Computer Installation Guide - Dragon Clan Series

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Text File | 1995-12-03 | 18.1 KB | 483 lines

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ WWPACK is shareware. If you register you can get a free │ │ upgrade from a BBS or FTP site! │ │ See the bottom of this file for more info on registration. │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ WWPACK 3.03 a powerful executable file compressor for DOS Copyright (c) 1993-95 by Rafal Wierzbicki and Piotr Warezak 1 June 1995 Lodz, Poland All Rights Reserved We are happy to provide our e-mail addresses. Please feel free to inform us of any problems at the following addresses. Authors: awarezak@krysia.uni.lodz.pl American distributor: gjereza@crl.com German distributor: support@vgasoft.com The latest shareware version of WWPACK can always be found on: o ftp.elf.stuba.sk /pub/pc/pack SimTel mirrors /SimTel/msdos/execomp o The ClipBoard BBS (415) 293 0454 8N1 2400-28800bps 24 hours, San Francisco o WWPACK is FREQable (file requestable) from The ClipBoard BBS, FidoNet 1:125/454 The magic name is WWPACK. o VGA-Copy Headquarters BBS +49-441-972955 8N1 USRobotics V34 24 hours, Germany o WWPACK is file requestable from VGA-Copy Headquarters, FidoNet 2:2426/2240 The magic name is WWPACK. o ftp-mailserver: fileserv@vgasoft.com *** This program is shareware. It may be freely used for three weeks. But *** during this trial period no files packed with WWPACK may be distributed. *** If you are going to continue using this product or distribute any files *** compressed with WWPACK you must register and pay for a full version. *** The shareware version WWPACK can only be distributed or copied if all *** files are complete and intact, no changes have been made, and a charge *** of no more than $5.00 is made for distributing the program! *** WWPACK can be freely uploaded to any BBS, online system or something *** similar, and can be freely included on any CD-ROM. *** Warning: WWPACK is provided "as-is" without warranty of any kind! WHAT IS A WWPACK? WWPACK is a powerful EXE file compressor. This program compresses most DOS executable files. Compressed programs use less disk space because they are much smaller. All files run EXACTLY as before. REQUIREMENTS to run WWPACK. WWPACK works on any machine with 450Kb free DOS memory. Remember that the faster machine you use the less time you need to compress an EXE file. Requirements to run EXE files compressed with WWPACK. Every file compressed with WWPACK can run on any IBM compatible system: XT,AT,80286,80386,80486 and Pentium; on Intel and non-Intel. WWPACKed files can run on IBM compatible palmtop computers (eg. the Hewlett Packard HP95LX). DOS 2.0 or higher is required. WWPACK'S COMMANDS - to get a very short help type: WWPACK /? How do I compress an EXE file? Enter: WWPACK FILENAME.EXE When complete, the file will be smaller and work as before. The process can be interrupted by using the CTRL+Break keys. Can I pack a relocation table? Sure. Enter: WWPACK PR FILENAME.EXE TESTING EXE FILES. Command 'T' lets you to see if the file is already compressed by any executable file compressor. WWPACK recognizes files compressed by LZEXE, PKLITE and many many other compressors. Usage: WWPACK T FILENAME.EXE OPTIMIZING HEADERS. If you want to optimize a header of any EXE file you can write: WWPACK O FILENAME.EXE Sometimes the header can be a bit shorter but sometimes nothing may change. ADITTIONAL COMMANDS: 'PD' and 'UD'. WWPACK has two commands that you can use on any file you want: 'PD' and 'UD' (pack data and unpack data). Command 'PD' can pack file as a data. Example: WWPACK PD PROGRAM.DAT Command 'UD' can unpack any file packed with 'PD'. Example: WWPACK UD PROGRAM.DAT Remember that packed data file can't normally used so before you work with it you must first unpack it ('PD' and 'UD' options work similar to PKZIP 'a' and 'e' commands). CAN I USE WILDCARDS? Sure! Why not? WWPACK lets you to use '*' and '?' in every command. Examples: to compress all EXE files in the current directory just type: WWPACK P *.EXE to optimize headers of all EXE files type: WWPACK O *.EXE to pack all files (as data) enter this command: WWPACK PD *.* CAN I USE PATHS? Of course you can! Example: command WWPACK P C:\UTILITY\TEST.EXE compresses file TEST.EXE stored is C:\UTILITY directory. CONFIGURATION MENU. We wanted to make WWPACK easy to use. You don't have to remember any options because you can set everything in a special configuration menu. To configure the program enter: WWPACK C. Now use '1..5' keys to set some useful options. 1 - do you want WWPACK to make backup files? Select 'ON' and you will always get OLD and OLP files. 2 - choose 'ON' if you want to get more information about every file that is being compressed. 3 - please select 'ON' if you want to compress files with overlays or 'OFF' if you don't want to compress such a files. If you choose 'ASK' WWPACK will always ask you if the file should be compressed or not. 4 - select 'ON' if you want WWPACK to compress already compressed files. 5 - sometimes WWPACK is slow so choosing 'ON' is a good idea. When you set all options, press 'S' key to save them or 'ESC' to exit without saving. You may use the 'T' key to set the default configuration. BACKUP FILES. Not every EXE file can be compressed with WWPACK. That's why this program creates backups. In case of problems you can restore the original file. Remember: Original FILENAME.EXE file is always renamed to FILENAME.OLD file while compressing or optimizing, and to FILENAME.OLP when decompressing. HINT: If you forgot to make a backup while compressing an EXE file, try undeleting or unerasing it ! FILES THAT CAN'T BE PACKED. Some files can't be compressed with WWPACK. o programs that check the CRC of a file o files that store configuration data internally o drivers that can be loaded in a config.sys file o some files with overlays o Windows and OS/2 files o some COM files (COM file may not work after conversion to EXE format) Some files are automatically recognized by WWPACK. But sometimes it's impossible to predict if the file can be compressed. You just have to check every compressed EXE file ! CRC MODULE: "Be sure that the file isn't damaged" WWPACK uses special module that adds CRC code to EVERY compressed EXE file. This unique technology lets you to check if any WWPACKed file has been damaged or infected by a virus. To check files you may use WWVIR or CRC program. HINTS FOR PROGRAMMERS: o You may freely add CRC program to your commercial and noncommercial products. It's public domain! (However, you must have the enhanced version of WWPACK to distribute WWPACKed programs) o CRC module checks almost EVERY byte of compressed EXE file: from the beginning ('MZ' signature) to the very end. Warning: CRC module doesn't check overlays ! ERRORS AND OTHER MESSAGES. WWPACK is quite an intelligent program and sometimes it may show some kind of an error message. But don't worry. Just read the comment and you will find an explanation for the problem (WWPACK has almost 30 error messages!). From time to time you may see some question also (it depends on a configuration that you have chosen). Here is a list of important questions and messages that you may meet when working with WWPACK: Delete FILENAME file to make a new backup file [Y/n]? WWPACK must know if the old backup file can be deleted. Press 'Y' key to continue processing or 'N' to quit (and save an old backup). File not processed. You didn't let WWPACK process the file (for example you didn't let WWPACK delete an old backup file). Relocation table is already packed. You can't use 'PR' command because the relocation table is already packed. Please try the 'P' command to get a higher compression ratio. The file FILENAME has set attribute READ ONLY. Change file attribute [Y/n]? The file has set the READ ONLY attribute. To process it the attribute must be deleted. Press 'Y' key to continue packing or 'N' to stop WWPACK. The file contains Debug_Info. Do you want to remove it [Y/n]? The file contains some data that aren't required by a program. These data can be removed - the file will be much shorter. Press 'Y' if you want WWPACK to remove Debug_Info or 'N' to process the file without removing it. The file size stored in the header is bigger then the real file size. The processed file may not work properly. Continue [Y/n]? The file is probably damaged but you may want WWPACK to pack it. This message is rarely seen. Warning: the file contains an overlay XXX bytes. Continue [Y/n/r]? The file that you want to process contains an overlay. Press 'Y' to pack or optimize the file or 'N' if you don't want to process it. Press 'R' to process the file and remove an overlay. Warning: the file is already packed with .... Do you want to pack it [Y/n]? The file is already packed but WWPACK may try to pack it. Press 'Y' if you want WWPACK to process the file or 'N' to quit. Warning: there are some identical relocation entries. This message shows that the file may not work after compression because the relocation table contains incorrect data. Warning: this is COM file. Convert it to EXE format [Y/n]? The file you want to process is not an EXE. Press 'Y' if you want to convert it to EXE format or 'N' to quit. HOW DOES WWPACK WORK? First it compresses EXE file; then it adds a small extract code. When you load the packed file into memory, the computer first runs this extract code and then the unpacked program. It's simple, isn't it? HOW DOES WWPACK COMPARE TO THE OTHER COMPRESSORS? Read this short table and compare: (Note: All sizes are in bytes) qp.exe ncmain.exe ndd.exe total size Unpacked 86,842 212,393 383,874 683,109 TINYPROG 53,520 117,632 225,440 396,592 LZEXE 52,983 116,980 224,646 394,609 PKLITE 52,289 115,354 222,995 390,638 DIET 52,694 116,044 220,799 389,527 AVPACK 51,943 113,252 217,622 382,817 AINEXE 51,534 111,350 210,955 373,839 COMPACK 51,052 111,276 211,148 373,476 WWPACK 49,817 106,237 200,336 356,390 To make this comparison we used these popular shareware programs: AINEXE 2.1 by Transas Marine Ltd. AVPACK 1.20 by Andrei Volkov COMPACK 4.4 by W.J. Collis DIET 1.45 by Teddy Matsumoto LZEXE 0.91 by Fabrice Bellard PKLITE 1.50 by PKWARE TINYPROG 3.9 by Tranzoa, Co. and of course our WWPACK 3.03. List of files we used to compress: QP.EXE (Quattro pro 4.0), NCMAIN.EXE (Norton Commander 4.0), NDD.EXE (Norton Utility 8.0). Is WWPACK very powerful? Try it and find out! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: Why should I register WWPACK? There are many other freeware executable file compressors! A: Sure. But please compare the compression ratio. Please compare other functions. Is there another compressor as easy to use and yet so advanced? Does it give you a CRC module, a virus detector, a configuration menu, or ... ? Note that if you register WWPACK, you can easily upgrade from the ftp site or BBS where WWPACK is available. So if you register, you will essentially get the next version for free simply by downloading the newest version (IT'LL BE FREEWARE FOR YOU!). Q: Can I use WWPACK instead of PKZIP or RAR? A: No. With PKZIP or RAR you can pack all kinds of files but you can't normally use the packed programs. With WWPACK you can compress only EXE files, however, they will still run normally! So the best way is to use two compression programs: first use WWPACK on all EXE files and then RAR or PKZIP. Q: Does WWPACK work with Stacker and DoubleSpace? A: Sure. We have tested WWPACK with those programs and everything has worked correctly. What's more you will have more space on the stacked drive when you compress all your EXE files. Q: Is it possible to detect a virus in a compressed file? A: No. You can't check if there is a virus under the WWPACK's code. That's why everytime you compress some files you must be sure that they are virus free! Q: Can I run DOS compressed files under Windows? A: Sure. You can use Windows or DOS. Q: Why is the compression ratio of 'PR' so poor? A: It isn't poor. This command compresses only relocation tables. Q: What's the relocation table? A: It's a part of an EXE file. It contains special data that are needed to load and then execute program. Q: Why can't some overlaid files be compressed? A: Because when you compress such a file the overlay offset changes and the compressed program may not find an overlay. HINTS o If you want to compress the file that is already packed with EXEPACK you should first unpack it. Why? Because you will get a higher compression ratio. o Always make backups (especially when you compress files with overlays). Why? To make WWPACK much safer. o Allow WWPACK to remove Debug_Info. The file without Debug_Info can be up to 10% smaller. Here are some words about us (authors): We are nineteen. We are students of the University of Lodz. Piotr studies computers (first year). Rafal is a student of International Economical and Political Relations (first year also). We will improve our program because we like it and it gives us great satisfaction. That's why we are waiting for your suggestions. We would like to thank these people for their suggestions and beta-testing: Thank you! Peter Hubinsky (from Slovak Antivirus Center) George Jereza (author of SuperCModem! for ideas and suggestions) Piotr Kuciel (for everything he has done for us) Louis Puccio (for teaching us about USA market and pitching ideas) Ralph Roth (author of HackStop and many other useful utilities) Johnson Wu (for testing WWPACK with many many programs) Grzegorz Zgondek (for testing 'PU' HARD compression method) Romuald Zylla (for complete testing and constructive criticism) WWPACK'S CODE INFORMATION: written in Turbo Pascal, ver. 7.0 (source code: 3043 lines) assembler 8088 (1269 lines) utility package: written in Turbo Pascal 7.0 Software we used to create WWPACK: Borland Pascal 7.0, Turbo Assembler 2.01, Turbo Debugger 3.2 by Borland International DocGen, FileTime 0.1, FTC 2.1 by Piotr Warezak EatMem 1.1c by TifaWARE HackStop 1.02ß by Ralph Roth - ROSE RAR archiver 1.53 by Eugene Roshal REGISTERING WWPACK. Have you decided to register? That's very kind of you. Thanks! The more registrations we get the more improvements we will make to this program. Now please choose the version of WWPACK that you are interested in: Registered - cost is $29. This version includes the 'U' command which unpacks compressed EXE files and the 'PP' command used to protect programs with a password. Special offer for public domain and freeware authors: if you don't charge any money for your programs you can freely distribute them compressed with WWPACK registered version! Enhanced - cost is $49. This version contains an additional feature: a special 'PU' command that creates unextractable files; programs compressed with our 'PU' HARD compression method are unextractable by "intelligent" unpackers like CUP 1.2, UUP 1.4, UNP 4.10 and TRON 1.21. You must get this version if you want to sell any programs compressed with WWPACK! How about upgrades? FREE ! If you register our program today you will get WWPACK.REG file which is good for all future versions of WWPACK. All you have to do is download the current shareware version from a BBS or ftp site. OK. I want to register but what should I do? Just fill in the REGISTER.DOC (or REGISTER.GER) file and then send it to the one of the following addresses: American distributor: The ClipBoard BBS 159 Valdez Avenue San Francisco, CA 94112 German distributor: VGA-Software GmbH for Austria, Germany, Suisse D-26039 Germany European distributor: Piotr Warezak for Europe (except countries ul. Edukacyjna 31 mentioned above) 90-155 Lodz Poland We will send you the key file: WWPACK.REG which will activate the full version of WWPACK which features the 'U' (unpack) and 'PP' (pack with password) commands. All programs mentioned in this documentation are trademarks of their respective owners. They're used for identification purposes only. End of the WWPACK documentation file.