============================================================================ Revision 2.1.1 11/22/97 --- For the full-featured HTML version of this FAQ with working links --- visit: http://www.warezfaq.org ============================================================================ The Usenet Warez FAQ -Introduction- Welcome to alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc and the other warez-related groups. ABWI is the world's largest software evaluation library and is dedicated to the preservation of warez for EVERYONE. In the interest of education, the Warez (pronounced "wares") Community is bringing you these Frequently Asked Questions and guidelines for acceptable conduct. We wish to recognize the contributions of the Inner Circle to this document. Q: Why should I read this lengthy FAQ? A: Because the warez groups are much more complicated than most other newsgroups. Therefore, there are more procedures to know and guidelines to observe. This FAQ is your guide to survival in Usenet Warez. Q: Isn't distribution of copyrighted software illegal? A: If you want legal advice on this subject, you will have to get it on your own as it is beyond the scope of this document. General Procedures Q: What is Rule #1? A: Lurk, watch, read the FAQ and learn before jumping in. If you are new here, this will require a certain amount of restraint. Just relax, sit back, and pay attention. The guidelines are for the benefit of all. Most of all, you MUST learn to be patient. Warez are NOT available on demand. Q: What is rule #2? A: Get a well-connected server. Not only will this benefit you (because you will be able to get complete posts), but it will also benefit the group as a whole (since you will have fewer repost requests). How good is your present server? If you are missing more than 10% or so of the parts of multi-part messages, not good. Local ISPs have notoriously bad servers. You have two upgrade paths: (1) Get a new ISP with a well-connected news server. (2) Get an additional stand-alone subscription to another news server. Whatever you have to do or spend will be well worth it in the end. But still, be patient. (1) Mindspring AT&T WorldNet (2) Altopia/Altnet Newscene SuperZippo Supernews Q: What is rule #3 A: BE PATIENT! The point is that, if you don't follow the FAQ, no one has to be patient with you. Q: What is the proper way to post? A: See Appendix A for posting techniques. Do not experiment in the binary groups. Test post in alt.test or alt.binaries.test. Violators of posting techniques, or those who disregard the preferred conventions, generally get flamed. Q: I've been flamed. What do I do about it? A: Learn from your mistake. And don't take it personally. Shooting off your mouth only compounds your error and illustrates in clear detail how lame you really are instead of merely inexperienced. This is a rough and busy neighborhood, don't expect to have your hand held. Q: What might I post in ABWI? A: Reasonably current releases of IBM-PC compatible commercial software applications- NO games! Older commercial software applications (and even games too) can safely be posted to alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc.old (see Appendix B for more warez news groups). Q: Can I start posting as soon as I read this FAQ and learn how my newsreader works? A: Well you CAN, but you should probably ease into it. Most people, when they begin, do not have a great deal of stuff to post. Perhaps the best thing to do is respond to requests (REQ) from others if you have managed to get pieces they have missed. If you have not been here very long, even if you have something fairly new, you wouldn't know that it was just posted two weeks ago. The release version of Office97 was posted here almost a month before it was in the stores. The idea is not to show everyone how much you can post, but to post useful things. With technology being what it is, many newcomers have ISDN or cable modems (some even have access to T1s or better) and can literally flood the groups with posts. All this does is decrease the amount of time the posts stay on the servers, so fewer people get them and more repost requests are generated. If you have a high-speed connection be conscious of the fact that most people here do not, and shorter expire times get everyone agitated. Start SLOWLY. If you are not sure it will be welcomed, wait awhile. We know that many are anxious to contribute, to pay back the group for what they have been able to get. But another post of the current Norton Utilities or Cleansweep will not really help. They already get posted a couple of times a week. If you are patient, you will eventually see everything you wanted and more. And you will learn what is needed and what is not. And NEVER post for the first time without first posting to a test group to ensure that your settings are adjusted correctly. If you screw up, you will be flamed, and rightfully so for wasting so much bandwidth with a useless binary. Even most long-time regular contributors post to a test group first whenever they upgrade their newsreader. Q: Should I post shareware or freeware? A: NO. Shareware posting is inappropriate, unless the version you have is cracked or otherwise unavailable to the general public (instead just post a link to the shareware site). Q: Should I post games? A: NO. Games should be posted in alt.binaries.games (or a similar group – see Appendix B ). Requests for games should also be made there. If the game is unique or of special interest, just post a simple message with a subject line such as: "Attn all - New Game X posted in a.b.games." Q: Should I post cracks or serial numbers? A: NO. These should be posted in alt.binaries.cracks (or a similar group – see Appendix B ). Requests for cracks should also be made there. Check out the Crack FAQ. Q: How long should I wait to post a repost request? A: DAYS, not hours. Anything LESS than a MINIMUM of 5 days will be ignored or flamed by most experienced posters. No one owes you anything! The random nature of NNTP propagation means that parts of messages may come in days later. Posting requested files before they have a chance to expire from servers only places redundant files on the servers and drives up expiry rates. Be patient (also see Rules#1, 2 & 3). Further, if you have a weak news server, don't ask! Go get a new server instead (see Rule#2). Q: If I only have parts of a program, should I post what I have with a request for the rest? A: NO! Do this and and you will have your head handed to you on a platter! This is known as a HWIH post (Here's What I Have - fill in the rest). Do not post partials except to fill a specific request for those pieces. To do otherwise will simply result in more people missing the same pieces you are, and that generates more requests. But even more than that it is an egregious waste of valuable bandwidth which clogs up the group with worthless binaries that contribute to pushing complete programs off the servers and shortening expire times for everyone including you. If you are missing pieces of a program, simply request the parts you are missing. HWIH posts are THE supreme irritant for almost everyone in the groups and is an excellent way to be completely ignored by everyone (after they're done roasting you) who can help you. Q: Can I ask for installation help? A: First read any information files contained in the program zips. These are generally .nfo (info) files, but may be .txt or .doc. There may also be useful information in the 0/ file. If it won't run, read the information files again (RTFM). If it still won't run, ask your question. Most of the readers are willing to offer help and advice on installation or any other relevant topic. Be aware that some groups on usenet have companion groups for discussion. These normally have the same name as the main group with an additional ".d" at the end, or the word "discussion" in the group name. If such a group exists it is appropriate to ask your questions in that group, rather than the main one. Q: What are .nfo files and how do I open them? A: .nfo files contain related info about the program, such as install instructions or serial numbers, as well as information on the release groups and couriers who so graciously distribute the warez; people with access to 0-day (newly-released) warez ftp sites then post it to Usenet. These files can be viewed with notepad, quickview or any text editor. Inside a zip, they can also be viewed with WinZip's Internal ASCII Text Viewer. Always check file_id.diz for info as well. For easy viewing, create an association with notepad for .diz and .nfo files. It is considered a courtesy to leave these files intact if you plan on posting the archives. Q: Should I worry about being embarrassed for asking a newbie question? A: No. So long as you have read this FAQ and done your best to RTFM, most folks are willing to answer questions not covered here or in your PC and newsreader help files. Everyone here was a newbie once. If you receive a facetious answer, ignore it. Most regulars in these groups are genuinely interested in helping others. Not every answer can be put into a FAQ, only the most frequently asked questions are intended to be here. However, if you fail to read your newsreader documentation or this FAQ carefully, and you ask a question answered in those places, you will get heated responses. RTFM!!! Q: Should I respond to a "Warez FTP site" message? A: No. Most are trolls designed to entice you in. By responding with your "me too," you expose yourself to the warez world as a total moron. At best you will begin receiving commercial e-mail (junk mail), at worst you may be subjected to harassment, mail bombing, or worse. You should never post your personal e-mail address anyway. You may be wondering, "But can ALL of these people replying be wrong?" A: YES! Just check this out! Q: Should I respond to a message offering to send me anything via e-mail? A: No. See the above question. Don't be foolish. Follow the link for hoax information. Q: Should I request that someone e-mail files to me? A: NO. Think about this one for a minute. Is your e-mailbox even large enough to hold the program? If not, it will be returned to the sender, taking him just as long to get it back from you as he did to send it. Why should anyone do this anyway? It would be much better for them to post it in the group, where everyone can enjoy it. It is considered foolish and marks you as a lamer even to ASK for files by e-mail. Q: How do I decompress .zip files? A: Get WinZip. The file you will get is a self-extracting archive. Setup is a snap. After downloading a .zip file, just double-click on it. Easy. Get Pkzip for DOS Some people prefer to work with the DOS version. If you take the time to learn it, it can be more flexible. Q: How do I decompress these .arj and .a01, .a02, etc. files? A: Get Arj.exe. ARJ is not as easy to use as WinZip, but is much more powerful. ARJ is typically used to split a large file into smaller, more postable pieces. Don't use WinARJ, use plain old DOS ARJ (widely available; follow the link at the beginning of this answer). Open a DOS box in the directory where the .arj files are located (MS Powertoys Command Prompt Here is great for this under Win95). Q: How do I decompress these .001, .002, .003, etc. files? A: That depends. They could be either ARJ files (see above), RAR files (see below) or even JAR files (see below). Try ARJ first. If they don't decode, then try RAR. Some posters will tell you which format in the .nfo files or the 0/ file of the post. Q: How do I decode these .rar, .r01, .r02, etc. files? A: Get RAR (or more specifically, its companion program, unrar) or WinRAR. The procedure and commands are much the same as for ARJs. An example might be: [unrar x -v -y msoffice.rar d:\temp]. if there is no .rar file, use the lowest numbered extension. Also, remember that unrar.exe must be in your PATH or present in the directory. Q: How do I decode these Jar32 or Jar16 archive files? A: Get JAR32 or JAR16. This is a relatively new archiving tool by the same author as ARJ. It is NOT in general use in the groups as of this writing, but it appears to have good compression and will preserve long file names. Q: Why would someone zip an .arj file? A: Three reasons are usually given: (1) it allows the poster to enclose information files in the zip, (2) it is rumored that zips transmit more reliably than .arjs, and (3) damaged zips can sometimes be repaired (see Appendix C). Of these, #1 is probably the most accurate. Q: How do I unzip more than one zip file at a time? A: Get Pkzip for DOS. An example might be: [pkunzip -o -d *.zip d:\temp]. The [-o] switch ("oh" not "zero") overwrites previously existing files such as duplicate file_id.diz and .nfos. The [-d] switch restores/creates directory structure stored in the .ZIP file. Remember that pkunzip.exe must be in your PATH or present in the directory. Q: I can't read the entire subject line. What should I do? A: There are several ways to solve this problem if you are using Agent. First, make sure that Agent is displaying the headers as a full screen, not the multi-pane default view (just click on the maximize window icon). Second, reduce the size of the browser font [options | display preferences]. Third, make sure that the browser font is not bold. Finally, if you still can't read the entire subject line, just click the send-follow-up-message icon. You can read the entire line and scroll if necessary. Then, just click the close window box. If you are using another newsreader, refer to its documentation. And don't be part of the problem when you post. Try to keep your headers under 55 characters. Q: I can't get a complete message in one group. Can I join sections of the same message from two different groups? A: Usually. If using Agent, try this: Create a new folder under "Groups." Call the new folder "temp," "scratch," or anything you'd like. Use the "Manage Folder Menus" option to bring this new folder into the list that appears when you right click on a header. Then, simply retrieve the headers (simple retrieve, not launch or save attachments) from the different groups, right click on them after you have retrieved them, and send them to your "WORK" folder. You then can select them, right click, and select "manually decode attachments" to put them in the proper order. Note- this only works if they are in the same message or, frequently, a repost of the message BY THE SAME POSTER. If he/she has not changed the line length of the attachment section, it will generally work. Q: What are all these meaningless combinations of letters I see in the articles? A: They are a form of Internet Shorthand. Some common ones are: TIA – thanks in advance. Plz – please, Thx – thanks, - grin, - big grin, - big fucking grin, RTFM – Read The Fucking Manual, FOAD – Fuck Off And Die, ESAD - Eat Shit And Die, WTMKF – Welcome To My Kill File, PLONK! – Person Leaving Our Newsgroup: Killfiled (you have been kill filed), PITA - Pain In The Ass, KUTGW – Keep Up The Good Work, BTW – By The Way, IMHO – In My Humble Opinion, LMAO - Laughing My Ass Off, ROTFLMAO - Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Ass Off, [snip] – portions of the original message to which I'm replying, and which are unrelated to my reply, have been deleted. For some of the more common acronyms you might see, check this out. Netiquette Q: What is the proper way to request? A: ONCE per day, per newsgroup. Multiple requests (i.e. one right after the other- sometimes called a "billboard" or "vertical spam") are rude and will be ignored or flamed by the most experienced readers. This is very important! In extreme cases you may be added to their kill filter which screens out all future messages from you. As far as they are concerned you will simply disappear. This is unfortunate as they are the ones most likely to be able to provide the stuff you need. The generally accepted format is "REQ: Program X version #.# disk #, [archive name] filename.xxx" Q: Should I signify how desperate/urgently/badly I want a program? A: No. "Norton Utilities needed urgently" will totally discredit you. No one dies from software deficiency. If you need it that badly, then go out and buy it. Similarly, requests that beg and plead or say "I will eat/stuff/screw (fill in the blank) for XX prog", are the mark of a lamer and are generally ignored or flamed. Q: iS it KewL tO Use fuNky TyPE or symbols in mY SubjECt liNES? A: Not even close to cool. It is difficult to read and widely regarded as immature. For an example of a particularly poor header, someone once blessed us with: [Ð|Ð ÅÑ ;¥Øñë GÈT Â]_]_ 3Ð]\/[äx ßÿ Zög¿]. You are much more likely to get a response using standard type. Q: IS ALL CAPS CONSIDERED OKAY? A: NO. It is the Internet equivalent of SHOUTING. Use it sparingly. Q: I have asked and asked, but no one has uploaded my REQ. What gives? A: It could be any one of several things. Perhaps no one has what you asked for. Perhaps, before you got smart enough to read and follow these guidelines, you pissed everybody off and they kill filtered you. Perhaps nobody feels like uploading anything right now. This is Usenet, not real life. There is no "refund desk" or complaint department. Nobody owes you anything, and you don't owe them. If this fact is too hard for you, find another hobby. We really don't want to hear it. Q: The Internet is a total anarchy, right? So is it okay to use racial slurs and other patently offensive language? A: NO. This group is devoted to software. Not race, politics, religion, sexual preferences, etc. Just software. Period. End of discussion. Subject closed. Take it somewhere else. Q: Is Intel better than Cyrix? Is the PC better than the Mac? A: We don't care here. Take it somewhere else. And please don't cross post this kind of stuff to warez groups. Q: Will I get a better response if I cross-post my REQ to all of the warez groups and crack groups? A: NO. Experienced usenet readers do not like excessive cross-posts (ECP) and such posts can be detected by some of the cancelbots, so they will be eliminated and not reach any audience at all. There are always exceptions, but generally, if you MUST cross-post, try not to post to more than three groups at a time. ECP will subject you to flaming and land you in kill files. Q: Do I have to follow all of these rules? A: NO. No one owns the Internet and no rules are mandatory. However, newsgroups are based on voluntary association. If you don't like the folks here, simply leave. If they don't like you, you will be ignored. If, however, you are an intelligent and reasonable person who wants to make the most out of the time spent here, you would be well advised to stay within the yellow lines. And by all means, BE PATIENT! (see Rule#1) This FAQ has been compiled by readers of alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc and its companion discussion group alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc.d. Revision 2.1.1 11/22/97 Domain Services Provided By www.skuz.net ©1997 www.warezfaq.org. Original document published 2/21/96 by the Inner Circle. All information herein has been written, compiled, and edited by the Inner Circle and other members of the warez community. ============================================================================ --- PART II --- APPENDICES --- ============================================================================ The Usenet Warez FAQ -Appendices- Appendix A POSTING TECHNIQUES 1) Get a suitable newsreader. Although some prefer Anawave Gravity or WinVN, the overwhelming majority of the folks around here use Agent. Get it. Learn it. Read the help files. Free Agent is a freeware off-line newsreader. It offers limited send e-mail capability, but does not receive e-mail. Agent is the commercial version of Free Agent and contains many new features, including POP3 or SMTP e-mail reception, address books, kill/watch lists, URL launching, and cross-post management. Some of the more popular newsreaders are: Agent (Also see the unofficial Agent FAQ and Agent Modified FAQ and official Forte Agent FAQ ) Anawave Gravity WinVN 2) Setting up Agent: Go to [Options | User and System Profile | User] and fill in ALL the fields. Don't leave any fields blank since friendly servers will put some default info in them. Additionally, many servers will not allow posting unless there is data in all fields. *’s work fine for most, but some servers require something in the format of [blahblah@blah.blah] in the e-mail address field. 3) Set your newsreader to post in 10,000 to 15,000 line messages. This is crucial! Any larger messages may be refused by your server, or a gateway along the route, any smaller messages just clutter screens. In Agent, go to [Group | Default Properties | Send Files]. Make sure that "send large messages as multiple messages is checked." Set the number of bytes per section to somewhere between 630000 and 945000. It is best to start higher and go lower only if required due to timing out when posting, but never go below 10,000 lines. {Conditions of the Usenet sometimes create exceptions to this situation- read the group carefully and you will know when and why. At certain times a byte size of 500,000 (7936 lines) maximum is recommended.} If your server still refuses to cooperate, try changing these settings in your agent.ini file (in your Agent directory): [Timing] GetHostByNameTimeout=90 ConnectTimeout=60 ResponseTimeout=600 PostResponseTimeout=600 SendTimeout=300 PostTimeout=600 SplashTime=1 SMTPSessionTimeout=300 If your server still refuses to cooperate, get a better server (see Rule #2 )! 4) Post in manageable pieces. The commonly accepted size is 3½" floppy-sized pieces (for obvious reasons). DO NOT post in one big zip (OBZ) or attach multiple files to the same header (which is also an OBZ); this is universally despised by experienced readers and they will respond harshly for your waste of bandwidth with a useless binary. The reason behind this is simple: NNTP propagation is unreliable, especially on news servers that are not well connected. If someone gets 12 out of 13 parts of an OBZ, it is nearly impossible to recreate. There is NO way for you to repost this single segment. On the other hand, if this same program were posted in, say, 5 "disks," it would be a simple matter for you (or someone else) to upload the missing "disk." If you've got a program in disk-sized pieces or disks, post it that way! If all you have is a CD or OBZ, use ARJ to break it into manageable pieces (see Appendix C). 5) Test post to test groups ONLY. (e.g. alt.test, alt.binaries.test etc.) Do not test post to binary or discussion groups. 6) Use a descriptive and complete subject header. A good header would include the disk number being posted, the total number of disks, and the program's name and version number. A good subject line might read: "FILE:[or REPOST:] Program Name v3.0.5 -01 of 20- read 0/ file." Another similar considerate idea is to first post a message with a brief description of the program, the .nfo file from the packager, or any other information that a downloader might find useful. If you want to shorten the number of disks, use 3\12 (i.e. the backslash). Using the forward slash can confuse some news readers into thinking it is part 3 of 12 for a single segment and cause difficulty when decoding. But remember, people with 14" monitors have to read this; try to keep your headers under 55 characters and spaces. 7) Don't forget the serial #! If one is required, and it is not in the .nfo file, it is best included in the first zip as "serial.txt." 8) Include the version number in the subject line. 9) Make sure that the program works. If you are new and are unfamiliar with other ways to evaluate an untested program, install and try it out first. You should be aware, however, that people posting "zero-day/0-day" warez seldom have the time to test these programs. They bring you newly-released software often before it even hits the shelves in stores. There are no guarantees in warez and it does not ALWAYS work as advertized. With experience, the seasoned posters have found methods of evaluation which save time but are NOT foolproof. Always read a poster's 0/file, it will often mention whether or not a program has been tested. If you don't like it, then don't download it. 10) Scan the program for viruses. Even if you haven't installed the program yourself, someone else will and may infect their system. You then run the risk of catching that same virus from one of their infected uploads. (How much do you know about virii?) 11) Don't rename the files. There may be several versions of the program floating around. For instance, off9701.zip and MSO97_01.zip may actually be incompatible. Renaming either file to a third name can only make things worse. 12) Wait a MINIMUM of five days before reposting ANY files for ANY reason. Increased participation in everything 'internet' has made traffic a big problem. When a program is posted you may see pieces of it almost at once, but some pieces MAY take different routes and not arrive for days. Most (though not all) servers expire binary posts in five days or less. If you repost part or all of the app for some people in less time than that, it will be a duplicate on most of the servers which will then expire posts more quickly to make room for it. As expire times shorten, repost REQs rise, so everyone just has to WAIT. Appendix B OTHER RESOURCES Usenet There are many other newsgroups involved in the warez scene. By looking at the groups that messages are cross posted to, you can get a good idea of where the action is. There are also some documents that you should have read as soon as you came to the Usenet. Some General Usenet Information; Omit this material from your education at your peril. THE USENET FAQ THE USENET POSTING FAQ A PRIMER ON HOW TO WORK WITH THE USENET COMMUNITY Other Usenet Groups related to warez, games, and cracks alt.2600.warez alt.binaries.cracks alt.binaries.cracks.phrozen-crew alt.binaries.games alt.binaries.misc alt.binaries.pictures.leek alt.binaries.pictures.utilities alt.binaries.warez alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc.d (the "d" signifies a discussion group- even though the word "binaries" is there) alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc (This is the binary group for which the preceding one is the discussion group) alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc.dos alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc.games alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc.old alt.binaries.warez.mac alt.cracks alt.warez alt.warez.ibm-pc.apps alt.warez.ibm-pc.games alt.warez.ibm-pc.old Encrypted Groups: alt.binaries.cracks.encrypted alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc.encrypted alt.binaries.games.encrypted alt.ipl.discussion (start here) These groups require a solid working knowledge of PGP encryption. If you haven't yet mastered both Usenet and PGP, just forget it for awhile. Don't even attempt to post there without first learning the ropes! Lurk in alt.ipl.discussion and ask your questions there if you are interested. There are several who will be more than happy to help you out, and they will point you to their FAQ. WWW Do a Web search (AltaVista is highly recommended) using keywords such as: warez, cracks, crackz, serial numbers, serials, serialz. There is a staggering variety of information out there. FTP The best way to get reliable FTP information is to visit the warez channels in IRC. If someone posts an FTP site in the newsgroups, it is highly unlikely that it will be profitable to even try to connect. There are at least three reasons for this: (1) by the time the Usenet message gets to your server, the site is cold, (2) if the site is not cold, it will be jammed with hundreds of warez hounds, and (3) they are often bait for the ignorant. Don't waste your time. ENCRYPTION & NYM CREATION This is a complex subject that will require time and patience to master. The following links contain excellent information as well as additional links. The best combined resource for PGP and Nym creation from Thanatopsis (A truly great resource.) Beginners' Guide to PGP and Internet Privacy (Just what it says.) The MIT distribution site for PGP (You can obtain PGP here if you are a U.S. or Canadian citizen. It is free. Current U.S. law prohibits distribution to other countries.) PGP & Remailers made simple (An excellent starting point for beginners.) MIT Public Key Server (You can find someone's PGP Public key on a key server. All key servers exchange information daily.) Appendix C ARCHIVE PROCEDURES COMPRESSION UTILITIES WinZIP, WinRAR, ARJ v. 2.60 (released 10/97), and Jar32 will handle long file names; PKZIP and previous versions of ARJ will NOT. Pkzip for DOS WinZip ARJ 2.60 for DOS Archiver Comparisons RAR for DOS & WinRAR JAR32/16 for DOS and WIN95/NT ARJ User's Manual Less Common Archivers The basic ARJ Command Line: Use the following command syntax to decompress: [arj x -v -y filename.### (optional: destination path]. The [x] command tells ARJ that you are extracting with paths included, the [-v] switch tells ARJ that your are working with a multiple-volume archive, and the [-y] switch tells ARJ not to prompt you for confirmation of each extraction. The ### extension represents the lowest numbered extension of the ARJ archives, which may be in the form of .a01, .a02, etc. or .001, .002, etc. If there is a file present with an .arj extension, you do not have to specify an extension (the .arj file is the first in the archive by default). An example of this might be: [arj x -v -y msoffice.a01 d:\temp], which would recreate the Office archive in your d:\temp directory. Note that arj.exe (and other DOS archive utilities you use) must either be in your PATH (specified in your autoexec.bat) or must be present in the same directory where you are running it. If you don't have an autoexec.bat at all, just copy arj.exe into the directory with the .arj archive files or copy it into c:\windows or c:\windows\command (which are in Win95’s default PATH). Testing Archives: It's a good idea to test ALL compressed files as you download them to check for CRC errors. From a DOS box, issue the command [pkunzip -t *.zip] or [arj t *.a??]. Be aware that if you are in the process of downloading a file into that directory then the incomplete file will give you an error message. If you have a damaged zip file, try the procedures below. If that doesn't work, you must obviously get another copy. First try to download another copy to see if you simply had a transmission error during the last download. If the new copy is still corrupted, wait at least 5 days before requesting a repost. Damaged Archives and CRC Errors: The reason it's a good idea to zip an ARJ file is because Pkzip comes with a utility called Pkzipfix, which will help to reconstruct a damaged zip file under SOME circumstances. ARJ has no such utility. If you test an ARJ file with the command [arj t filename.arj] and it comes back with a CRC error, it cannot be repaired. On the other hand, if you test a zip file with the command [pkunzip -t filename.zip] and it reports errors, you have a 50-50 chance that you can fix it with the command [Pkzipfix filename.zip]. This procedure will create a new file called pkfixed.zip. Now you test this file with the command [pkunzip -t pkfixed]. If it comes back with no errors, you give the command [copy /y pkfixed.zip filename.zip] to rename it back to the original filename. You may now erase pkfixed.zip. This is considerable effort to salvage just one file, but if you've been searching for months for that last disk in a 50 disk set and you've finally found it and its got CRC errors, the effort is well worth it. Alternate Procedure for Damaged Archives: Some CRC errors are the result of the way Agent decodes the file. If the original arj file isn't damaged, some CRC errors can be resolved by doing the following: In Agent, split the message into separate sections. Retrieve the first part of the message, and save it as a Unix text file with an extension of *.001. Next, retrieve the remaining sections (in order), and when saving, check the "Append to existing file" box, and save it to the .001 file. Now run the *.001 file through Wincode 2.6 or higher (freeware), and it should yield a workable file. Test it to be sure. For more information on using UUDECODE to save binary file attachments also see UUDECODE Creating a Postable Archive from One Big Zip (or any archive): ARJ is used to split large files into manageable pieces. ARJ can archive an entire directory into floppy-sized archive files called volumes. When the user on the other end unarj’s your volumes the original files are recreated with the directory structure intact. If you issue the command [arj a -r -v1440 -y c:\temp\filename d:\dirofprogram\*.*], ARJ will compress all the files and sub directories into floppy sized pieces and name them filename.arj, filename.a01, filename.a02, etc. until the whole thing is compressed into volumes. To unarj it all you need to do is issue the command [arj x -v -y filename c:\]. ARJ will decompress all files and sub directories in the original order on your hard drive. You may now run the setup program. If you ever need a quick refresher of the commands just type [arj] to view a list of frequently used commands and switches or [arj -?] to view an exhaustive list of every command and switches. A good reference site for ARJ operations is John Poz's Unofficial ARJ Help File. This FAQ has been compiled by readers of alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc and its companion discussion group alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc.d. Revision 2.1.1 11/22/97 Domain Services Provided By www.skuz.net ©1997 www.warezfaq.org. Original document published 2/21/96 by the Inner Circle. All information herein has been written, compiled, and edited by the Inner Circle and other members of the warez community. ============================================================================ Do Not Edit This FAQ. Any errors may be directed to the ATTN of www.warezfaq.org in alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc.d At their discretion, it will be taken into account at the next revision. ============================================================================ NOTE: The links in the preceding sections have not been reproduced in this plain text version. You must visit http://www.warezfaq.org to get the full working HTML version. But here are a few of them: AGENT news reader: http://www.forteinc.com USENET FAQ: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/usenet/faq/part1/faq.html Crack FAQ: http://www.skuz.net/crackfaq WinZip: http://www.winzip.com Pkzip for DOS: http://www.pkware.com/ ARJ 2.60 for DOS: http://www.arjsoft.com/ RAR for DOS & WinRAR: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/2797/ ---------------------------[end of file]------------------------------------