PKLITE - Revision history

Jsummers: /* Software */

2026-10-11T18:20:39Z

‎Software

Jsummers: /* Software */

2026-10-01T17:49:57Z

‎Software

Jsummers: /* Software */

2026-10-01T11:51:16Z

‎Software

Jsummers at 11:16, 27 September 2026

2026-09-27T11:16:10Z

Jsummers: /* Specifications */

2026-08-16T13:40:35Z

‎Specifications

Jsummers: /* Software */

2025-11-23T14:54:37Z

‎Software

Jsummers: /* Software */

2025-10-04T14:16:05Z

‎Software

Jsummers at 18:46, 13 July 2025

2025-07-13T18:46:17Z

Jsummers: /* Format details */

2025-03-23T15:17:57Z

‎Format details

Jsummers: /* Format details */

2025-03-23T15:07:34Z

‎Format details

@@ Line 169: / Line 169: @@
 ** v1.00β/1990-09-04: [{{DiscMasterURL|browse/46522/no%20label%20-%203crf0rhgf.img/UT/PKLITE.EXE}}]
 ** fake v1.20 (1992-08-20): [{{CdTextfilesURL|thegreatunsorted/old_apps/dosutils/pklite.zip}}], [http://www.dcee.net/Files/Archiver/pklt120r.arj], [http://pub.agrarix.net/DOS/COMPRESS/PKLT120R.ARJ]
-** Hacked "XADi" version of PKLITE 2.01-shareware. Claims to support the <code>-e</code> option, but it only does a little of what the real software does.
+** Hacked "TED/UCF" version of v1.50-shareware. Creates files labeled "v1.51".
 *** [https://archive.org/details/cdrom-twilight-004 Twilight 004] → various/xadip201.zip (or {{DiscMasterLink|browse/41679/Twilight004.iso/various/xadip201.zip|at DiscMaster}})
 *** [https://vetusware.com/download/PKLite%202.01%20-e%20enabled/?id=9762 at vetusware.com]

@@ Line 197: / Line 197: @@
 * {{CdTextfiles|simtel/simtel20/MSDOS/EXECOMP/LOWFIX.ZIP|LOWFIX}} - Patches v1.00-1.05 to fix bugs, and changes the version number to 1.06.
 * [https://github.com/jsummers/pkla pkla] - Analyzer utility
 * See also [[MEGALITE]]
 * See also [[PKTINY]]

@@ Line 167: / Line 167: @@
 ** {{CdTextfiles|swinnund/disk3/FILEUTIL/PKLITE.ZIP|v1.00β/1990-05-29}} (leaked private beta[http://cd.textfiles.com/simtel/simtel20/MSDOS/INFO/PKLITE.WRN])
 ** v1.00β/1990-07-17: {{DiscMasterLink|browse/33121/ibm0000-0009/ibm0009.tar/ibm0009/PKLITE1B.ZIP|PKLITE1B.ZIP}} (apparently another leaked private beta)
 ** fake v1.20 (1992-08-20): [{{CdTextfilesURL|thegreatunsorted/old_apps/dosutils/pklite.zip}}], [http://www.dcee.net/Files/Archiver/pklt120r.arj], [http://pub.agrarix.net/DOS/COMPRESS/PKLT120R.ARJ]
 ** Hacked "XADi" version of PKLITE 2.01-shareware. Claims to support the <code>-e</code> option, but it only does a little of what the real software does.

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 The nine free versions listed in the Software section are probably all there were.
-It seems plausible that the official Pro versions correspond to the free versions, except that whether v1.00 Pro existed is unclear.
+The release history of the Pro versions is less clear. There's evidence of one for each shareware version, except possibly v1.00. Pro v1.11 also exists, in some capacity.
 PKWARE maintained a special internal version of PKLITE, used to compress many of the files they distributed, and the executable part of many [[self-extracting ZIP]] files. Such files are usually labeled v1.20, with a few of the earliest labeled v1.10. "1.20" does not represent a single format version; it's a whole line of formats, independent of the released versions.
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 There is a widely-distributed fake v1.20, which is actually a hacked copy of v1.12 Pro. The files it creates are labeled v1.12. There's no evidence of any legitimate v1.20 release.
-There's evidence of some other versions used by companies outside of PKWARE, perhaps as part of a private beta test program. Files made by such versions can sometimes be identified in one way or another, though not all of them have a unique version number. In particular, files labeled v1.11, v1.16, or v2.00 may have such an origin. Note that the existence of v2.00β is confirmed by [[GetTyp]].
+There's evidence of some other versions used by companies outside of PKWARE, perhaps as part of a private beta test program. Files made by such versions can sometimes be identified in one way or another, though not all of them have a unique version number. In particular, files labeled v1.16 or v2.00 may have such an origin. Note that the existence of v2.00β is confirmed by [[GetTyp]].
 == Bugs and issues ==
@@ Line 117: / Line 117: @@
 |-
 |<code>b8 ?? ?? ba ?? ?? 05 00 00 3b 06 02 00 73</code>
-|1.12-1.13, some "1.20"
+|1.11-1.13, some "1.20"
 |-
 |<code>b8 ?? ?? ba ?? ?? 05 00 00 3b 06 02 00 72</code>
@@ Line 164: / Line 164: @@
 ** [http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=720 PKLite at old-dos.ru] - various versions
 ** Various versions: [https://github.com/camoto-project/testexe/tree/master/pklite]
 ** {{CdTextfiles|swinnund/disk3/FILEUTIL/PKLITE.ZIP|v1.00β/1990-05-29}} (leaked private beta[http://cd.textfiles.com/simtel/simtel20/MSDOS/INFO/PKLITE.WRN])
 ** v1.00β/1990-07-17: {{DiscMasterLink|browse/33121/ibm0000-0009/ibm0009.tar/ibm0009/PKLITE1B.ZIP|PKLITE1B.ZIP}} (apparently another leaked private beta)
@@ Line 220: / Line 221: @@
 * 1.03 EXE: {{CdTextfiles|simtel/stmsdos9709/disk1/DISC1/MAILNEWS/NWRTH210.ZIP|NWRTH210.ZIP}}
 * 1.05 EXE: {{CdTextfiles|simtel/stmsdos9709/disk1/DISC1/INSTAL/APPINST.ZIP|APPINST.ZIP}}
 * 1.12 EXE: {{CdTextfiles|simtel/stmsdos9709/disk1/DISC1/SECURITY/MPGP11.ZIP|MPGP11.ZIP}}, {{CdTextfiles|simtel/stmsdos9709/disk1/DISC1/DISKUTIL/DCP41.ZIP|DCP41.ZIP}}
 * 1.13 EXE: {{CdTextfiles|simtel/stmsdos9709/disk1/DISC1/TXTUTL/FAQ12.ZIP|FAQ12.ZIP}}, {{CdTextfiles|simtel/stmsdos9709/disk1/DISC1/FILEUTIL/MD5SUM.ZIP|MD5SUM.ZIP}}
@@ Line 254: / Line 259: @@
 Oddities:
 * {{CdTextfiles|swextrav1993/disk3/diskutil/sd_200.zip|sd_200.zip}} → SD.EXE - File from StupenDOS, a PKWARE spin-off product. Apparently made by a pre-release version of PKLITE, then apparently code-named "PKPACK" (but not to be confused with [[PKARC/PKPAK|PKPAK]]).
 * There are two unusual PKLITE-compressed files included with PC-DOS 6.3 (e.g. [https://winworldpc.com/product/pc-dos/6x at WinWorld]), apparently made by a beta or special version of PKLITE.
 ** PC-DOS 6.3 → Disk 1 → FORMAT.COM - Version "1.16"

@@ Line 148: / Line 148: @@
 * [https://moddingwiki.shikadi.net/wiki/PKLite ModdingWiki: PKLite]
 * [https://github.com/afritz1/OpenTESArena/blob/main/docs/pklite_specification.md PKLITE V1.12 compression format]
 == Software ==

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:46, 13 July 2025
Line 21:		Line 21:

	There's evidence of some other versions used by companies outside of PKWARE, perhaps as part of a private beta test program. Files made by such versions can sometimes be identified in one way or another, though not all of them have a unique version number. In particular, files labeled v1.11, v1.16, or v2.00 may have such an origin. Note that the existence of v2.00β is confirmed by [[GetTyp]].		There's evidence of some other versions used by companies outside of PKWARE, perhaps as part of a private beta test program. Files made by such versions can sometimes be identified in one way or another, though not all of them have a unique version number. In particular, files labeled v1.11, v1.16, or v2.00 may have such an origin. Note that the existence of v2.00β is confirmed by [[GetTyp]].
		+
		+	== Bugs and issues ==
		+	PKLITE versions 1.03 and earlier create EXE files that may not work if loaded at a very low memory address, as MS-DOS 5.0 and higher will do in some configurations. This can be fixed temporarily using the "LOADFIX" utility included with most relevant implementations of DOS. It can (usually) be fixed permanently by patching the file using the LOWFIX utility listed in the Software section below, or by decompressing the file.
		+
		+	According to LOWFIX, there is also a bug in v1.05, which LOWFIX can also patch. But it's not clear what it is.

	== Format details ==		== Format details ==

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 The signature is normally ASCII "<code>PK</code>". In most files made by PKWARE, it is instead lowercase "<code>pk</code>".
-Though this feature not exist in shareware versions, it is covered in the documentation included with v2.01 shareware.
+Though this feature doesn't exist in shareware versions, it is covered in the documentation included with v2.01 shareware.
 Some PKLITE decompression utilities, notably DISLITE and UNP, have the ability to patch decompressed files, inserting some code to reproduce the PSP signature. Sometimes this works, but it means that some decompressed files will not be in their original form. Instead, they'll be in a special patched format that could be identified as such.

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:07, 23 March 2025
Line 51:		Line 51:

	A decompression utility does not necessarily have to decrypt the decompressor in order to decompress the file. But doing so allows the compression parameters to be determined more reliably. And it ''is'' necessary for files with ''encrypted offsets'', because the offset decryption key is embedded in the encrypted decompressor.		A decompression utility does not necessarily have to decrypt the decompressor in order to decompress the file. But doing so allows the compression parameters to be determined more reliably. And it ''is'' necessary for files with ''encrypted offsets'', because the offset decryption key is embedded in the encrypted decompressor.
		+
		+	=== PSP signature ===
		+	Most files with an encrypted decompressor also feature a "PSP signature" protection mechanism. The decompressor writes a two-byte signature to a particular place in memory (offset 0x5c of the ''program segment prefix''). The idea is that if the file were to be decompressed, the code that writes the signature would be lost. So, the payload program could look for the signature, and (for example) refuse to run if it's not present. Or it could try to destroy itself, which is what some PKWARE programs do.
		+
		+	The signature is normally ASCII "<code>PK</code>". In most files made by PKWARE, it is instead lowercase "<code>pk</code>".
		+
		+	Though this feature not exist in shareware versions, it is covered in the documentation included with v2.01 shareware.
		+
		+	Some PKLITE decompression utilities, notably DISLITE and UNP, have the ability to patch decompressed files, inserting some code to reproduce the PSP signature. Sometimes this works, but it means that some decompressed files will not be in their original form. Instead, they'll be in a special patched format that could be identified as such.

	== Identification ==		== Identification ==