sorted (SRT)
Displays a check mark if Sorted Extraction is being used. (Applies
only for PKZIP / PKUNZIP.)
Selective Extraction / Exclusion (SEL)
Displays a check mark if either Selective Extraction or Selective
Exclusion is enabled.
Sub-Directory Deletion (SDD)
Displays a check mark if Sub-Directory Deletion is enabled.
(Applies only to PKZIP 2.04g.)
Integrity Check (INT)
Displays whether or not Test Integrity is enabled in the specified
.ZPD file.
Compress / Decompress Only (C/D)
Displays a check mark if Compress/Decompress Only is enabled.
Atomic Lock Files (ATL)
Displays a check mark if Atomic Lock Files are being used.
Network (NET)
Displays a check mark if ZIP'R Pro detects the presence of a
network.
Multitasker (MUL)
Displays a check mark if ZIP'R Pro detects the presence of a
multitasker.
IN Commands (IN)
Displays the total number of "IN" DOS Commands read from the
specified .ZPD file.
OUTCommands (OUT)
Displays the total number of "OUT" DOS Commands read from the
specified .ZPD file.
Selective Extraction Commands (SXT)
Displays the total number of Selective Extraction entries read from
the specified .ZPD file.
Selective Exclusion Commands (SXC)
Displays the total number of Selective Exclusion entries read from
the specified .ZPD file.
TSR Commands (TSR)
Displays the total number of TSR DOS Commands read from the
Page 35
specified .ZPD file.
AFSC Level
Displays the Accurate File Size Calculation level selected for ZIP'R
Pro.
Program Path/Name
Displays the program path and executable filename as set up in the
specified .ZPD file.
Parameters
Displays any parameters that will be passed to the program being
executed, as set up in the specified .ZPD file.
Compressed Filename
Displays the path and filename of the compressed file that will be
created when ZIP'R Pro compresses the program. The extension that
appears on this field should reflect the name of the compression
program being used. (PKZIP and Internal ZIP compression will use
.ZIP, ARJ will use .ARJ, LHA will use .LZH, and NONE will not
display an extension.)
3. After displaying the prelog screen, ZIP'R Pro checks the validity of
the drive and path that was entered in the .ZPD file. If ZIP'R Pro
cannot find the drive and/or path, it issues an error message. If
ZIP'R Pro is able to locate the drive and path specified, it then
checks for the existence of a compressed file, bearing the name
entered in the "Compressed FileName" field of the .ZPD editing screen.
ZIP'R Pro checks for the existence of the compressed file, and if it
is found, attempts to decompress it using the corresponding
decompression utility (step #4). If ZIP'R Pro does not find a
compressed file, it skips the decompression process and begins to
execute the program (step #5).
4. ZIP'R Pro begins the decompression process by viewing the compressed
file and calculating the disk space required to decompress the entire
file. The accuracy level of this calculation depends on the setting
of the Accurate File Size Calculation (Level 1 - 4) and the Cluster
Size setting.
If ZIP'R Pro determines that there is not enough disk space available
to decompress the entire file, a warning message will be issued. If
ZIP'R Pro determines that sufficient disk space is available to
decompress the entire file, it executes the necessary decompression
program to decompress the file.
5. The next step performed by ZIP'R Pro is automatic execution of the
specified program. This step makes ZIP'R Pro unique from most other
compression / decompression utilities. Rather than forcing users to
compress and decompress programs separately, ZIP'R Pro does it all
automatically. If ZIP'R Pro is not able to locate the executable
file, it issues an error message stating the problem. If ZIP'R Pro is
able to locate the executable file, it executes the program normally,
along with any parameters set up in the .ZPD file.
Page 36
6. If Query Mode is enabled, ZIP'R Pro pops up a screen prompting you
whether or not you want to compress the program you just exited. If
you answer Yes, ZIP'R Pro continues with step #7. If you answer No,
ZIP'R Pro skips to step #8.
7. Once the program is exited, ZIP'R Pro begins to compress (or-
recompress) the program directory using the compression utility
specified in the .ZPD file. The amount of time this takes depends on
the number and size of the files being compressed. If Update Mode is
enabled, ZIP'R Pro simply updates the archive file with any changes
that have occurred since the file was decompressed. New files are
added to the compressed file, modified files are updated in the
compressed file, and deleted files are removed from the compressed
file.
8. After the compressed file has been successfully created, ZIP'R Pro
displays a delay screen for unregistered users. To remove this delay,
please read the file REGISTER.DOC to find out how to register ZIP'R
Pro. Once this is complete, ZIP'R Pro returns control of the computer
back to a DOS prompt or the menuing system you are using.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Networks / Multitaskers │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
ZIP'R Pro has advanced features available to deal with program execution,
compression, and decompression under multitaskers and in network
environments. Currently, ZIP'R Pro recognizes Windows, DESQview, OS/2,
and Novell operating systems / environments. ZIP'R Pro has an additional
feature that the original ZIP'R did not have. It's called atomic lock
files.
When the Network / Multitasker option of ZIP'R Pro is enabled, ZIP'R Pro
creates special token files to make sure that two users do not attempt to
compress or decompress a program at the same time. Normally, ZIP'R Pro
would check for a token file, and create it only if it did not exist
already. However, it is possible that another user could create the file
between the time that ZIP'R Pro checked for it and the time that it
actually created it. This situation is rare, but could happen, and could
be dangerous. That's where atomic lock files are useful. Atomic lock
files ensure that a file by the same name cannot be in existence AS IT IS
CREATING IT.
If you are using ZIP'R Pro under a multitasker or in a network
environment, make sure that "Network/Multitasker Execution" is set to
"Yes" (or "Auto", for Auto-Detection), under Advanced Options on the
Settings menu of the ZIF Editor. Also make sure that "Use Atomic Lock
Files" is set to "Yes". This will provide the maximum amount of security
against potential problems.
Page 37
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ DESQview Tips & Techniques: │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
To set up ZIP'R Pro under DESQview, use the following examples:
DESQview .DVP Example:
OLD Program...: PW
Parameters:
Directory.: C:\PFS
NEW Program...: ZIPRPRO
Parameters: PW
Directory.: C:\ZIPRPRO
If you are a Tame user, use the ZIF Editor to specify the correct path for
the TAME directory on your hard drive, and create a custom ZPROTAME.BAT
batch file. This file invokes TAME-RES.COM prior to executing ZIP'R Pro.
To run the previous example program, the .DVP command lines would be
changed as shown below:
DESQview .DVP Example (Invoking Tame):
OLD Program...: ZIPRPRO
Parameters: PW
Directory.: C:\ZIPRPRO
NEW Program...: ZPROTAME
Parameters: ZIPRPRO PW
Directory.: C:\ZIPRPRO
Since ZPROTAME.BAT is a batch file containing an EXIT statement, you
should also make the following change to your .DVP file:
Change a Program Advanced Options
OLD Close on exit (Y,N,blank)......: [Y]
NEW Close on exit (Y,N,blank)......: [N]
This change allows control to return to the ZPROTAME.BAT file after ZIP'R
Pro completes its operation.
Allocating about 300K of EMS memory to programs executed through ZIP'R Pro
will allow ZIP'R Pro to swap itself to EMS memory, rather than disk. This
speeds up the swapping process somewhat. If you are already allocating
EMS memory to the program, increasing the amount by 300K will provide
extra room for the swap file.
The opening ZIP'R Pro screen will indicate how much EMS memory is
Page 38
available to ZIP'R Pro. If this figure is less than 300K, increase the
amount of EMS memory allocated.
Since PKZIP 2.0 can also use EMS memory, additional memory should be set
aside as swap space for PKZIP.
When using ZIPRPRO (without TAME), you can save about 8K of memory by
specifying the .EXE extension for ZIPRPRO as shown in the following
example:
DESQview .DVP Example (Saves about 8K of memory.):
OLD Program...: ZIPRPRO
Parameters: PW
Directory.: C:\ZIPRPRO
NEW Program...: ZIPRPRO.EXE
Parameters: PW
Directory.: C:\ZIPRPRO
This saves about 8K of memory by allowing DESQview to execute ZIP'R Pro
directly, rather than loading a secondary command processor.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Using ZIP'R Pro with Windows: │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
ZIP'R Pro is only effective when running DOS programs under Windows. It
will NOT work with Windows specific programs!
Windows Program Item Properties Example:
OLD Description: PFS Pro-Write
Command Line: PW
Working Directory: C:\PFS
NEW Description: PFS Pro-Write
Command Line: ZIPRPRO PW
Working Directory: C:\ZIPRPRO
Windows .PIF Example:
OLD Program Filename: PW.COM
Window Title: PFS Pro-Write
Optional Parameters:
Start-up Directory: C:\PFS
NEW Program Filename: ZIPRPRO.EXE
Window Title: PFS Pro-Write
Optional Parameters: PW
Start-up Directory: C:\ZIPRPRO
Page 39
TAME may also be used in combination with ZIP'R Pro under Windows. If you
are a Tame user, use the ZIF Editor to specify the correct path for the
TAME directory on your hard drive, and create a custom ZPROTAME.BAT batch
file. This file invokes TAME-RES.COM prior to executing ZIP'R Pro. To
run the previous example program, the Windows command lines would be
changed as shown below:
Windows Program Item Properties Example (Invoking Tame):
OLD Description: PFS Pro-Write
Command Line: ZIPRPRO PW
Working Directory: C:\ZIPRPRO
NEW Description: PFS Pro-Write
Command Line: ZPROTAME ZIPRPRO PW
Working Directory: C:\ZIPRPRO
Windows .PIF Example (Invoking Tame):
OLD Program Filename: ZIPRPRO.EXE
Window Title: PFS Pro-Write
Optional Parameters: PW
Start-up Directory: C:\ZIPRPRO
NEW Program Filename: ZPROTAME.BAT
Window Title: PFS Pro-Write
Optional Parameters: ZIPRPRO PW
Start-up Directory: C:\ZIPRPRO
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ How Effective Is ZIP'R Pro? │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
ZIP'R Pro can save a typical computer user a substantial amount of hard
drive space. Most users have several programs on their hard drives that
are seldom used, but take up a tremendous amount of hard disk real-estate.
Rather than deleting these programs completely, ZIP'R Pro allows these
programs to be accessed when needed, storing them in a compressed form
when they are not in use. The amount of hard drive space saved depends
totally on the effectiveness of the compression program used by ZIP'R Pro.
As compression programs improve, so will the ratios that ZIP'R Pro is able
to achieve.
The compression programs used by ZIP'R Pro do not provide "on-the-fly"
data compression. As a result, there is a time delay during the
compression and decompression processes. However, ZIP'R Pro does not
require 50K of valuable memory, either. In addition, ZIP'R Pro does not
degrade the performance of the computer system as the "on-the-fly" data
compression programs do.
A performance comparison of the three compression programs currently
supported by ZIP'R Pro is shown in the following table. The test
directory consisted of 33 files, plus a sub-directory which contained an
additional 17 files.
Page 40
Test Directory Size Using Microsoft MS-DOS 5.0
OVERALL
COMPRESSION TYPE BYTES COMPRESSION COMPRESSION
------------------------------------------------------------------
Original Baseline 2,980,853 - -
MS-DOS 2,980,853 0% 0%
New Baseline 2,980,853 - 0%
Additional compression obtained using ZIP'R Pro:
No Compression (NONE) 2,980,853 0% 0%
PKZIP 1.1 Compression (ZIP) 1,536,688 48% 48%
PKZIP 2.0 Compression (ZIP) 1,401,026 53% 53%
LHA Compression (LHA) 1,428,393 52% 52%
ARJ Compression (ARJ) 1,406,625 53% 53%
Test Directory Size Using DR DOS 6.0 (with SuperStor)
OVERALL
COMPRESSION TYPE BYTES COMPRESSION COMPRESSION
------------------------------------------------------------------
Original Baseline 2,980,853 - -
DRDOS w/SuperStor 1,992,704 33% 33%
New Baseline 1,992,704 - 33%
Additional compression obtained using ZIP'R Pro:
No Compression (NONE) 1,992,704 0% 33%
PKZIP 1.1 Compression (ZIP) 1,551,360 22% 48%
PKZIP 2.0 Compression (ZIP) 1,408,512 29% 53%
LHA Compression (LHA) 1,444,864 27% 52%
ARJ Compression (ARJ) 1,423,872 29% 52%
You can see by this table that SuperStor was only achieving an overall
compression ratio of 33%. Using ZIP'R Pro with PKZIP 2.0 allowed an extra
20% savings on hard drive space!
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Cautions When Using ZIP'R Pro │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Do NOT attempt to use ZIP'R Pro to compress any directories containing
files that are referenced in your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT. If you wish
to compress the DOS sub-directory, copy any such files to the root
directory of the hard drive, and update the paths in your CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT. Also be cautious when compressing directories that contain
memory managers, caches, and utilities that may be needed to boot your
Page 41
machine. These directories may be compressed, but any files needed for
booting the machine must be copied to the root directory, and the
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT paths updated.
Keep in mind that in order to properly decompress a program, there must be
enough free space on the hard drive to contain all the extracted files in
addition to the original compressed file. After the files have been
successfully extracted, the compressed file is deleted. Likewise, when
compressing a program, sufficient space must be available for the original
program files and the newly created compressed file. After the compressed
file has been successfully created, the original program files are
deleted.
Multitaskers such as DESQview and Windows put additional stress on the
disk I/O systems of the computer. If you have any doubts about the
stability of your system, use the Test Integrity option in the .ZPD file
to force the compression program to verify the integrity of the archive.
When running on a network or under a multitasker, make sure that
"Network/Multitasker Execution" is set to "Yes" or "Auto", and "Use Atomic
Lock Files" is set to "Yes".
When upgrading to PKZIP 2.0, test the reliability of the compression and
decompression processes before trusting it with your data! PKZIP 2.0 has
some documented problems with fast machines (486/25 and up) using external
CPU memory caches. Read the troubleshooting section of the PKZIP 2.0
documentation for more information.
There is one circumstance where data loss is possible (or even likely).
Be very careful when setting or changing the time on your computer's
internal clock. If you are using the Update option (for PKZIP) on your
programs, setting the time back on your clock could cause PKZIP not to
update files that are newer, since the date and time may be older than the
date/time stamp stored in the .ZIP file. One of our users reported this
problem on his machine after resetting his computer date to 1-1-80.
Basically, if you set your date and/or time back for any reason, you are
in potential danger. Consider the situation carefully before making
changes!
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Troubleshooting / Common Problems: │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Problem #1:
The most common problem among ZIP'R Pro users is incorrect setup of the
.ZPD file being used. The following list gives some hints and tips for
filling in each field when editing a .ZPD file through the ZIF Editor.
Field Name Hints / Tips
ZIP'R Pro Filename
Make sure that this field contains only characters that can be used as
part of a filename. To find out which characters may or may not be used
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as part of a DOS filename, see your DOS reference manual.
Executable File
You must place the correct extension of the program to be executed on
the filename. If ZIP'R Pro issues an error message that it contain find
the program, make sure you have check the extension on this field.
Parameters
Since some programs require case sensitive passed parameters, the ZIF
Editor does not automatically convert this field to UPPER CASE. Enter
any parameters exactly as you would enter them after the program name,
if you were using a DOS command line.
Compressed Filename
Do not place an extension for the compressed file in this field. ZIP'R
Pro automatically adds the correct extension at run time. If the
compression program is PKZIP, the extension will be .ZIP. If the
compression program in ARJ, the extension will be .ARJ, and likewise, if
the compression program is LHA, the extension will be .LZH.
Maximum Users
Make sure that the maximum number of concurrent users does not exceed
256. ZIP'R Pro will only allow 256 users in one program at the same
time.
Compression Type
To decompress a previously compressed program without recompressing it,
you must select the compression program that was used for the program in
this field and then select the Query option. This will allow the
decompression of the program, along with the option of whether or not to
recompress it when the program is exited.
Test Integrity
Check this box ONLY if you want the compression program to perform an
integrity check on the archived files once they have been compressed.
Query Option
Check this field when you want ZIP'R Pro to prompt you before
compressing a program. This allows you to specify whether a program
should be compressed "on-the-fly".
Update Option
This option is only available for use when PKZIP or Internal ZIP
compression is selected as the Compression Type. If any other option is
selected, the Update Option field will be grayed and disabled.
Problem #2:
If you receive the error message, "Unable to run COMMAND /C ...", you are
probably running DR DOS, and do not have COMMAND.COM available on your
path. For some reason, DR DOS does not copy COMMAND.COM into the \DRDOS
sub-directory at installation time, making it unavailable on the path.
The solution here is simply to copy COMMAND.COM from the root directory
into the \DRDOS sub-directory. Another alternative is to add the root
directory to the PATH= statement in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
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ZIP'R Pro is able to detect if COMMAND.COM cannot be found, and therefore
issues a warning message.
Problem #3:
If ZIP'R Pro won't compress the program's files and sub-directories after
it is exited, check the .ZPD file. If the fields are all correct, check
the \ZIPRPRO sub-directory for files with any of the following extensions:
.U00 through .UFF .CSF .SXT
.P00 through .PFF .DSF .ZSF
.N00 through .NFF .SXF
These are token files created by ZIP'R Pro to track concurrent access to a
compressed file on networks and under multitaskers. Normally, these files
are deleted when the program is exited. However, if the computer hangs,
these files will not be deleted, and will prevent ZIP'R Pro from
compressing the program's files and sub-directories. The filename should
match the name of the compressed file specified in the .ZPD file. ZIP'R
Pro provides a quick and easy solution to the problem of leftover signal
files. Make sure that ZIP'R Pro is not being used on any active programs,
run the ZIF Editor by typing "ZIFPRO", and executing the Cleanup Files
option from the ZIP'R Pro Settings menu.
The Cleanup Files option is used to erase all signal files in the ZIP'R
Pro sub-directory. This option should be used with care to ensure that no
other processes are using ZIP'R Professional. (Erasing signal files that
are in use by other programs could cause "weird" behavior.)
The most common reason that any of these types of files would be left
behind is usually due to a computer hang. When the computer hangs,
control is not returned to ZIP'R Pro, so ZIP'R Pro cannot delete them as
part of the cleanup process. They can also be left behind due to a TSR
not be unloaded in the TSR (Post) Command process if it was loaded in the
TSR (Pre) Command process. As mentioned earlier, this can also cause
control to not be returned to ZIP'R Pro, in which case, these files would
not be deleted.
Problem #4
If ZIP'R Pro will not recognize your registration name and number and
continues to issue an "UNREGISTERED" message on the prelog screen, check
the file ZIPRPRO.INI. If you manually edited this file without using the
ZIF Editor, it is possible the text editor you were using allowed
additional spaces to be saved at the end of both the registration name and
number. To solve this problem, use the ZIF Editor to modify these
entries. The ZIF Editor makes sure that all extra spaces are trimmed
before saving these fields to the .ZPD file. If you cannot use the ZIF
Editor, use a text editor that allows you to view and trim any extra
spaces, or use a text editor that automatically trims extraneous spaces
from the end of a line.
Page 44
Problem #5
If you are having trouble getting ZIP'R Pro to run properly, there is a
special "/TEST" parameter that can aid you in diagnosing your problem.
When typing the command line to run ZIP'R Pro, instead of typing "ZIPRPRO
FILENAME", you can type "ZIPRPRO FILENAME /TEST". This extra parameter
will allow you to view several screens of parameters. These parameters
contain information that ZIP'R Pro is reading from the system, the
ZIPRPRO.INI file, and the individual .ZPD file. This can be used to find
out if ZIP'R Pro is reading the necessary files accurately. If you detect
a problem when using the /TEST parameter, please contact STSI at (218)
924-2050.
Note: The keys (CTRL + Break) can be used on the ZIP'R Pro prelog screen
to exit from ZIP'R Pro. Although this is not recommended, it will
enable users to stop execution in an emergency situation.
Problem #6
When using OS/2 Version 2.1 in combination with Novell NetWare, PKUNZIP
cannot re-create lower-level sub-directories when decompressing a program.
(This problem only appears in a global session.) If you are experiencing
these types of problems, disable sub-directory deletion on the Advanced
Options screen of the ZIF Editor, or use the Manual Sub-Directory Creation
Under OS/2 switch on the same screen.
Problem #7
Version 2.02 of ZIP'R Pro introduced the ability to handle "overwrite"
error messages generated by PKUNZIP.EXE or ARJ.EXE. When either of these
programs detected a file on the hard drive that already existed in the
compressed file, they issued an overwrite message, prompting the user
whether or not the file should be replaced with the one located in the
compressed file. Each of these programs then generated an exit code,
which (prior to version 2.02) caused ZIP'R Pro to cease the program
execution and terminate. Since these errors are non-fatal errors, ZIP'R
Pro (version 2.02 & higher) offers users the choice of whether to continue
with normal program execution or not.
Why is this necessary? The most common need for this feature is when
programs such as Central Point Anti-Virus or Microsoft Anti-Virus place
"CHKLIST.CPS" or "CHKLIST.MS" files in each directory when a virus scan is
executed on a user's computer. The first time this happens, the
compressor (PKZIP, for example) adds the leftover virus file into the
archive. After a virus scan is executed a second time, PKUNZIP detects
that a file by the same name exists in the program directory, generates an
exit code, and thus would cause ZIP'R Pro to terminate execution. (This
could prove to be frustrating, since a file by this name is placed in
EVERY scanned directory.) ZIP'R Pro (version 2.02 & higher) will detect
if an overwrite message occurs, and will display a message box, allowing
the user the option of whether to continue with the normal program
execution or not.
Keep in mind that if you choose NOT to overwrite one or more files during
Page 45
the decompression process, you will lose these files if you continue with
normal program execution. This is due to the fact that PKZIP will update
the compressed file with the files remaining in the subdirectory when the
compression process starts. By not overwriting files during the
decompression process, you are indicating that you do not need them any
longer. Make sure you understand this concept! Most of the time, users
will probably not be prompted to overwrite files. The most common cause
is the virus-scanner scenario mentioned above.
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Questions And Answers │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
Question #1: Can ZIP'R Pro leave a program uncompressed after it has
been previously compressed with ZIP'R Pro?
Answer: Yes! Simply use the "Query" option on the program.
Before ZIP'R Pro attempts to recompress the program, it
will ask you if you want to compress it. Answer "No" to
the prompt, and the program will remain uncompressed.
Another option is to use the Compress / Decompress Only
option, located on the Advanced ZIF Options screen. This
will quickly compress or decompress your program (based on
its current state), and exit without attempting to execute
or recompress the program.
Question #2: What networks / multitaskers does ZIP'R Pro recognize?
Answer: ZIP'R Pro currently recognizes/supports the following
operating systems / environments:
Windows
OS/2
DESQView / DESQview/X
Novell
LANtastic
10Net
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Comments From ZIP'R Users │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
The following list shows samples of some of the comments we have received
on ZIP'R / ZIP'R Pro:
"ZIP'R Pro (is) an archive automator that adds attractive menus, hotkeys,
and help screens. Best of all, you don't need to know a thing about batch
programming to use it."
- Computer Shopper
April 1994
Page 46
"Works as advertised. Seamless integration.... I think you have a superb
product."
- Toronto, Ontario
"ZIP'R is going to save you money, and more important hard disk storage
space. It will save you money AND headaches by not having to purchase a
disk compression program such as Stacker or SuperStor.... Support
shareware and give this program a try. I know you will use it, NO ONE
ever has enough hard disk space."
- Throughput (The S.W.I.P.C.C. Inc. Journal)
March 1993
"Really neat program."
- Dresden, Tennessee
"There is an excellent interface for setting up each program within
ZIP'R... Once a program has been set up, it's operation within ZIP'R is
transparent to the user. One advantage to those who can't afford the 40
to 50 K of RAM required by other compression programs is that ZIP'R only
requires 2.5K RAM when it has finished loading your program. When you
have become familiar with the program you will wonder how you ever managed
without it."
- read.me (The Personal Computer Club of Toronto)
October 1993
"...thanks for a great product."
- Edgewood, New Mexico
"It's (ZIP'R is) a program of professional quality, worth registering ...
It helps me to avoid Double Space..."
- The Netherlands
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
│ Programs Mentioned │
■─────────────────────────────────────────■
386MAX is copyrighted by Qualitas.
ARJ is copyrighted by Robert K Jung.
AutoMenu is copyrighted by Magee Enterprises.
BLAST FAX PC is copyrighted by U.S. Robotics, Inc.
DESQview is copyrighted by Quarterdeck Office Systems.
DoorWay is copyrighted by Marshall Dudley.
DR DOS is copyrighted by Digital Research Inc.
LANtastic is copyrighted by Artisoft, Inc.
LHA is copyrighted by Haruyasu Yoshizaki.
MS-DOS is copyrighted by Microsoft.
Novell is copyrighted by Novell.
OS/2 is copyrighted by IBM.
PKZIP is copyrighted by PKWARE, Inc.
PKUNZIP is copyrighted by PKWARE, Inc.
QEMM is copyrighted by Quarterdeck Office Systems.
Page 47
QuikMenu is copyrighted by OSCS Software Development, Inc.
Stacker is copyrighted by Stac Electronics, Inc.
SuperStor is copyrighted by AddStor, Inc.
Tame is copyrighted by PowerSoft, Inc. and David G. Thomas.
Windows is copyrighted by Microsoft.
ZIP'R is copyrighted by Stevenson Technical Services, Inc.
Page 48
Stevenson Technical Services, Inc. (STSI)
108 Second Avenue West
Bertha, MN 56437-0297
Phone/FAX: (218) 924-2050
The STSI BBS: (218) 924-2060, N,8,1
ZIP'R Pro 2.18 Registration Form
Qty Description Price Each Total
_____ ZIP'R Pro 2.18 Single-User Registration $49.95 ________
Includes Printed Manual, 3 1/2" & 5 1/4" Diskettes,
and A Registration Number.
_____ ZIP'R Pro 2.18 Network Registration (Users? ___) ______ ________
(Same price breaks apply for site-licensing.)
# of Users Price # of Users Price
---------- ------- ---------- -------
5 -> $150.00 50 -> $600.00
10 -> $300.00 100 -> $750.00
20 -> $450.00 More? -> CALL
Sub-Total: ________
Minnesota Residents Add 6.5% Sales Tax: ________
Shipping/Handling (USA/Canada = $5.00, Foreign = $10.00): ________
Upgrade Fee: ________
(From ZIP'R / ZIP'R Pro For Windows / ZIP'R Pro For DOS v1.x.)
(USA/Canada = $30.00, Foreign = $37.50 - No other fees apply.)
Total: ________
Name: ____________________________ Company: __________________________
Address: _________________________________________________________________
City: ___________________________ State: _____ Zip Code: ____________
Country: ___________________________ Phone: ______________________
Please Register ZIP'R Pro To This Name: __________________________________
Method of Payment: ___ Visa/MC ___ American Express ___ Discover
___ Check/Money Order Enclosed
(Checks/MO's must be in U.S. Funds drawn on a U.S. Bank!)
Credit Card #: _________________________________ Expiration Date: ___/___
Name on Card: _______________________ Signature: ________________________
Comments / Suggestions: __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Page 49
Please take a minute to answer the following questions. Your answers
will assist us in improving and marketing ZIP'R Pro. (Check all that
apply.)
Where did you hear about ZIP'R Pro?
[ ] BBS [ ] Catalog/Magazine [ ] Friend/Relative
[ ] Rack Vendor [ ] User's Group [ ] Other _______________
Please provide name of BBS/Catalog/Magazine/User's Group, (if possible)
______________________________________________________________________
What operating systems / environments do you use?
[ ] DOS [ ] Windows [ ] DESQview/DESQview/X [ ] OS/2
What do you use ZIP'R Pro for?
[ ] Business Applications [ ] Games [ ] Other _________________
What compression program(s) are you using?
[ ] ARJ [ ] LHA [ ] ZIP [ ] Internal ZIP Compression
Would you be interested in seeing ZIP'R Pro work on Windows-specific
programs?
[ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Doesn't Matter
Why are you registering ZIP'R Pro?
[ ] I'm honest by nature!
[ ] The prelog and nag delays are so annoying!
[ ] Other ______________________________________________________________
What feature(s) do you like the most about ZIP'R Pro? ___________________
__________________________________________________________________________
What feature(s) would you like to see added to ZIP'R Pro? _______________
__________________________________________________________________________
Additional Comments: ____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
May We Quote You? [ ] Yes [ ] No [ ] Doesn't Matter
Page 50