ARC (compression format) - Revision history

Jsummers: /* Software */

2025-05-25T17:55:30Z

‎Software

Jsummers: /* Sample files */

2025-01-16T13:04:34Z

‎Sample files

Jsummers at 16:12, 24 November 2024

2024-11-24T16:12:30Z

Jsummers: /* Software */

2024-11-23T12:36:58Z

‎Software

Jsummers: /* Software */

2024-11-23T12:04:51Z

‎Software

Jsummers: /* Software */

2024-11-22T17:59:42Z

‎Software

Jsummers: /* Self-extracting archives */

2024-11-22T14:58:07Z

‎Self-extracting archives

Jsummers: Self-extracting archives

2024-11-22T14:32:21Z

Self-extracting archives

Jsummers: /* Software */

2024-11-22T13:36:56Z

‎Software

Jsummers: Rearranged/renamed sections, for consistency

2024-11-22T12:46:22Z

Rearranged/renamed sections, for consistency

@@ Line 136: / Line 136: @@
 * ARC - DOS binaries, etc.
 ** v3.10 (1985-05-01): See [http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=699 old-dos.ru]
-** v4.11 (1985-07-02): [https://archive.org/details/science-libraryb Libris Britannia 4] → science library(b)/COMMUNIC/0132.ZIP → ARC.EXE
+** v4.10 (1985-06-26): {{CdTextfiles|carousel/027A/GENEALOG.ZIP|GENEALOG.ZIP}} → ARC410.EXE
 ** v4.20 (1985-07-16): {{CdTextfiles|pcsig12/CLA/DISK0420.ZIP|DISK0420.ZIP}} → ARC.EXE
 ** v4.30 (1985-08-22): {{CdTextfiles|pcblueii/PCBLUE/VOL148.ZIP|VOL148.ZIP}} → ARC.EXE
 ** v4.50 (1985-11-18): {{CdTextfiles|californiacollect/his033/sideway.zip|sideway.zip}} → SIDEWRIT.ARC → ARC.EXE
 ** v4.52 (1985-12-04): See [http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=699 old-dos.ru]
@@ Line 148: / Line 150: @@
 ** "v5.21": {{CdTextfiles|hobbesos29503/16BIT/ARCHIVER/ARC521_2.ZIP|ARC521_2.ZIP}} - Binaries for DOS and OS/2 built by K. U. Rommel, from source code via H. Chu.
 ** v6.00 (Dated "January of 1989", but timestamps suggest 1989-02-10): [https://archive.org/details/PCMCDS Discos PCManía] → PCMania CD15.nrg → sharewre/zip/arc600.exe
-** {{CdTextfiles|pcmedic/utils/compress/arc601.exe|v6.01}} (Dated "January of 1989", but timestamps suggest 1989-02-23)
+** v6.01 [variant 1]: [https://archive.org/details/cdm-5 CD-ROM Magic '95] → SHELL/ZIPPERS/SEA601.EXE (Dated "January of 1989"; timestamps suggest it was built 1989-02-21 and released 1989-03-31)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|hof91/arc/arc602.exe|v6.02 &#x5b;variant 1&#x5d;}} (Dated "January of 1989", but timestamps suggest 1989-03-14)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|rbbsv3n1/atnu/arc602.exe|v6.02 &#x5b;variant 2&#x5d;}} - Same ARC.EXE as above, but has updated documentation (1989-04-21) and other differences.

@@ Line 185: / Line 185: @@
 * {{CdTextfiles|smsharew/WORD/JORJ41-1.ZIP|JORJ41-1.ZIP}} → *.ARC (v7)
 * {{DexvertSamples|archive/arc}}
 == References ==

@@ Line 105: / Line 105: @@
 Versions 7.10 and 7.12 each offer three self-extractor formats, all in some [[EXE]] format: DOS-only (<code>/R</code> option), OS/2-only (<code>/P</code>), and DOS-OS/2 hybrid (<code>/F</code>).
-A v7.x self-extracting archive is really just a copy of one of the XARC.EXE files, with a small patch that puts it into self-extracting mode, and with the ARC file appended. A single "flag byte" in the middle of the patch seems to be the important one -- it is 0x00 in XARC.EXE, and 0x01 in self-extracting archives. For example, for v7.12 DOS-only (both known variants), the flag byte is at offset 8527.
+A v7.x self-extracting archive is really just a copy of one of the XARC.EXE files, with a small patch that puts it into self-extracting mode (well, two small patches for hybrid files), and with the ARC file appended. A single "flag byte" in the middle of the patch seems to be the important one -- it is 0x00 in XARC.EXE, and 0x01 in self-extracting archives. For example, for v7.12 DOS-only (both known variants), the flag byte is at offset 8527.
 == Identifiers ==
@@ Line 182: / Line 182: @@
 * [https://www.dan.info/sampledata/POLIPREF.ARC POLIPREF.ARC]
 * {{CdTextfilesURL|pcblue/}}
 * {{DexvertSamples|archive/arc}}

@@ Line 161: / Line 161: @@
 ** {{CdTextfiles|carousel/013C/XARC.ZIP|v4.31}} (1985-10-10)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|microhaus/mhblackbox3/ARCHIVER/XARC500.ZIP|v5.00}} (1986-01-23)
-** ARCv7-era version (documentation strangely calls it "XARC V1.0"), DOS-only:  {{CdTextfiles|swextrav1993/disk3/archive/xarcplus.zip|xarcplus.zip}} (1990-07-15)
+** ARCv7-era version (documentation strangely calls it "XARC V1.0"), DOS-only (1990-07-15): {{CdTextfiles|swextrav1993/disk3/archive/xarcplus.zip|xarcplus.zip}}
 ** Unknown ARCv7-era version, OS/2-only: [https://archive.org/details/os2sharewarebbs OS/2 Shareware BBS Full Collection] → 09-Archive.zip → XARC_OS2.EXE
 ** Unknown ARCv7-era version, DOS & OS/2: {{CdTextfiles|wildcatgold/compress/qarc.zip|qarc.zip}} → XARC.EXE
-** {{CdTextfiles|microhaus/mhblackbox3/ARCHIVER/XARC71.ZIP|v7.10 &#x5b;DOS & OS/2&#x5d;}} (1990-10)
+** v7.10 [DOS only] (1990-10-04): [https://archive.org/details/pegasus-win-os-2 Pegasus Win & OS/2 Edition] → SUPPORT/PACKER/XARCPLUS.ZIP
 ** v7.12 [DOS only, variant 1]: {{CdTextfiles|svplatinum/CDR31/ARC712.ZIP|ARC712.ZIP}} → ... → ARCDOS.ARC → XARC.EXE
 ** {{CdTextfiles|pier/pier01/001a/xarc712.zip|v7.12 &#x5b;DOS only, variant 2&#x5d;}}
@@ Line 173: / Line 174: @@
 ** Included with some versions of ARC.
 * PKARC/PKPAK (DOS binaries) - See [[PKARC/PKPAK#Software]].
-* PAK - See [[PAK (ARC extension)#Software]].
+* PAK (NoGate Consulting) - See [[PAK (ARC extension)#Software]].
 * {{Deark}}

@@ Line 161: / Line 161: @@
 ** {{CdTextfiles|carousel/013C/XARC.ZIP|v4.31}} (1985-10-10)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|microhaus/mhblackbox3/ARCHIVER/XARC500.ZIP|v5.00}} (1986-01-23)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|microhaus/mhblackbox3/ARCHIVER/XARC71.ZIP|v7.10 &#x5b;DOS & OS/2&#x5d;}} (1990-10)
 ** v7.12 [DOS only, variant 1]: {{CdTextfiles|svplatinum/CDR31/ARC712.ZIP|ARC712.ZIP}} → ... → ARCDOS.ARC → XARC.EXE
 ** {{CdTextfiles|pier/pier01/001a/xarc712.zip|v7.12 &#x5b;DOS only, variant 2&#x5d;}}
 * ARCE (or ARC-E), by Wayne Chin and Vernon D. Buerg - An optimized ARC extractor for DOS
 ** {{CdTextfiles|simtel/simtel9510/disk2/DISC2/ARCHIVER/ARCE41A.ZIP|ARCE v4.1a}} (1992-04-12)

@@ Line 100: / Line 100: @@
 * v6.02 [variant 1] (MKSARC v1.01)
 * v6.02 [variant 2] (MKSARC v1.01)
 Versions 7.10 and 7.12 each offer three self-extractor formats, all in some [[EXE]] format: DOS-only (<code>/R</code> option), OS/2-only (<code>/P</code>), and DOS-OS/2 hybrid (<code>/F</code>).

@@ Line 88: / Line 88: @@
 === PAK extended records ===
 This is another kind of data that can appear after the end-of-archive marker. Refer to [[PAK (ARC extension)]].
 == Identifiers ==

@@ Line 116: / Line 116: @@
 ** Packaged for Debian-based Linux distributions: <tt>apt-get install nomarch</tt>
 * [https://sourceforge.net/projects/arc/ ARC (for Unix)] - Portable software based on ARC source code
-* ARC - DOS binaries
+* ARC - DOS binaries, etc.
 ** v3.10 (1985-05-01): See [http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=699 old-dos.ru]
 ** v4.11 (1985-07-02): [https://archive.org/details/science-libraryb Libris Britannia 4] → science library(b)/COMMUNIC/0132.ZIP → ARC.EXE
@@ Line 127: / Line 127: @@
 ** {{CdTextfiles|originalsw/25/arc512.com|v5.12}} (1986-02-05) (For self-extraction to work, must be renamed to "ARC51.COM".)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|originalsw/25/arc520.com|v5.20}} (1986-10-24)
-** v5.21 (1987-04-22): [https://archive.org/details/HAMCALL_CD-ROM_Buckmaster_April_1991 HAMCALL CD ROM April 1991] → HAMCALL CD-ROM (Buckmaster)(April 1991).{BIN,CUE} → ziparc/arc/arc.exe (possibly an unofficial build)
+** "v5.21" (1987-04-22): [https://archive.org/details/HAMCALL_CD-ROM_Buckmaster_April_1991 HAMCALL CD ROM April 1991] → HAMCALL CD-ROM (Buckmaster)(April 1991).{BIN,CUE} → ziparc/arc/arc.exe (possibly an unofficial build)
 ** v6.00 (Dated "January of 1989", but timestamps suggest 1989-02-10): [https://archive.org/details/PCMCDS Discos PCManía] → PCMania CD15.nrg → sharewre/zip/arc600.exe
 ** {{CdTextfiles|pcmedic/utils/compress/arc601.exe|v6.01}} (Dated "January of 1989", but timestamps suggest 1989-02-23)
-** {{CdTextfiles|hof91/arc/arc602.exe|v6.02}} (Dated "January of 1989", but timestamps suggest 1989-03-14)
+** {{CdTextfiles|hof91/arc/arc602.exe|v6.02 &#x5b;variant 1&#x5d;}} (Dated "January of 1989", but timestamps suggest 1989-03-14)
-** {{CdTextfiles|rbbsv3n1/atnu/arc602.exe|v6.02}} - Same ARC.EXE as above, but has updated documentation (1989-04-21) and other differences.
+** {{CdTextfiles|rbbsv3n1/atnu/arc602.exe|v6.02 &#x5b;variant 2&#x5d;}} - Same ARC.EXE as above, but has updated documentation (1989-04-21) and other differences.
 ** ARC+Plus v7.10 (1990-10-04): [https://archive.org/details/floppycollection_NumberedFloppies] → 370.img → ARC71.ZIP
 ** {{CdTextfiles|svplatinum/CDR31/ARC712.ZIP|ARC+Plus v7.12}} (~1991-01-24)
@@ Line 138: / Line 139: @@
 ** {{CdTextfiles|pcmedic/utils/compress/arc520s.zip|ARC v5.20 source code}}
 ** [https://www.funet.fi/index/msdos/packing/archiver/arc521s.zip ARC v5.21 source code]
-* XARC - A minimal ARC extractor from SEA (DOS binaries)
+*** {{CdTextfiles|hobbesos29503/16BIT/ARCHIVER/ARC521_2.ZIP|ARC521_2.ZIP}}
 ** {{CdTextfiles|carousel/013C/XARC.ZIP|v4.31}} (1985-10-10)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|microhaus/mhblackbox3/ARCHIVER/XARC500.ZIP|v5.00}} (1986-01-23)
-** {{CdTextfiles|microhaus/mhblackbox3/ARCHIVER/XARC71.ZIP|v7.1}} (1990-10)
+** {{CdTextfiles|microhaus/mhblackbox3/ARCHIVER/XARC71.ZIP|v7.10}} (1990-10) (binary for DOS & OS/2)
-** {{CdTextfiles|pier/pier01/001a/xarc712.zip|v7.12}} (1990-10?)
+** {{CdTextfiles|pier/pier01/001a/xarc712.zip|v7.12 &#x5b;variant 2&#x5d;}} (1990-10?) (binary for DOS only)
 * ARCE (or ARC-E), by Wayne Chin and Vernon D. Buerg - An optimized ARC extractor for DOS
 ** {{CdTextfiles|simtel/simtel9510/disk2/DISC2/ARCHIVER/ARCE41A.ZIP|ARCE v4.1a}} (1992-04-12)
@@ Line 148: / Line 150: @@
 * PKARC/PKPAK (DOS binaries) - See [[PKARC/PKPAK#Software]].
 * PAK - See [[PAK (ARC extension)#Software]].
 == Sample files ==