PAK (ARC extension) - Revision history

Jsummers: /* Identification */

2024-11-23T15:38:10Z

‎Identification

Jsummers at 19:30, 21 November 2024

2024-11-21T19:30:24Z

Jsummers: /* Software */

2024-05-18T12:13:34Z

‎Software

AmigoJack: fixing hex prefixes

2023-10-18T14:21:14Z

fixing hex prefixes

Jsummers at 21:38, 10 July 2022

2022-07-10T21:38:26Z

Jsummers at 15:14, 10 July 2022

2022-07-10T15:14:59Z

Jsummers at 14:36, 13 June 2021

2021-06-13T14:36:34Z

Jsummers at 19:54, 29 June 2020

2020-06-29T19:54:54Z

Jsummers at 14:26, 28 June 2020

2020-06-28T14:26:55Z

Jsummers at 18:52, 27 February 2020

2020-02-27T18:52:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:38, 23 November 2024
Line 45:		Line 45:

	A file that ends with <code>0xfe 0x00</code> could also be identifiable as PAK format if the first byte is <code>0x1a</code> and the second is <code>0x02</code>, <code>0x08</code>, or <code>0x09</code>. That could happen if the first member file was not compressible, or was compressed with non-default options.		A file that ends with <code>0xfe 0x00</code> could also be identifiable as PAK format if the first byte is <code>0x1a</code> and the second is <code>0x02</code>, <code>0x08</code>, or <code>0x09</code>. That could happen if the first member file was not compressible, or was compressed with non-default options.
		+
		+	=== Identification of self-extracting archives ===
		+	Self-extracting archives for a given version are highly formulaic, and should be easy to identify as such. But it's not clear that there's any simple way to identify all versions.
		+
		+	For GSARC and PAK v1.0, the byte sequence
		+
		+	fb ba 53 03 2e 89 16 65 01 b4 30 cd 21 8b 2e 02
		+
		+	appears at offset 512.
		+
		+	The byte sequence
		+
		+	55 8b ec 8b 46 0a 8b 4e 08 0b c9 74 17 c4 76 04
		+
		+	appears at offset 512 for v1.51-1.6, offset 513 for v2.01-2.10, or offset 515 for v2.50-2.51.

	== Specifications ==		== Specifications ==

@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 * PAKF - A menu-driven edition of PAK (commercial software)
 * [[The Unarchiver]] - Supports the PAK-specific compression schemes
 == Sample files ==
-* {{CdTextfiles|carousel/ATARI/ARC2PAK1.PAK|ARC2PAK1.PAK}}
+* {{CdTextfiles|carousel/ATARI/ARC2PAK1.PAK|ARC2PAK1.PAK}} (compression method 10)
-* [{{SACFTPURL|utiltext|asa57.zip}} asa57.zip] → ASA57U.EXE - Example of a self-extracting PAK archive
+* {{CdTextfiles|nopv18/007A/IE111SEP.ZIP|IE111SEP.ZIP}} → INTRECHO.PAK (compression method 11)

@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 * PAK (DOS binaries)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|hof91/ARC/PAK10.EXE|v1.0}} (1988-10-17)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|rbbsv3n1/pc_s/pak16.zip|v1.6}} (1989-01-24)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|rbbsv3n1/pc_s/pak210.exe|v2.10}} (1989-08-10)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|rbbsv3n1/pc_s/pak250.exe|v2.50}} (1990-09-20)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|simtel/simtel20/MSDOS/ARCHIVRS/PAK251.EXE|v2.51}} (1990-10-08)
 *** {{CdTextfiles|ftp.wwiv.com/pub/COMPRESS/PAK251.EXE|Another copy}}, packaged differently
 * [[The Unarchiver]] - Supports the PAK-specific compression schemes

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 == Identification ==
-PAK format files made by PAK/GSARC v1.0 typically start with bytes <code>00x1a 0x0a</code>, and end with <code>00x1a 0x00</code>.
+PAK format files made by PAK/GSARC v1.0 typically start with bytes <code>0x1a 0x0a</code>, and end with <code>0x1a 0x00</code>.
-Files made by PAK v1.5–1.6 typically start with <code>00x1a 0x0a</code>, and end with <code>00xfe 0x00</code>.
+Files made by PAK v1.5–1.6 typically start with <code>0x1a 0x0a</code>, and end with <code>0xfe 0x00</code>.
-Files made by PAK v2.0+ typically start with <code>00x1a 0x0b</code>, and end with <code>00xfe 0x00</code>.
+Files made by PAK v2.0+ typically start with <code>0x1a 0x0b</code>, and end with <code>0xfe 0x00</code>.
-A file that ends with <code>0xfe 0x00</code> could also be identifiable as PAK format if the first byte is <code>0x1a</code> and the second is <code>0x02</code>, <code>00x08</code>, or <code>00x09</code>. That could happen if the first member file was not compressible, or was compressed with non-default options.
+A file that ends with <code>0xfe 0x00</code> could also be identifiable as PAK format if the first byte is <code>0x1a</code> and the second is <code>0x02</code>, <code>0x08</code>, or <code>0x09</code>. That could happen if the first member file was not compressible, or was compressed with non-default options.
 == Specifications ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:38, 10 July 2022
Line 35:		Line 35:

	Such archives contain an embedded PAK file, with apparently one special case: PAK v1.6 (and only that version) when the file includes remarks (comments). In that case, the remarks are interleaved with the member files in a way that is not normal for PAK format.		Such archives contain an embedded PAK file, with apparently one special case: PAK v1.6 (and only that version) when the file includes remarks (comments). In that case, the remarks are interleaved with the member files in a way that is not normal for PAK format.
		+
		+	== Identification ==
		+
		+	PAK format files made by PAK/GSARC v1.0 typically start with bytes <code>00x1a 0x0a</code>, and end with <code>00x1a 0x00</code>.
		+
		+	Files made by PAK v1.5–1.6 typically start with <code>00x1a 0x0a</code>, and end with <code>00xfe 0x00</code>.
		+
		+	Files made by PAK v2.0+ typically start with <code>00x1a 0x0b</code>, and end with <code>00xfe 0x00</code>.
		+
		+	A file that ends with <code>0xfe 0x00</code> could also be identifiable as PAK format if the first byte is <code>0x1a</code> and the second is <code>0x02</code>, <code>00x08</code>, or <code>00x09</code>. That could happen if the first member file was not compressible, or was compressed with non-default options.

	== Specifications ==		== Specifications ==

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 See [[PAK]] for more formats named PAK.
-== Compression methods ==
+== Format details ==
 ARC compression methods unique to PAK:
@@ Line 28: / Line 30: @@
 For other ARC compression methods, see [[ARC (compression format)#Compression methods]].
 == Specifications ==
@@ Line 45: / Line 52: @@
 == Sample files ==
 * {{CdTextfiles|carousel/ATARI/ARC2PAK1.PAK|ARC2PAK1.PAK}}

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 '''PAK''' is a DOS utility for managing compressed archive files, developed by NoGate Consulting. It is also the name of one of the file formats it supports: .PAK format.
-PAK format is an extension of [[ARC (compression format)|ARC]] format. The differences are that it may use some PAK-specific compression methods (#10 "crushed", and #11 "distilled"), and that it has some features made possible by "extended records" stored after the end-of-archive marker.
+PAK format is an extension of [[ARC (compression format)|ARC]] format. The differences are that it may use some PAK-specific compression methods (see below), and that it has some features made possible by "extended records" stored after the end-of-archive marker.
 PAK was originally named '''GSARC''' (and used filename extension .ARC), but was quickly renamed to PAK (and the default extension changed to .PAK).
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 == Disambiguation ==
 See [[PAK]] for more formats named PAK.
 == Specifications ==

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 PAK format is an extension of [[ARC (compression format)|ARC]] format. The differences are that it may use some PAK-specific compression methods (#10 "crushed", and #11 "distilled"), and that it has some features made possible by "extended records" stored after the end-of-archive marker.
-According to the documentation, the PAK software was originally (very briefly) named '''GSARC'''.
+PAK was originally named '''GSARC''' (and used filename extension .ARC), but was quickly renamed to PAK (and the default extension changed to .PAK).
 See [[ARC (compression format)|ARC]] for more information relevant to PAK format. See also [[SDN (SDN Project)]].
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 == Software ==
-* PAK (software for DOS)
+* {{CdTextfiles|hof91/ARC/GSARC10.EXE|GSARC v1.0}} (1988-10-13) (DOS binary)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|rbbsv3n1/pc_s/pak16.zip|v1.6}} (1989-01-24)
 ** {{CdTextfiles|rbbsv3n1/pc_s/pak210.exe|v2.10}} (1989-08-10)

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 |formattype=electronic
 |subcat=Archiving
-|extensions={{ext|pak}}
+|extensions={{ext|pak}}, {{ext|sdn}}
 |released=1988
 }}
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 According to the documentation, the PAK software was originally (very briefly) named '''GSARC'''.
-See [[ARC (compression format)|ARC]] for more information relevant to PAK format.
+See [[ARC (compression format)|ARC]] for more information relevant to PAK format. See also [[SDN (SDN Project)]].
 == Disambiguation ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:52, 27 February 2020
Line 26:		Line 26:
	** {{CdTextfiles\|simtel/simtel20/MSDOS/ARCHIVRS/PAK251.EXE\|v2.51}} (1990-10-08)		** {{CdTextfiles\|simtel/simtel20/MSDOS/ARCHIVRS/PAK251.EXE\|v2.51}} (1990-10-08)
	*** {{CdTextfiles\|ftp.wwiv.com/pub/COMPRESS/PAK251.EXE\|Another copy}}, packaged differently		*** {{CdTextfiles\|ftp.wwiv.com/pub/COMPRESS/PAK251.EXE\|Another copy}}, packaged differently
		+	* [[The Unarchiver]] - Supports the PAK-specific compression schemes
		+
		+	== Sample files ==
		+	* {{CdTextfiles\|carousel/ATARI/ARC2PAK1.PAK\|ARC2PAK1.PAK}}