PKLITE
PKLITE is an executable compression utility, from the makers of PKZIP (see ZIP). There was a free-for-noncommercial-use version, and a "Professional" version.
It supports mainly DOS .EXE and .COM formats. Version 2.01 added the ability to compress Windows 3.x executables.
Many files compressed by PKLITE can be decompressed by PKLITE, using the -x option. The main exception is files compressed with -e, an option only available in the Professional version.
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Identification
The PKLITE software includes a "CHK4LITE.EXE" utility that identifies PKLITE-compressed files, and the version of PKLITE they were created with.
PKLITE-compressed files normally contain a copyright message near the beginning of the file (though this is not a very robust way to identify them). Based on limited testing, the message starts with either "PKLITE" or "PKlite". It is at offset 46 or 48 for COM files, 28 for DOS EXE files, 66 for Windows EXE files. Exception: COM files from v1.00ß have "PK Copyr" at offset 38.
Technical notes
Version 1.20
The CHK4LITE utility will identify some files as having been compressed with "PKLITE Ver. 1.20", but there is no free version 1.20. There is a Professional version that creates these files, though it's not completely clear which one.
There is also a fake version that claims to be v1.20 (look for "pklt120r.arj"), but is actually a hacked copy of v1.12 Professional. The files it creates will be identified as version "1.12".
Specifications
Software
- PKLITE freeware/shareware, for DOS
- PKLITE (other)
Static decompression:
- PKLITE (with
-xoption) - depklite (Not a complete decompression utility, but maybe useful.)
Dynamic decompression:
- DISLITE (notable because its source code was released)
- v1.17a: [12], [13]
- Source code
- A number of other DOS utilities exist to decompress PKLITE files; a few are at [14].
