OS/2 PACK archive
OS/2 PACK archive is a compressed archive format used for software installation on OS/2.
There are at least four or five versions of it. For the version that starts with bytes a5 96 fd ff, see OS/2 PACK2 archive.
PACK format is generally associated with the OS/2 PACK.EXE and UNPACK.EXE utilities.
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Format details
Compression scheme
The compression is a kind of LZW with 12-bit codes. Code 0 marks the end of data; codes 1-256 are literals; 257-4095 are dynamic. If the code table is full, the least-recently-used leaf code is reused.
This is the same compression used by LoadDskF/SaveDskF.
Other format details
Some versions of the format support OS/2 extended attributes, compressed independently following the compressed file data.
Identification
Known versions of the format start with one of the following byte sequences:
a5 96 00 14 a5 96 14 0a a5 96 ff ff a5 96 fe ff
See also OS/2 PACK2 archive#Identification (a5 96 fd ff).
Software
OS/2 software:
- UNPACK.EXE (Included with OS/2; also found in other packages.)
- OS/2 Shareware BBS Full Collection → 33-VDrivers.zip → cirrus1.zip → UNPACK.EXE
- OS/2 Shareware BBS Full Collection → 10-Tools.zip → warptlk3.zip → TOOLKIT/BIN/PACK.EXE
Other:
Sample files
Version "00 14":
- NCRVID21.ZIP → os2vid21.img → *.??@
Version "14 0a":
- 40x9su32.zip → 4029SU3.ZIP → *.??@
Version "ff ff":
- The Arsenal Files → OS2_APP/CS0054-2.DSK → FIX/CS2/*.??@
Version "fe ff":
Assorted versions:
