We at Aladdin Systems would like to thank you for using StuffIt Expander and for your continued support.
"Read Us First!" Folder
Once the software is installed, please refer to the files in the Read Us First! folder in your StuffIt Expander 5.5 Folder on your hard disk. This folder contains the following files:
Aladdin Order Form
Aladdin Product Overview
License Agreement
StuffIt Expander Read Me
What was installed (and where)
What is Freeware?
Freeware is copyrighted software which never costs anything to use. Like shareware, it may be given out to friends or posted on bulletin boards and online services. But, unlike shareware, you can use it and pay nothing! Please share this software with every Mac user you know, but PLEASE give away the installer only, not the individual files (i.e. StuffIt Expander).
Note: Commercial distribution of this software, or inclusion of this software in a commercial offering, is not permitted without prior permission from Aladdin Systems, Inc. Contact dev.sales@aladdinsys.com for commercial licensing information.
Register Your Software
To register your copy of StuffIt Expander 5.5, run the StuffIt Expander application, and choose “Software Registration...” from the “iSupport” menu. It will connect to the Aladdin Registration Web site and allow you to register via your Web browser. Registered users are entitled to technical support, upgrade notices, and special offers on Aladdin products.
After Installing, Rebuild Your Desktop
Now that you've installed StuffIt Expander 5.5, you should rebuild your desktop. This process will ensure that the new StuffIt icons are correctly displayed.
To rebuild your desktop, first select Restart from the Special menu. Hold down the option and command keys (the command key has an apple and/or clover symbol on it and is usually located next to the option key). Continue to hold down these two keys until you get a dialog asking whether you are sure you want to rebuild your desktop. Click OK. This process may take several minutes. When it is finished, you can launch and begin using StuffIt Expander 5.5.
What's New
• We've added support for Tar (.tar), Zip and UUcode to StuffIt Expander. Expander can access virtually any file found on the internet. The list of built-in file types supported by StuffIt expander is now:
- StuffIt (.sit, .sea)
Note: There are over 15 different varients of StuffIt (from 1.5.1 to 5.1), including encrypted variations, all are
supported by StuffIt Expander.
- Private File (.pf)
Aladdin's e-mail encryption product.
- Disk Images (.img, .smi)
Expander can mount images created by Shrinkwrap or Apple Disk Copy.
- BinHex (.hqx)
All versions.
- MacBinary (.bin)
All versions.
- TAR (.tar)
- UU (.uu, .uue)
The equivalent of .hqx on the PC.
- Zip/GZip (.zip, .gz, .tgz)
Zip is a popular Windows format. Expander supports encrypted Zip files as well.
• Although NOT required for accessing the most popular archive file types listed above, StuffIt Expander can also decompress/decode the following additional file types if the StuffIt Engine is present (The engine is available as part of the StuffIt Deluxe and DropStuff products, and is used by many 3rd party applications to add compression and decompression to their products. For more info visit our web site.)
- Arc (.arc)
- AppleLink Package (.pkg)
- Bzip (.bzip)
This is a common compression format found on most Unix systems.
- Compact Pro (.cpt)
- DiskDoubler (.dd)
- LHa (.lha, .lzh)
- MIME/Base 64 (.mime)
- Unix Compress (.z, .taz)
• For any file format that StuffIt Expander can't handle by itself, we will now look for any "helper" application on your hard disk to do the decoding of rare file formats. StuffIt Expander remains your one-stop shop for decompression.
• StuffIt Expander is tested to run on any Mac OS from System 7.1.1 through 9.0. Additionally, StuffIt Expander is available for Windows. To download, visit:
<http://www.aladdinsys.com/expander/index.html>
• Expander now uses memory even more efficiently than before. It's minimum memory requirement is only 384K, with 512 being preferred.
• Expander now has text encoding conversion built-in, so it doesn't require ANY extensions or external files.
• StuffIt Expander is now smaller than before, making it easier and faster to download.
Description
StuffIt Expander is designed to be the simplest, most efficient way to expand compressed and/or encoded files that you may have received from the Internet, an online information service, bulletin board system, over a network, or from a co-worker. StuffIt Expander handles the most common compression and encoding formats: StuffIt and Zip archives (.sit, .sea, and .zip) , BinHex (.hqx) , MacBinary (.bin), and UUencode (.uu). ShrinkWrap disk image files and Private File security-encrypted (.pf) files are also accessible via StuffIt Expander.
StuffIt Expander expands files which have been encoded into BinHex 4.0 (.hqx) format, such as those commonly found on the Internet. Multipart BinHex files, such as those appearing in Internet newsgroup postings (e.g. comp.binaries.mac), are fully supported. StuffIt Expander will also ignore any additional (email) headers that may be present in BinHex files. An example of when you would use this feature is when you download a Macintosh file to your PC and move the file to your Macintosh.
StuffIt Expander will also expand files which have been encoded into MacBinary (.bin) format (including the new MacBinary III standard ). This encoding method is commonly used by online services that are not Internet based. Be aware that MacBinary files may not have the .bin extension as part of the file name, but don't worry because StuffIt Expander can handle these files.
StuffIt Expander will expand files which have been compressed into ZIP (.zip) as well as encoded into UUcode (.uu) formats. This encoding method is commonly used by IBM/PC compatible online services (file name.zip.uu). The Macintosh community is most familiar with (file name.sit.hqx) while the PC community is most familiar with (file name.zip.uu). StuffIt Expander now allows free access to the most commonly used file formats on both platforms.
StuffIt Expander also supports the Internet control panel (Mac OS 8.5 and later) and Internet Config users. The Internet control panel and Internet Config maintain a list of helper applications to use for processing files after downloading from the Internet. By choosing “Preferences...” from the “Edit” menu of StuffIt Expander, users can now access the “Internet File Mapping” preferences and set all available file types to StuffIt Expander. This allows all file types downloaded from the Internet to be expanded by StuffIt Expander, saving you time and clearing up the confusion from a “What application would you like to use to access this file:” dialog.
You can also configure StuffIt Expander to perform periodic checks on the contents of a specified folder (called a “Watch Folder”), and to expand any new files that it finds. In this way you can set StuffIt Expander to expand groups of files in the background while others are being downloaded.
If you have also installed StuffIt Deluxe or DropStuff (separate products) you will then be able to use StuffIt Expander to expand virtually any file you find on the Internet. These include: Compact pro files (.cpt), encrypted ZIP, ARC (.arc), gzip (.gz), Unix Compress (.Z), MIME/Base64, LHA (.lha), Bzip (.bzip) and DiskDoubler (.dd) files. You will also be able to expand files which were compressed with StuffIt SpaceSaver and join files that were segmented with another StuffIt product. StuffIt Expander cannot expand segmented ZIP files.
About Archives
An archive is a single file which acts like a container, holding one or more files or folders. Usually the files in an archive are compressed, so they take up less room on a diskette or hard drive, and take less time to transmit over networks and modems. Unless the archive is “self-extracting” (.sea), you need a separate utility to access the files in an archive. StuffIt Expander lets you decompress the contents of archives. All archives created by any version of StuffIt are supported, including files created with other members of the StuffIt family, including StuffIt Deluxe, StuffIt Lite, or DropStuff.
Using StuffIt Expander
Under System 7.1.1 or higher, including Mac OS 9, your files can be expanded by dragging their icons onto the StuffIt Expander icon. You may also drag a folder or disk icon over StuffIt Expander, and it will expand any compressed or encoded files within the folder or disk.
1. In the Finder, select one or more icons that you want expanded.
2. Drag them onto the StuffIt Expander icon until it is highlighted.
3. Let go of the mouse button.
StuffIt Expander will open and you’ll see a progress dialog. Each archive gets expanded into a new folder, located in the same folder as the archive.
When everything is expanded, StuffIt Expander automatically quits.
Setting up a “Watch Folder”
1. Double click the StuffIt Expander icon.
2. Choose “Preferences...” from the File menu.
3. Select the “Watch Folder” icon from the list on the left.
4. Check the “Check for files to expand in” checkbox to enable the feature.
5. Select the folder you want watched.
6. Type the number of minutes you want StuffIt Expander to wait before checking the Watch Folder again.
7. Click “OK.”
8. Leave StuffIt Expander running, and do other things (such as downloading new files).
Special Topics for StuffIt Expander
Shortcuts
If you hold down the Option key when dropping files on the icon, or when choosing Expand from the File menu, you can choose preferences which will apply only that one time to file expansion, after which StuffIt Expander will go back to using your previously set preferences.
If you hold down the Command key when choosing “Expand...” from the File menu, you will be able to select a folder (or entire disk) to expand, instead of a single file. Normally, you would just drop a folder or disk onto StuffIt Expander to accomplish this.
If you hold down the Shift key when choosing expand from the File menu, and a Watch Folder has been defined, the Watch Folder is scanned for new files to expand.
Scripting
AppleScript can be used to control StuffIt Expander from other applications. For example, with HyperCard use the “open <document> using “StuffIt Expander”” command. With Frontier, use a “required.OpenDocument(‘SITx’, document)”.
Users of AppleScript and Frontier have more sophisticated control over StuffIt Expander via the “Expand” event. Use the AppleScript Script Editor’s “Open Dictionary” command, and "open" StuffIt Expander to view the information on the Expand event.
Caveats
StuffIt Expander will not expand StuffIt archives created using 2.0 Optimizers. You will need either the StuffIt Deluxe or the StuffIt Lite application, and the 2.0 optimizer used to compress the archive.
Known Issues
When DropStuff is installed, StuffIt Expander’s joining feature may not work as you would expect under certain circumstances. Specifically, if the “Delete segments after joining” preference is selected, and you run out of disk space during a join operation, the first segment will be deleted even though the joining is not complete. The easy way to avoid this is to make sure you have enough disk space before performing a join, or alternatively deselecting the “Delete segments after joining” preference.
If StuffIt Expander does not highlight when you drag a file onto it, try rebuilding your desktop by restarting your computer while holding down the Option and Command keys until you see a dialog asking if you wish to rebuild the Desktop database appears. Click “OK” when asked if you want to rebuild your desktop.
StuffIt Expander will not expand StuffIt archives created using StuffIt 2.0 Optimizers.
Visit our web site for the latest FAQs!
We hope that you won’t have any problems with StuffIt Expander, but if you do, you can contact Aladdin Systems. We have a consistently updated set of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) about every Aladdin product on our Web page. Bookmark this page:
<http://www.aladdinsys.com/faqs/prodfaqs.html>
Aladdin Expander™ (Windows)
For those of you using Windows machines as well, Aladdin Expander 5.0 for Windows expands files from the most popular archiving and compression formats found online, including StuffIt (.sit) and ZIP (.zip). Aladdin Expander will also expand files in uuencoded (.uue), BinHex (.hqx), and MacBinary (.bin) formats, such as those commonly found on the Internet. Other archive formats supported include ARC (.arc), Arj (.arj), and gzip (.gz). Aladdin Expander will also expand self-extracting archives created by StuffIt, ZIP, and Arj. Expander 5.0 is the only Windows decompression tool that can expand StuffIt-compressed files, the standard compression utility on the Macintosh. So, if you encounter a file in the .sit format, with Expander 5.0 you can access it! You can download Aladdin Expander for Windows FREE at:
<http://www.aladdinsys.com/expander/index.html>
DropStuff™ (Windows)
Aladdin Systems just made it easier to send and receive files over the Internet! Whether you're communicating with other Windows users or Mac users, the new shareware, Aladdin DropStuff 5.0 for Windows, is a cross-platform communication breakthrough. Aladdin DropStuff is the only Windows software that lets you create either .zip or .sit compressed files. Aladdin Expander gives you total access to virtually any file format you may find on the Web. The power of these two programs is all you need for communication and access on the Internet. If you don't already have Aladdin Expander 5.0 — we recommend you download it.
How to Contact Us
If you would like information about our other award-winning products (like Spring Cleaning™, Aladdin FlashBack™, MacTicker™, Private File™, Aladdin Desktop Magician™, DragStrip®, ShrinkWrap™, Sundial, or InstallerMaker™), just ask us. For the quickest way to learn more about Aladdin's products, visit our Web site listed below.
MAIL:
Aladdin Systems, Inc.
165 Westridge Drive
Watsonville, CA 95076
USA
PHONE: (831) 761-6200
FAX: (831) 761-6206
INTERNET: http://www.aladdinsys.com
http://www.aladdinsys.com/support (Web based Technical Support)
Technical Support is available by several different methods. We encourage our customers to take advantage of our Web Based Support. You can receive this support instantly 24 hours a day by using the "iSupport" Menu in any StuffIt application and choosing "Product Support..." or by going to:
http:// www.aladdinsys.com/support
The majority of customers with technical questions find their issues are resolved most quickly by using this method. It offers a fully searchable knowledge base of solutions.
Technical Support is also available by phone, fax, or mail at the above contact.
ELECTRONIC MAIL: sales@aladdinsys.com (Customer Service & Sales)
Special Note to Developers, Product Managers, and Network Administrators
This installer was created using StuffIt InstallerMaker™. StuffIt InstallerMaker provides many advanced features while being very easy to use. To try StuffIt InstallerMaker for free, download it from our web site: www.aladdinsys.com/developers/installermaker/index.html. By using InstallerMaker for this installer, we not only saved media space and download time due to Aladdin's advanced compression technology, but also provided our users a way to easily customize installation. If you are interested in making installation easier for your users while saving distribution costs, contact our licensing department at:
StuffIt, StuffIt Deluxe, StuffIt Engine, StuffIt SpaceSaver, StuffIt InstallerMaker, Private File, Aladdin FlashBack, CyberFinder, Aladdin Desktop Magician, DragStrip, MacTicker, Sundial, Spring Cleaning, ShrinkWrap, the StuffIt clamp, and the Aladdin Logo are trademarks of Aladdin Systems, Inc. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Now our lawyers are happy.
