BSArc and BSA - Revision history

Sembiance: sample files

2025-01-20T19:46:46Z

sample files

Jsummers at 20:09, 22 January 2022

2022-01-22T20:09:02Z

Jsummers at 19:19, 22 January 2022

2022-01-22T19:19:34Z

Jsummers at 16:01, 16 November 2020

2020-11-16T16:01:44Z

Jsummers: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Archiving |extensions={{ext|bsa}}, {{ext|bsn}} |released=1991? }} '''BSArc''' and '''BSA''' are compressed archive utilities, and a..."

2020-11-12T16:15:01Z

Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Archiving |extensions={{ext|bsa}}, {{ext|bsn}} |released=1991? }} '''BSArc''' and '''BSA''' are compressed archive utilities, and a..."

New page

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Archiving
|extensions={{ext|bsa}}, {{ext|bsn}}
|released=1991?
}}
'''BSArc''' and '''BSA''' are compressed archive utilities, and associated file formats. They were developed by PhysTechSoft (PTS), a Russian software company better known for the PTS-DOS operating system ([[Wikipedia:PTS-DOS|Wikipedia article]]). BSArc is also credited to Serg Babitchew. The relationship between BSArc and BSA is unclear.

BSA, at least, was apparently available for a number of different platforms. It lists DOS, Windows, OS/2, QNX, and Unix.

== Identifiers ==
Confusingly, BSArc's default file extension is '''.bsa''', and BSA's is '''.bsn'''.

== Identification ==
A possibly signature for BSArc's .bsa files is {{magic|0x00 0xAE}} at offset 1, followed by a byte with value {{magic|0x02}}, {{magic|0x03}}, or {{magic|0x07}}.

BSA's .bsn files probably begin with signature {{magic|0xFF 'B' 'S' 'G'}}. [[IDArc]] says this sequence may also start at offset 1 or 3.

[[IDArc]] also identifies a format it calls "BS2/BSArc", which starts with {{magic|0xD4 0x03 'S' 'B' ' ' 0x00}}.

== Software ==
* [http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=1421 BSArc at old-dos.ru]
* [http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=704 BSA at old-dos.ru]
* [https://www.sac.sk/download/pack/bsfx19.exe BSArc V1.9.3] (DOS software, Russian)
* [http://files.mpoli.fi/software/DOS/COMPRESS/BSA200.ZIP BSA 2.00 Rel 0.972] (DOS software, English)
* [https://www.sac.sk/download/pack/bsa.zip BSA 2.0 Rel 1.10] (DOS software, English)

== Links ==
* [http://phystechsoft.ru/ PhysTechSoft website]

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 The three file extensions seem to correspond to three distinct file formats. But the software name is not always used consistently. Roughly speaking, the "BSArc" software uses .BSA or .BS2 format, and is generally older than the "BSA" software, which (confusingly) uses .BSN format.
-It's not just that the software name was changed; there is a BSArc v2.00 (which uses .BS2 format), and a BSA v2.00 (which uses .BSA format).
+It's not just that the software name was changed; there is a BSArc v2.00 (which uses .BS2 format), and a BSA v2.00 (which uses .BSN format).
 == Identification ==

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 * [http://files.mpoli.fi/software/DOS/COMPRESS/BSA200.ZIP BSA 2.00 Rel 0.972] (DOS software, English)
 * [https://www.sac.sk/download/pack/bsa.zip BSA 2.0 Rel 1.10] (DOS software, English)
 == Links ==
 * [http://phystechsoft.ru/ PhysTechSoft website]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |formattype=electronic
 |subcat=Archiving
-|extensions={{ext|bsa}}, {{ext|bsn}}
+|extensions={{ext|bsa}}, {{ext|bs2}}, {{ext|bsn}}
 |released=1991?
 }}
-'''BSArc''' and '''BSA''' are compressed archive utilities, and associated file formats. They were developed by PhysTechSoft (PTS), a Russian software company better known for the PTS-DOS operating system ([[Wikipedia:PTS-DOS|Wikipedia article]]). BSArc is also credited to Serg Babitchew. The relationship between BSArc and BSA is unclear.
+'''.BSA''', '''.BS2''', and '''.BSN''' are compressed archive formats associated with a group of archiving utilities that includes ''BSArc'' (or ''BS ARChiver'') and ''BSA''. They were developed by PhysTechSoft (PTS), a Russian software company better known for the PTS-DOS operating system ([[Wikipedia:PTS-DOS|Wikipedia article]]). BSArc is also credited to Serg Babitchew.
-BSA, at least, was apparently available for a number of different platforms. It lists DOS, Windows, OS/2, QNX, and Unix.
+BSArc is for DOS. BSA was apparently available for a number of different platforms: It lists DOS, Windows, OS/2, QNX, and Unix.
-== Identifiers ==
+== Format details ==
-Confusingly, BSArc's default file extension is '''.bsa''', and BSA's is '''.bsn'''.
+The three file extensions seem to correspond to three distinct file formats. But the software name is not always used consistently. Roughly speaking, the "BSArc" software uses .BSA or .BS2 format, and is generally older than the "BSA" software, which (confusingly) uses .BSN format.
 == Identification ==
-A possible signature for BSArc's .bsa files is {{magic|0x00 0xAE}} at offset 1, followed by a byte with value {{magic|0x02}}, {{magic|0x03}}, or {{magic|0x07}}.
+A possible signature for .BSA format is {{magic|0x00 0xAE}} at offset 1, followed by a byte with value {{magic|0x02}}, {{magic|0x03}}, or {{magic|0x07}}.
-BSA's .bsn files probably begin with signature {{magic|0xFF 'B' 'S' 'G'}}. [[IDArc]] says this sequence may also start at offset 1 or 3.
+.BS2 files probably begin with {{magic|0xd4 0x03 'S' 'B' '&nbsp;' 0x00}}.
-[[IDArc]] also identifies a format it calls "BS2/BSArc", which starts with {{magic|0xD4 0x03 'S' 'B' '&nbsp;' 0x00}}.
+.BSN files probably begin with signature {{magic|0xff 'B' 'S' 'G'}}. [[IDArc]] says this sequence may also start at offset 1 or 3.
 == Software ==