Archivers, EXE packers,
and related programs for DOS
Back to Front Page
global menu:
ARCHIVERS
Info-Zip-PkZip compatible file archiver
* * * * [updated 01-28-01]
"Compatible" does not equate to a cheap knock-off or clone in the case of Info-Zip. Info-Zip is format compatible with PkZip- but the resemblance ends there. The command line syntax varies from PkZip/Unzip, and additional options have been introduced. Info-Zip was developed primarily to provide cross-platform PkZip compatibility across a variety of operating systems (DOS/Win, Unix, OS/2, Mac, VMS, Linux, Amiga, Acorn, SGI, Atari, etc.). Unlike PkZip, it is also a completely free program. Info-Zip Site.
Although Zip still can't span a zip file across multiple floppies, it does most everything else as well as PKZip (compression size, speed). Zip has one compression method (deflation) and can store files without compression. Although creation of self-extracting EXE's is possible- it's not elegant, adds 30K to file size, and creates a file potentially not readable by PKZIP compatible viewers.
An alternate ZIP package (ZCRx.ZIP) contains an encryption program so that you can encrypt-protect your ZIP files.
01-28-01: UNZIP v5.42 (01-01) available.
- DOS UNZIP: download unz542x3.exe
- DOS ZIP:download zip23x.zip
- Wiz (GUI version) for Win 3.1: download wiz401x.exe
- Win 95/NT UNZIP: download unz542xN.exe
- Win 95/NT ZIP: download zip23xn.zip
- Wiz for Win9x/NT (GUI version): download wiz502xN.exe
RK- High performance 32-bit archiver.
unrated [added 09-18-00 updated 10-28-00]
Reviewed 09-18-00.
RK is an archiver currently (2000) undergoing alpha development. It appears that the author intends to distribute RK under the GPL- this would be very welcome for a high performance DOS archiver. Although RK alpha version 1.03.01 (08-00) is currently lacking some basic maintenance features (e.g., no "delete file from archive" option), and is currently not optimized for speed, it already possesses several attractive features:
- Outstanding compression statistics for a variety of file types and collections (see Archive Comparison Test). High compression is gained at the cost of speed.
- The ability to create self extracting archives (3 sfx stubs available: DOS, Win32 GUI; Win32 console)
- Encryption options.
- Multiple volume support.
- Win9x LFN support.
- Script language: "Scripts can be added to archives to enable some automatic functionality, such as archive comments and self extractor defaults."
Requires a min. of 386+ PC and 4MB RAM (SFX archives require a 386+ target system too)- however I've (yet) to get it working on a 386sx/20 w/8MB RAM (plain DOS w/ CWSDPMI, no success either compressing or decompressing with default options; v1.03.01). Also available: Win32 console version, Italian versions. License status (09-2000): "...currently in the process of releasing the sources under GPL..."
Author: Malcom Taylor, New Zealand (2000). Home Page.
10-28-00: v1.04.1a (10-00) available. Now has a 'normal' compression mode that is a fast and memory efficient version of the max mode....Multi-volumes are now disabled by default, so growable ram drives are a valid target for archives...Fixed the bug where both win32 sfx modules crashed when not given default output directories...Fixed the bug which corrupted the last byte in some text files...The drive letter is no longer stored if relative paths is selected, even if the file is from another drive than the current. New RK home page.
download rk104a1d.exe (alpha version [for testing purposes], 477K)
UC2- Archiver compresses files tighter than PKZIP (but...)
* * * *
...but PKZIP is the standard, regardless of it's shortcomings. UC2 was one of several file compression programs that tried to unseat PKZIP from its dominant market position. While UC2 is not "freeware" it is free for individual use. UC2's method of compression involves analyzing files for content type prior to compression. This allows a smarter and tighter compression of a set of files than is possible with PKZIP. The cost is slightly longer compression times.
Other nice features:
- UC2 can create self-executing archives which, when run, present the end-user with directory destination and abort options.
- UC2 is operating system-aware (DOS/Win/OS/2) and can preserve extended attributes for OS/2 files.
- Encryption option.
- This package comes with a full featured, mouse-driven menu shell if you dislike using the command line.
UC2's principal drawback is it's inability to span files across multiple floppy diskettes (includes a separate utility that performs this task). UC2 compression seems to require a large amount of memory (consistently fails under Windows on my 8MB 386/20). UC2 may leave temp files on disk. UC2 never achieved the popularity of PkZIP, ARJ, RAR, or LHA and has not seen an update since 1996. Author AIP-NL, Netherlands (1996) Home Page.
download uc2pro.exe (400K)
or uc237b.exe (400K, beta, Win95 support)
LHA- Archiver also creates freely distributable self extracting archives.
* * *
LHA is an older but popular archiver which shares similar compression statistics with PKZip. Unlike PKZip, Arj, UC2, and RAR, LHA is true freeware, and self-extracting archives created by LHA may be freely distributed. Compression/ decompression are handled by a single exe. Author: Haruyasu Yoshizaki. (1992; documentation-1996). Also see LHA's newer, tighter and faster freeware sibling: LHARK.
download lha255e.exe (65K, LHA SFX)
UnRAR- Unpacks RAR archives.
unrated [updated 06-26-00]
UnRAR is the freeware unpacker for RAR compressed files. Since the RAR archiver is shareware, I will not describe it's terrific features except to note that it is becoming a more popular format on eastern European FTP sites, BBS's, and FIDONET. The freeware unrar.exe is included in the RAR package. RAR Home Page.
download rar250.exe (270K, RAR and UNRAR; RAR SFX); source code only: unrar250.zip (72K)
download rarx280.exe (256K, 32-bit RAR for DOS and OS/2)
OTHER ARCHIVERS AND COMPRESSORS:
unrated [section added 12-15-98]
- ARJ - [updated 11-05-00] A popular and _versatile_ shareware archiver (free for individual use only). Compression stats are average but ARJ's file management capabilities are unmatched. An excellent choice for maintaining backups. Can archive files to multiple volumes regardless of destination media. Support for Win9x LFN's when run under Win9x. Also see the author's JAR archiver- many options, better compression, free for individual use. Author: Robert Jung. Arj Home Page. 11-05-00: v2.75a (10-00) available. (arj275a.exe)
- GZIP and TAR:
- GNU GZIP [updated 06-19-00] - GZP124ab (2000) is apparently more compatible with Win9x than older versions. ( gzp124ab.zip )
- TAR320 & 321- This non-gnu TAR is especially useful for transferring data between OS's. "Allows extract from/write to archives in files, floppies or QIC-02 and ASPI-driven SCSI streamers in both regular 'tar' format and compressed by (g)zip or 'compress.' Distinguishing features: processes in a uniform way under both MS-DOS and UNIX clones; read/write UNIX-compatible floppies and quarter-inch streamer cartriges under DOS; supports unusual floppy formats; supplies data compression option under both DOS and UNIX; allows reading of System V and/or GNU multivolume archives under DOS and all UNIX clones; includes option to restore damaged archives....." Source included. TAR v3.21 (1997) was a test version but supports LFN's under Win95. (tar320g.zip or tar321.zip)
- GNU TAR [added 02-25-00] - "This port [1.12a] of GNU Tar includes significant improvements as compared to previous versions as distribution by FSF....all the features in the original Unix code also work in the DOS/Windows port;....important exception is the lack of support for remote archives." Extensive, approachable documentation. (v112a, 2000) [Newbie hint: use syntax .. tar -x < my.tar .. to extract files from archive, etc.] (tar112ab.zip)
- UNTAR- [added 08-16-99] I most often use this for casual browsing of downloaded TAR files. The few options are easily comprehended. Handes Win9x LFN's: "Untar also supports long file names (LFN) in the DOS-prompt of Win95/98/NT by renaming the files after untaring them [creates batch file with rename commands]." Author: Michael Husted, Denmark (1999) (untar114.zip) (14K)
- Lesser known freeware archivers (thanks to Lars-Erik Sandberg for bringing most of these to my attention):
- SKY - Auto disk spanning as with ARJ, ok compression, sfx creation, single exe. sky115.zip
- ESP - Quite useful: Small, fast, tight (solid archive), sfx creation, file split and easy to handle. Authors: Bártházi András & Gereöffy Årpád, Hungary. esp_v192.exe
- LHARK - brother of LHA, a little faster and tighter. Unpacks LHA-made archives. LHA (2.55 or 2.66) dosen't unpack latest compression method of Lhark. LHARK also has a password protection function that LHA lacks.
lhark04d.zip
- ERI32 and ARI - [added 11-21-99 updated 03-20-01]. ERI offers excellent compression stats w/ multi-media files (good w/ text files too), average results with executables. ARI archiver: good compression, solid archive option, disk spanning, sfx's. Some ARI features are not available in ERI (e.g., no sfx's). 03-20-01: ERI, v4.9 (12-00) available. Author: RAO Inc. (2000) ERI32 | ARI Home Page.
- X1- [added 1997] Super tight file archiver can also compress to common archive formats. X1 compresses text documents significantly better than PKZIP/Info-Zip and UC2. The degree of compression advantage for X1 is less for some file types (e.g., programs, binaries). While X1 is recognized chiefly for its tight proprietary compression, it also has the ability to compress files to other common archive formats, e.g., PKZIP, ARJ, and LHA. Compression, file listing, and extraction are supported, but proprietary options associated with these archivers are not. Limitations: X1 is a large (550K) 32-bit program that requires a 386+ machine and needs a minimum of 4MB free RAM. X1 cannot create self-extracting (SFX) archives. X1 creates "solid" archives which, if damaged, may offer little hope of repair. X1 does offer a data protection option. X1 has never gone beyond beta testing, and has not been updated in some time. Author: Stig Valentini (1997). x1dos95a.zip (298K)
- BOA - [added 11-21-99]. This archiver can create solid archives (but they can't be updated) and offers great compression statistics but requires significant RAM to achieve best compression. Decompression requires like amounts of RAM. Remarks: Few options, not really suited to daily-use tasks. DJGPP program w/ Win9x LFN support; requires 386+ PC, min 2MB RAM; default compression requires 8MB RAM. Author: Ian Sutton (1998). boa058.zip (76K)
- QFC Collects multiple files into uncompressed archive which can subsequently be compressed more effectively by archivers (similar to TAR, but file headers are smallest possible). Author: George Lyapko (1999). qfc202c.zip
- ZOO - Older archiver; no longer competitive in terms of features/ compression statistics. Main use today is for unpacking old zoo archives stored on some ftp sites. zoo210.exe
EXE COMPRESS AND UNPACK
Familiar to most programmers and power users- but if you're obsessed with saving disk space you might want to experiment with these programs (note: If you already use disk compression software these utils won't save you much space). Power users: also see the Sudden Discharge site.
all unrated
- UPX- Tight and versatile 32-bit DOS and WIN32 exe compressor.
- 32LiTE- Tight and versatile 32-bit DOS exe compressor.
- aPACK- Super tight EXE and COM compressor.
- LzExe- Compresses many executables into smaller, functional programs.
- Diet- Compresses executables (including overlays) and com files.
- ComToExe -Converts Com files to Exe.
- UNP -Unpacks compressed executables.
- CUP -Unpacks many compressed executables.
- GetTyp -Identify packer origin of many compressed executables.
- UPX: [updated 05-02-01] Maybe the most versatile exe format packer on the scene- and it's free. Distinguished from the other packers listed here by its combination of tight compression and an ability to pack a diverse array of executable formats including : dos/exe, sys, & com, djgpp2/coff, watcom/le (e.g., DOS4G, PMODE/W, etc.), win32/pe (e.g., Netscape.exe), rtm32/pe, tmt/adam. Fast decompression; no memory overhead, and can also list, test, and unpack. Under development. Win32 and Linux versions and source also available on Home Page. Authors: Markus F.X.J. Oberhumer and László Molnár (2001).
- 32LiTE: [added 07-14-99] Untested. This packer packs a wider variety of DOS exe formats than UPX (e.g., WDOS/X, DOS32, W32RUN, PHARLAP, "P3", and mixed format exe's) and relies on APACK code for good compression. Author: Oleg Prokhorov (1999).
- aPACK: [added 7-7-98 updated 10-13-00] An EXE and COM packer that's currently (1999) in the running for the honor of tightest DOS EXE/COM packer available. Excels with smaller files. See docs, Home Page, or the latest ACT results for some head to head comparisons. Requires a 386+ with at least 4MB RAM. Free for non-commercial use only. Suggested by Lars-Erik Sandberg. Author: Joergen Ibsen, Denmark. (2000)
- LzExe: An older but widely used exe packer. Executables with overlays cannot be compressed. Saves a backup of the original exe.
- Diet: Older. I haven't looked much at this program but it compresses files that LzExe can't: exe's with overlays (with some preconditions) and COM files.
- ComToExe: Converts a *.com file into an *.exe file (many exe compressors don't pack com files). Included in the LzExe package.
- UNP: If you need to un-compress a packed-exe (perhaps to pack with a tighter compressor), try a universal decompressor tool such as UNP. Becoming a bit dated, but simple to use.
- CUP: (aka UCFCUP, CUP386). Regularly cited as one of the best EXE unpackers around- it was developed primarily for hackers and others with a programming bent. Although CUP has many debugging and other power-user options, it is often capable of unpacking many formats in one easy step, and that's why I include it here. CUP has been tested with the following formats -but was designed to unpack executables packed with unknown software: PkLite, Diet, LzExe, TinyProg, PgmPak, HackStop, WWPack. Requires a 386+. CUP functions best when memory managers (e.g., EMM386) are not loaded. Development has ended (8-97).
- GetTyp: Identify packer of compressed executables. See extended description.
[ Go to Top | Front Page ]
© 1994-2001. Rich Green