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ARCTOOL Version 7.8F Copyright (c) 1993 GDSOFT MAJOR FEATURES OF ARCTOOL ------------------------- ... Graphical Interface !! ... Handles ALL versions of PKZIP INCLUDING any PKZ204. ... NEW ASSOCIATE feature allows you to assoicate any program with any file extension. ... NEW View ANSI files from file viewer. ... Allows CUSTOM VIEWER of YOUR choice as an option. ... ARCTOOL now unpacks archives found in other archives. You can go up to 4 LEVELS deep. ... Copy, Rename or Delete Archives from within ARCTOOL. ... NEW !!! Convert archives from one format to another. ... Virus SCAN option using your favorite virus control program. ... Directory pruning and creation inside ARCTOOL. Now UNLIMITED !! New "ZAP" feature deletes ENTIRE directory in an INSTANT !! ... Recognition of MORE SFX headers in 'COM' and 'EXE' files and ODD named ZIP files such as 'QWK' files. ... Use Of Configuration file for archive paths. Makes startup FAST !! ... Command line switches /N ( Do NOT use configuration file ) /S ( create configuration file from archive paths ) AND NEW !! /D ( read files ONLY in the current directory. ). ... UNLIMITED (only by available memory) number of archives. Previous versions limited the user to 250 archives. ... Bug fixes for GOOFY machine BIOS (PS2, Zenith, Tandy) !! ... Network, NetBIOS, DeskView and WINDOWS COMPATIBLE !!! ... FASTER, Tighter code. ... NO CHANGE to the 'LOOK' and 'FEEL' so previous users won't be freaked out. This is one of MY PET PEEVES when programmers update their software. "I just got used to it, and they changed the whole darn thing" GETTING STARTED --------------- ARCTOOL is a shell to the many of the most popular archive (compression) programs available. ARCTOOL will support files compressed with PKZIP, ARC (SEA), PKARC, LHARC, LHA, LHS, ARJ, ZOO, SQUEEZE, and PAK (Nogate). ARCTOOL can support SFX files made with PAK, ARC, LHARC, and PKZIP. These files are self-extracting, and have file extensions of 'COM' or 'EXE'. ARCTOOL will try to determine if a file is an SFX file and include it for your review if it is. QUICK START ----------- Since ARCTOOL is a shell, you obviously must have a version of the de-arcing software that you want to use somewhere on the same drive as ARCTOOL. You may need to tell ARCTOOL where to find these external programs. There are TWO ways to do it. ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #2 ========================================================================= 1. Create a TEXT file ( use any editor ) in the same directory as ARCTOOL. Name it AT.CFG and add the following lines : ARC=c:\WHATEVER\ARC.EXE PAK=c:\SOMEPATH\PAK.EXE ZIP=c:\UTILITY\PKUNZIP.EXE LBR=c:\ARCHIVES\LUE.COM ZOO=d:\UTILITY\ZOO.EXE LZH=e:\ANYPATH\LHA.EXE ARJ=c:\UTILITY\ARJ.EXE PKA=d:\PKWARE\PKXARC.EXE Change the paths to the EXACT location for each of these programs that you will use with ARCTOOL. You DO NOT have to use all of these formats. Just omit the one's that you DO NOT use. 2. Use the "Opts" function after running ARCTOOL, and select ARCHIVER LOCATIONS. This is explained in detail later on. ARCTOOL is executed for the DOS command line by entering AT. First, the program will search your entire disk for files ending in the extension 'ARC','PAK','LZH','LBR','ZOO','ARJ','ZIP' and 'COM' and 'EXE' (SFX files). ARCTOOL has TWO main windows that are referred to in the rest of this document as the MAIN window or screen, and the ARCHIVE window. THE MAIN SCREEN --------------- ┌────────────────────────── ARCTOOL 7.8E ────────────────────────┐ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Files : 24 Volume : GDSOFT2 │ │ │ │ Space Used : 3951905 Memory : 310928 │ │ │ │ Free Space : 87719936 Need : 0 │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ AR702 ZIP D:\ZIP\ 19043 10/27/91 01:17Pm │ │ │ │ BILLING ZIP D:\BILLING\ 96617 08/29/91 10:31Am │ │ │ │ BONUS ZIP D:\TURBO\ARCS\ 105465 09/24/91 11:20Pm │ │ │ │ BONUS2 ZIP D:\TURBO\ARCS\ 220388 10/18/91 12:05Pm │ │ │ │ DP4PRT LZH D:\ZIP\ 32838 10/30/91 08:58Am │ │ │ │ DS ZIP D:\DS\ 125966 08/27/91 01:29Am │ │ │ │ FM ZIP D:\FILEMAIN\ 652777 08/29/91 10:50Am │ │ │ │ FV138 ZIP D:\ZIP\ 9068 09/23/91 07:53Am │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐ │ │ │ -Up ││ -Dn ││ PgUp ││ PgDn ││ Home ││ End │ │ │ └────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└────────┘ │ │ ┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌─────────┐ │ │ │ Copy ││ Del ││ Rename ││ Sort ││ Opts ││ ┘-View │ │ │ └────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└─────────┘ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #3 ========================================================================= SETTING ARCHIVER LOCATIONS -------------------------- If you haven't used method #1 above to tell ARCTOOL where to find the external archivers that you want to use, you need to do so NOW. Press 'O' and you will see the MENU : ┌───── ARCTOOL Options ─────┐ │ ┌───────────────────────┐ │ │ │ About │ │ │ │ AssOciate Files │ │ │ │ Archiver Locations │ │ │ │ Check SFX - OFF │ │ │ │ Spacebar Tag - ON │ │ │ │ Add Custom Viewer │ │ │ │ Save AT Config File │ │ │ │ Colors │ │ │ └───────────────────────┘ │ └───────────────────────────┘ Select ARCHIVER LOCATIONS ('L'). The Archiver setup screen looks like this : ┌───────────────────── ARCHIVE Setup ─────────────────────┐ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ UNARC Program : D:\UTILITY\ARC.EXE │ │ │ │ UNPAK Program : D:\UTILITY\PAK.EXE │ │ │ │ UNZIP Program : D:\UTILITY\PKUNZIP.EXE │ │ │ │ UNLBR Program : D:\UTILITY\LUE.COM │ │ │ │ UNZOO Program : D:\UTILITY\ZOO.EXE │ │ │ │ UNLZH Program : D:\UTILITY\LHA.EXE │ │ │ │ UNARJ Program : D:\UTILITY\ARJ.EXE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─────── ,-Up/Down ┘-Select Esc-Exit ───────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Enter the name of the program to use for each extension (i.e. PKXARC.EXE), and if it is on the disk, ARCTOOL will find it. Of course, you can enter the full path along with the filename (i.e. C:\UTILITY\PKXARC.EXE). Next you will be asked to select a decompression format. The different programs available have different command line switches that must be used. The selection window looks like this : ┌───────────── Select An Archive Format ────────────┐ │SEA : ARC {xepv}[ow] <ARCHIVE> [filename] │ │PKWARE : PK[xarc,unpak] {epc}[r] <ARCHIVE> [filen │ │PKWARE : PKUNZIP {epc} [o] <ARCHIVE> [filename] │ │NOGATE : PAK {ep}[wa] <ARCHIVE> [filename] │ │V.BUERG : LUE <ARCHIVE> [filename] │ │R.DHESI : ZOO {ep}[o] <ARCHIVE> [filename] │ │YOSHI : LHA[rc] {xepv}[n] <ARCHIVE> [filename] │ │R.JUNG : ARJ {xepv}[o] <ARCHIVE> [filename] │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #4 ========================================================================= Select the appropriate format, and press 'RETURN'. You will then be asked if you want to OVERWRITE existing files on extraction. Answer 'Y' or 'N'. Proceed with this process until you have entered a program name for each file extension. If you do not want to use a particular format, leave the slot blank. ARCTOOL will fill in NOT USED in the slot for you. ┌───────────────────── ARCHIVE Setup ─────────────────────┐ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ UNARC Program : D:\UTILITY\ARC.EXE │ │ │ │ UNPAK Program : D:\UTILITY\PAK.EXE │ │ │ │ UNZIP Program : D:\UTILITY\PKUNZIP.EXE │ │ │ │ UNLBR Program : D:\UTILITY\LUE.COM │ │ │ │ UNZOO Program : D:\UTILITY\ZOO.EXE │ │ │ │ UNLZH Program : D:\UTILITY\LHA.EXE │ │ │ │ UNARJ Program : D:\UTILITY\ARJ.EXE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─────── ,-Up/Down ┘-Select Esc-Exit ───────┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Overwrite Files ?? (Y/N) Y │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Press ESCAPE when you have finished this process. All of your choices will be written out to disk, and may be changed again at anytime. From the main window, you can again press '[O][L]' OR from the archive window, you can use [ALT][S]. OTHER OPTIONS ------------- FILE ASSOCIATION FEATURE [O][O] ------------------------------- If you have used "WINDOWS", then you may already be familiar with the concept of FILE associations. Actually, it's pretty simple, whenever the <ENTER> key is presssed on a highlighted file, ARCTOOL will execute some program that you associate with that files extension. To use this feature, go to the SETUP menu, and press the "O" key. Enter the extension of the file type, and a program that you want to execute when this file extension is encountered. If the file can be found in your path, then it will be displayed. You can enter up to 10 extensions and filenames. Press F1 when you are finished to save your information. From then on, whenever you press <ENTER> on one of the selected file extensions, your program file will be executed for that file. This is really nice for viewing PCX, LOTUS, WORDPERFECT or other files that ARCTOOL will not handle internally. Of course, you need a "viewer" program such as "PCTOOLS VIEW.EXE". ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #5 ========================================================================= TURNING SFX LOOKUP OFF [O][X] ----------------------------- ARCTOOL by default looks at EVERY 'EXE' and 'COM' file to determine if the file is an 'SFX' format file. If you have a directory with a LOT of these files, this can take a while, sometimes, A LONG WHILE !!. Especially on floppy disks, this can seem to take FOREVER !!!. You can turn this feature off selection of this option on the OPTIONS menu or by using the 'ALT O' switch once inside of ARCTOOL. You will be given a message that the SFX feature is now ON (or OFF) depending on the previous state. Since this feature is a toggle, you will be changing it to the OPPOSITE of what it now is. If it seems that ARCTOOL is slow on directories that have a LOT of COM and EXE files, try pressing ALT O and see if this speeds things up. You WILL however LOSE the ability to identify SFX "COM" and "EXE' files. Optionally, you may switch the SFX lookup from the CONFIGURATION file. To do this, simple place a statment at the TOP of the file like this : SFX=OFF or SFX=ON. From that point on, SFX lookup will be on/off. This is handy if you have some directories that you want SFX on and others that you want it off. Simply place SFX=ON BEFORE the directories that you want SFX lookup, and SFX=OFF BEFORE the ones that you do not. This method of turning SFX on or off will NOT be written to the EXE file. SPACEBAR TAG [O][T] ------------------- This options determines how ARCTOOL will handle tagging files with the SPACEBAR. Once you open an archive for extraction or whatever, you may want to TAG only certain files. You can use the 'T' (TAG) or 'U' (UNTAG) keys for this purpose. By default, the SPACEBAR will also tag files and move to the NEXT file down. This option allows you to determine if ARCTOOL will TAG files when the spacebar is press or not. CUSTOM VIEWER [O][V] -------------------- ARCTOOL has a built-in file viewer that is VERY fast. The caveat is that it will ONLY view text files. Many people like the program LIST.COM or SEE.COM and some like the fancy viewers like PCTOOLS VIEW.EXE. This option allows the installation of an ALTERNATE viewer of your choice. Enter the program name including the full path. If you choose to do this, ALL views for ALL file extensions (UNLESS YOU HAVE ASSOCIATED THAT EXTENSION WITH SOME OTHER PROGRAM) will be directed to your view program, and the internal viewer will be disabled. ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #6 ========================================================================= SAVE ARCTOOL CONFIGURATION FILE [O][F] ( ALSO see COMMAND LINE SWITCHES) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This option SAVES the current directories containing archives to the ARCTOOL configuration file and allows you to EDIT the choices. As indicated earlier, you can MANUALLY create this configuration file which MUST be named 'AT.CFG'. It can contain the pathnames where you want 'ARCTOOL' to search for archives. If ARCTOOL can find this file, by default, it WILL NOT search EVERY drive on your disk for the presence of archives. This can make the startup process VERY fast if you are only placing archives in one or two directories but have a LOT of paths on your hard drive. Additionally, you can tell ARCTOOL where to find the appropiate archive programs that you will use. The configuration file must be an ASCII text file, and can be created with any text editor. Items must be ONE PER LINE, and can be any path on your disk. Blank lines are ignored. EXAMPLE : C:\ SFX=ON D:\ARCHIVES\SFX=OFF \ZIPFILES\ Z:\PAHTNAME\SFX=ON You can include ANY path on any physical drive, as long as the physical drive exists. Notice the SFX=ON,OFF. This tells ARCTOOL to turn the search for SFX files ON or OFF for this directory. It can be on the same line as the file path as shown in the example, or on a seperate line. If you choose to use the OPTION menu choice to save the configuration, then you will be presented with a list of current files ALREADY tagged for saving. You can ('U') Untag the ones you don't want and use F4 to turn SFX=ON or F5 to turn SFX=OFF. When you have the list correct, you MUST press F10 to save the file. ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #7 ========================================================================= COLORS [O][C] ------------- ARCTOOL allows you set the colors to anything you desire. This function is pretty intuitive, so play around until you get the screen to look like you want it to. You can return to the DEFAULT colors by pressing [ALT][R] when in the color setup. You can also access the color setup from the main screen by pressing the SCROLL LOCK. NOW, back to main screen filled with archive files. ┌────────────────────────── ARCTOOL 7.8E ────────────────────────┐ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Files : 24 Volume : GDSOFT2 │ │ │ │ Space Used : 3951905 Memory : 310928 │ │ │ │ Free Space : 87719936 Need : 0 │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ AR702 ZIP D:\ZIP\ 19043 10/27/91 01:17Pm │ │ │ │ BILLING ZIP D:\BILLING\ 96617 08/29/91 10:31Am │ │ │ │ BONUS ZIP D:\TURBO\ARCS\ 105465 09/24/91 11:20Pm │ │ │ │ BONUS2 ZIP D:\TURBO\ARCS\ 220388 10/18/91 12:05Pm │ │ │ │ DP4PRT LZH D:\ZIP\ 32838 10/30/91 08:58Am │ │ │ │ DS ZIP D:\DS\ 125966 08/27/91 01:29Am │ │ │ │ FM ZIP D:\FILEMAIN\ 652777 08/29/91 10:50Am │ │ │ │ FV138 ZIP D:\ZIP\ 9068 09/23/91 07:53Am │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐ │ │ │ -Up ││ -Dn ││ PgUp ││ PgDn ││ Home ││ End │ │ │ └────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└────────┘ │ │ ┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌────────┐┌─────────┐ │ │ │ Copy ││ Del ││ Rename ││ Sort ││ SeTup ││ ┘-View │ │ │ └────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└────────┘└─────────┘ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Simply use the cursor keys to select one of the archives. Press <ENTER> and the archive contents will be displayed. You can also use SHIFT and the first letter of any archive name, and ARCTOOL will jump to that file if one exists. ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #8 ========================================================================= THE BASIC ARCHIVE COMMAND WINDOW -------------------------------- After selecting an archive, its contents will be read, and all of its files will be presented. The command window at the bottom of the screen displays all of the features of ARCTOOL. ┌────────────── Archive : D:\TURBO\ARCS\BONUS2.ZIP ──────────────┐ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Files : 9 OutPath : D:\TURBO\ARCS │ │ │ │ Byte Total : 236338 Memory : 306008 │ │ │ │ Free Space : 87719936 Need : 0 │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ BROWSE EXE LZCrunch 39008 12/05/90 05:54Am │ │ │ │ CASE EXE Stored 9124 10/18/91 12:04Pm │ │ │ │ ER EXE Stored 32045 10/18/91 12:04Pm │ │ │ │ FIND EXE Stored 20841 10/18/91 12:05Pm │ │ │ │ LAB EXE Stored 18682 10/18/91 12:03Pm │ │ │ │ TR EXE Stored 31544 10/18/91 12:04Pm │ │ │ │ VF EXE Stored 23785 10/18/91 12:04Pm │ │ │ │ ZAPDIR EXE Stored 22662 10/18/91 12:04Pm │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ┌──────────┐┌──────────┐┌──────────┐┌──────────┐┌──────────┐ │ │ │ Extract ││ Delete ││ Print ││ View ││ Find │ │ │ └──────────┘└──────────┘└──────────┘└──────────┘└──────────┘ │ │ ┌──────────┐┌──────────┐┌──────────┐┌──────────┐┌──────────┐ │ │ │ Convert ││ Sort ││ Tag ││ UnTag ││ Alt-More │ │ │ └──────────┘└──────────┘└──────────┘└──────────┘└──────────┘ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The files listed can now be treated like ANY other files on your disk. Again, use the cursor keys to traverse the list of files. The 'D' key allows files within the archive to be deleted, so be careful, you'll only get one chance. Files can be Tagged (T) or UnTagged (U). Also, by default, the SPACEBAR will TAG the file and move down to the NEXT file. To disable SPACEBAR TAG, use the OPTIONS menu. Files can be Extracted (E) singularly, or in groups to any Outpath (L). Files can also be Viewed (V) on the CRT or Printed (P) on the printer. Files can be SORTED (S) in any order, and ARCTOOL will save the sort switch for future invocations of ARCTOOL. The FIND (F) function will search the current disk for any file with the same name as the highlighted file. ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #9 ========================================================================= MULTIPLE LEVEL ARCHIVE EXTRACTION --------------------------------- ARCTOOL provides the means to look at files in archives even if the archive in question is in another archive. For example, let's say the you have an archive called FOUR.ZIP which contains the file THREE.ZIP. Inside THREE.ZIP is the file TWO.ZIP and so on. Press the VIEW key, on the first archive, and it will open up the next one. You will notice that the screen shifts right 2 columns with each level that you go to. You can do this up to 4 levels. Use the ALT key to see the alternate commands available : ┌────────────── Archive : D:\TURBO\ARCS\BONUS2.ZIP ──────────────┐ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Files : 9 OutPath : D:\TURBO\ARCS │ │ │ │ Byte Total : 236338 Memory : 306008 │ │ │ │ Free Space : 87719936 Need : 0 │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ BROWSE EXE LZCrunch 39008 12/05/90 05:54Am │ │ │ │ CASE EXE Stored 9124 10/18/91 12:04Pm │ │ │ │ ER EXE Stored 32045 10/18/91 12:04Pm │ │ │ │ FIND EXE Stored 20841 10/18/91 12:05Pm │ │ │ │ LAB EXE Stored 18682 10/18/91 12:03Pm │ │ │ │ TR EXE Stored 31544 10/18/91 12:04Pm │ │ │ │ VF EXE Stored 23785 10/18/91 12:04Pm │ │ │ │ ZAPDIR EXE Stored 22662 10/18/91 12:04Pm │ │ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ │ │ │ VirusScan │ │ TagExtract │ │ TagDelete │ │ LogDrive │ │ │ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ │ │ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ │ │ │ TagAll │ │ UnTagAll │ │ Dirs │ │ Setup │ │ │ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ The 'ALT T' key tags all of the files in the archive, and the 'ALT U' key untags all tagged files. Files can also be tagged with the SPACEBAR unless SPACEBAR TAG is OFF ( See OPTIONS on MAIN screen). ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #10 ========================================================================= SETUP COMMAND (ALT S) See the description of the ARCHIVER LOCATIONS above. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIRUSCAN COMMAND ---------------- This works in conjunction with your favorite virus scan program. I use SCAN.EXE by McAfee ( THE BEST SHAREWARE scanner there is !!. Please Register !!), which can be found on any bulletin board. The files will be unpacked to a temporary directory and you will be asked for the scan program. Include any command line switches that you might need. The files will be scanned and viruses, if any, will be reported. DIR COMMAND ----------- This command will display a tree of all of the directories on the current drive. Directories can be added or DELETED, (BE CAREFUL .. ALL FILES INCLUDING SUBDIRS WILL BE DELETED TOO !!!) The path selected will become the new OUTPATH for the archives that you might extract. CONVERT COMMAND --------------- ARCTOOL has the ability to convert archives from one format to another. Simply press the 'C' key and you will be allowed to select the new format. The archive will be created in the same directory as the original, and THE ORIGINAL WILL NOT BE DELETED, however if it already exists, you will asked to overwrite it. You may delete the original if you want to back in the main program window. OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ------------------------------ VIEWING ANSI FILES ------------------ ARCTOOL CAN VIEW ANSI Files. If you are using the internal viewer, (NO CUSTOM VIEWER INSTALLED), press 'ALT A' when viewing and if the file contains ANSI codes, it will displayed in all its glory !! ATCFG ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE -------------------------- In some applications, AT.CFG will be on another drive or there are a LOT of subdirectories, and you may want to EXPLICITLY declare where ARCTOOL can find the configuration file. You can use the DOS "SET" command to do this. From DOS, just enter SET ATCFG="somepath". ARCTOOL will look for and save the configuration file in the path you specify. ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #11 ========================================================================= COMMAND LINE SWITCHES : ----------------------- There are two command line switches that can be used with ARCTOOL to control the configuration file. /N - DO NOT USE CONFIGURATION FILE. If you have created a configuration file, then ARCTOOL will use it as a default. This switch will cause ARCTOOL to ignore the configuration file, and ALL paths on the current disk will be searched for archives. /S[G] - CREATE CONFIGURATION FILE. Using this switch causes ARCTOOL to create a configuration file from the pathnames where it finds archive files. Any previous version of the configuration file WILL BE OVERWRITTEN. Subsequent uses of ARCTOOL will use this newly created configuration file unless you specify the /N switch on the command line. /SG forces ARCTOOL to read ACROSS ALL LOGICAL drives. /D - READ FILES ONLY IN SELECTED OR CURRENT DIRECTORY. This switch will cause ARCTOOL to read files in the CURRENT directory ONLY and NOT any subdirectories. If used with a path, ONLY files in that directory and NOT any subdirectory will be displayed. This switch is ALWAYS OVERRIDDEN by /S or /N. SAMPLE COMMAND LINES : AT /n AT /s ( read current logical drive ) AT /sg ( read ALL logical drives ) AT A: /S AT C: /S AT /d \zip NOTE : The /d MUST be first !! AT /d Only use ONE of these switch on the command line at a time. ARCTOOL TEMPORARY DIRECTORY AND PKTMP ENVIRONMENT VARIBLE --------------------------------------------------------- ARCTOOL creates a temporary directory that it uses to unpack files for viewing or printing. Normally, this directory is created on the same disk that the program is on. PKZIP also uses a temporary file to do its work. ARCTOOL will use the same temporary disk that you assign for PKZIP. You may have this temporary file created in a different directory by setting the environment variable PKTMP. Set this equal to the drive you wish to use as your temporary file location and ARCTOOL temporary directory. For optimal performance on your local harddrive, the PKTMP could be set equal to a RAM drive if a large enough one is available. This will make EVERYTHING run VERY FAST !!!! The temporary file location must have enough free space to hold ALL the files in their UNCOMPRESSED state. A one or two MEG RAM drive would be sufficient for most compressed files. ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #12 ========================================================================= For optimal performance when working with a .ZIP file on a Novell Netware volume, set the PKTMP equal to any drive on the same server. This will achieve the best performance, and is superior to using the local hard drive or the RAM drive. It is best to set this variable in your 'AUTOEXEC.BAT' file so that it will be there when you boot. EXAMPLE C:\>set pktmp=z:\ USING ARCTOOL AS A SINGLE ARCHIVE VIEWER ---------------------------------------- ARCTOOL can be used as a handy command line program to view a single archive by simply entering the archive name and path on the command line. EXAMPLE : AT \SOMEPATH\SOMEARC.ZIP In this case, ARCTOOL will open the indicated archive and you can proceed to do whatever with it. PKUNZIP,PKZIP PKNOFASTCHAR ENVIRONMENT VARIBLE ---------------------------------------------- ARCTOOL wants to control the entire show when running programs such as PKZIP and PKUNZIP, ESPECIALLY where characters are written to screen. With version 2.04 of PKUNZIP, there is an environment variable provided to tell PKUNZIP NOT to write using video BIOS, which is NOW PKUNZIP's default. You may set this varible by using the command SET PKNOFASTCHAR=NO from the DOS command line, however YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO SO. ARCTOOL recognizes this FAST BIOS output from PKZIP and adjusts AUTOMATICALLY. !!! A WARNING !!! PLEASE DO NOT USE PKLITE, DIET or ANY EXE COMPRESSOR ON GDSOFT FILES. I HAVE ALREADY COMPRESSED THEM TO THE LIMIT, and YOU WILL EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS IF YOU COMPRESS THEM AGAIN. Well, that's pretty much it. I think that you will find ARCTOOL easy to use, FAST, and once you get used to using it, indispensable !! If you like ARCTOOL, then please register it. For those who do, I will send my super dooper BONUS archive as well. Believe me there are many goodies on this BONUS disk including the companion programs ARCPLUS Version 6.0, which will allow you create archives in any of the formats, and the FILEMANAGER PLUS, an exciting NEW program which does ALL that you could EVER want a file manager program to do, including everything that ARCTOOL does and MUCH MORE !!! (FILEMANAGER PLUS will NOT be uploaded anywhere !! This is the only way you can get it !!). ========================================================================= ARCTOOL v7.8E Page #13 ========================================================================= SHAREWARE ONLY WORKS IF YOU REGISTER, SO, REGISTER TODAY !! REGISTER TODAY !!! REGISTER TODAY !!! REGISTER TODAY !!!! Send a FORMATTED, BLANK diskette to G.D. DAVIS 57280 Osage Drive Goshen, Indiana 46526 Please Include a $30.00 registration fee. Make sure that you include your return address. If you have any comments or questions, I would REALLY love to receive your comments or suggestions. I can be reached by leaving mail on GENIE (G.D.DAVIS) or CompuServe (72067,2726), or write to me at the above address or better yet, call GDSOFT BBS (219) 875-8133, 5pm-5am (EST), HST 14400,8,N,1. Thank you for choosing ARCTOOL.