XPACK - Revision history

Jsummers: /* Software */

2025-05-18T12:24:35Z

‎Software

Jsummers: /* Disambiguation */

2021-09-17T16:56:55Z

‎Disambiguation

Jsummers at 01:23, 25 August 2021

2021-08-25T01:23:45Z

Jsummers: /* Disambiguation */

2021-08-21T14:42:04Z

‎Disambiguation

Jsummers: Updates due to splitting this article into multiple articles

2021-08-21T14:20:57Z

Updates due to splitting this article into multiple articles

Jsummers at 19:35, 20 August 2021

2021-08-20T19:35:40Z

Jsummers: /* Identification */ Don't know where I got capital "XPA" from. Can't reproduce

2021-08-20T19:30:54Z

‎Identification: Don't know where I got capital "XPA" from. Can't reproduce

Jsummers at 13:14, 25 August 2020

2020-08-25T13:14:26Z

Jsummers at 17:30, 18 October 2019

2019-10-18T17:30:32Z

Jsummers: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Compression |subcat2=Executable compression |extensions={{ext|xpa}}, {{ext|xdi}}, others/special |released=1995 }} '''XPACK''' is a..."

2019-10-09T20:09:23Z

Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=Compression |subcat2=Executable compression |extensions={{ext|xpa}}, {{ext|xdi}}, others/special |released=1995 }} '''XPACK''' is a..."

New page

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Compression
|subcat2=Executable compression
|extensions={{ext|xpa}}, {{ext|xdi}}, others/special
|released=1995
}}
'''XPACK''' is a multi-function compression utility for DOS, probably best known for its [[executable compression]]. It was developed by JauMing Tseng.

== Disambiguation ==
* XPACK is not the same as [[X-pack for Executable]] (XE.EXE).

* There is a Windows program by the same author, advertised as "XPACK-archiver for Win32", possibly named '''XPA''' or '''XPA32'''. Its relationship to the DOS XPACK software is not clear.

* There is an unrelated collection of DOS utilities also named XPACK: {{CdTextfiles|mhblackbox3/IBM1/XPACK.ZIP|XPACK.ZIP}}

== Format details ==
XPACK does executable compression of [[MS-DOS EXE|.EXE]] and [[DOS executable (.com)|.COM]] files.

It supports single-file compression of arbitrary data files, and has a TSR utility to do transparent decompression. Such files are presumably expected to retain their original filename.

It has an '''.XPA''' compressed archive format.

It has an '''.XDI''' compressed floppy disk image format.

== Identification ==
At least some compressed EXE files have "{{magic|xpac}}" at offset 28.

Compressed data files apparently start with bytes {{magic|cd 20 6a 6d}}.

.xpa archives possibly start with "{{magic|XPA}}".

.xdi disk images possibly start with {{magic|'j' 'm' 0x02 0x04}}.

== Software ==
* {{CdTextfiles|simtel/simtel0101/simtel/execomp/xpa167m.zip|XPACK v1.67.m}}
* {{CdTextfiles|pdos9606/ARCHIVER/EXECOMP/XPACK134.ZIP|XPACK 1.34}}
* [ftp://ftp.oldskool.org/pub/ANORMAL%20executable%20tools/DOSEXE%20Executable%20Tools%20Pack/packers/] → xpack.* ...

== Links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010701032015/http://members.nbci.com/jauming/ XPACK website (2001 archive)]

[[Category:Archiving]]
[[Category:Disk Image Formats]]

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 * {{CdTextfiles|pdos9606/ARCHIVER/EXECOMP/XPACK134.ZIP|XPACK v1.34}}
 * {{CdTextfiles|cream/cream20/compress/xpack144.zip|XPACK v1.44}}
 * {{CdTextfiles|cream/cream21/compress/xpack149.zip|XPACK v1.49}}
 * {{CdTextfiles|cream/cream23/compress/xpack160.zip|XPACK v1.60}}

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 * [[X-pack for Executable]] (XE.EXE)
 * [[xpa32]] - File archive demo / xpack-archiver for win32
-* "Xpa v0.93b - Archiver for Win32" ([{{SACFTPURL|pack|xpagui.zip}} xpagui.zip]) - 32-bit Windows GUI utility (Don't know what this is, can't get it to run.)
+* "Xpa v0.93b - Archiver for Win32" ([{{SACFTPURL|pack|xpagui.zip}} xpagui.zip]) - 32-bit Windows GUI utility (Untested; don't know what this is.)
 * "XPA v1.4.3 demo - Packer" ([{{SACFTPURL|pack|xpa.zip}} xpa.zip]) - 32-bit Windows GUI utility (Seems to be a single-file compressor/destroyer. Replaces the original file, and has no decompress function.)
 * XPACK ({{CdTextfiles|mhblackbox3/IBM1/XPACK.ZIP|XPACK.ZIP}}) - A collection of DOS utilities from around 1990.
 == Format details ==

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 At least some compressed EXE files have "{{magic|xpac}}" at offset 28.
-Compressed data files apparently start with bytes {{magic|0xcd 0x20 'j' 'm'}}.
+Compressed data files are identified by signature bytes {{magic|'j' 'm' 0x04 0x05}} at offset 2. They are also observed to start with {{magic|0xcd 0x20}}, and end with {{magic|'j' 'm'}}.
 == Software ==
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 * {{CdTextfiles|cream/cream23/compress/xpack160.zip|XPACK v1.60}}
 * {{CdTextfiles|cream/cream22/compress/xpack164.zip|XPACK v1.64}}
-* {{CdTextfiles|simtel/simtel0101/simtel/execomp/xpa167m.zip|XPACK v1.67.m}}
+* {{CdTextfiles|simtel/simtel0101/simtel/execomp/xpa167m.zip|XPACK v1.67.m}} (last version with full documentation?)
 * [{{SACFTPURL|pack|xpa167r.zip}} XPAck v1.67.r]

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 == Disambiguation ==
-* XPACK is not the same as [[X-pack for Executable]] (XE.EXE).
+This XPACK is not the same thing as...
+* [[X-pack for Executable]] (XE.EXE)
-* DOS XPACK is not the same as the [[XPA]]/[[Xpa32]]/XPAGUI/"XPACK-archiver for Win32" programs by the same author. More research is needed to understand the relationships of these things.
+* [[xpa32]] - File archive demo / xpack-archiver for win32
+* "Xpa v0.93b - Archiver for Win32" ([{{SACFTPURL|pack|xpagui.zip}} xpagui.zip]) - 32-bit Windows GUI utility (Don't know what this is, can't get it to run.)
-* There is an unrelated collection of DOS utilities also named XPACK: {{CdTextfiles|mhblackbox3/IBM1/XPACK.ZIP|XPACK.ZIP}}
+* "XPA v1.4.3 demo - Packer" ([{{SACFTPURL|pack|xpa.zip}} xpa.zip]) - 32-bit Windows GUI utility (Seems to be a single-file compressor/destroyer. Replaces the original file, and has no decompress function.)
 == Format details ==

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 |subcat=Compression
 |subcat2=Executable compression
-|extensions={{ext|xpa}}, {{ext|xdi}}, others/special
+|extensions=special
 |released=1995
 }}
-'''XPACK''' (written '''XPAck''' in v1.67.r) is a multi-function compression utility for DOS, probably best known for its [[executable compression]]. It was developed by JauMing Tseng. Some versions were distributed as freeware, others as shareware.
+'''XPACK''' (often written '''XPAck''' in later versions) is a multi-function compression utility for DOS, probably best known for its [[executable compression]]. It was developed by JauMing Tseng. Some versions were distributed as freeware, others as shareware.
 == Disambiguation ==
@@ Line 20: / Line 24: @@
 It supports single-file compression of arbitrary data files, and has a TSR utility to do transparent decompression. Such files are presumably expected to retain their original filename.
-It has an '''.XPA''' compressed archive format.
+It has an [[XPACK archive|.XPA]] compressed archive format.
-It has an '''.XDI''' compressed floppy disk image format.
+It has an [[XPACK disk image|.XDI]] compressed floppy disk image format.
 == Identification ==
 At least some compressed EXE files have "{{magic|xpac}}" at offset 28.
-Compressed data files apparently start with bytes {{magic|cd 20 6a 6d}}.
+Compressed data files apparently start with bytes {{magic|0xcd 0x20 'j' 'm'}}.
-−
-.xpa archives start with {{magic|'x' 'p' 'a' 0x18}}, followed by 11 {{magic|0x00}} bytes.
-−
-.xdi disk images possibly start with {{magic|'j' 'm' 0x02 0x04}}.
 == Software ==
@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 == Links ==
 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20010701032015/http://members.nbci.com/jauming/ XPACK website (2001 archive)]

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 * XPACK is not the same as [[X-pack for Executable]] (XE.EXE).
-* There is a Windows program (presumably [ftp://ftp.oldskool.org/pub/ANORMAL%20executable%20tools/DOSEXE%20Executable%20Tools%20Pack/packers/xpa.143-jauming%20tseng/ this one]) by the same author, advertised as "XPACK-archiver for Win32", possibly named '''XPA''' or '''XPA32'''. Its relationship to the DOS XPACK software is not clear.
+* DOS XPACK is not the same as the [[XPA]]/XPA32/XPAGUI/"XPACK-archiver for Win32" programs by the same author. More research is needed to understand the relationships of these things.
 * There is an unrelated collection of DOS utilities also named XPACK: {{CdTextfiles|mhblackbox3/IBM1/XPACK.ZIP|XPACK.ZIP}}
@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 * {{CdTextfiles|simtel/simtel0101/simtel/execomp/xpa167m.zip|XPACK v1.67.m}}
 * {{CdTextfiles|pdos9606/ARCHIVER/EXECOMP/XPACK134.ZIP|XPACK 1.34}}
-* [ftp://ftp.oldskool.org/pub/ANORMAL%20executable%20tools/DOSEXE%20Executable%20Tools%20Pack/packers/] → xpack.* ...
+* {{OldskoolDOSEXE}} → Executable Tools Pack → packers/x-pack.167*
 == Links ==