External Archive(r) (UC2) Handling Problem

[(john)]

Howdy,

First, "Treat archives like directories" unchecked doesn't prevent TC from processing UC2 archives as directories. I realize Ultra Compressor II is a unique situation since no other archiver handles its' archives..

Anyhow it would be suitable for TC to automatically 'forget' about the UC2 extension when "Treat archives like directories" is unchecked in my opinion.

The bugginess I am experiencing with UC2 archives is the DOS console often stays open for some reason. When this happens I need to restore the minimized console window and press a key. The console window is completely blank so I can't tell anything from looking at it.. Except that it's NOT "Finished" and clicking "X" to close the window barks out the windows warning message. Pressing a key satisfys whatever is hanging the window up, it closes and all is back to normal.

I have tried many different archives and the only thing I have seen any consistancy with is that it's never happened yet with any UC2 archive that is less than 2Meg. Whether the archive has directory structure inside doesn't seem to matter -- at least with smaller than 2Meg archives..

I've tried turning on "FORCE" mode in UC2, tried making a PIF file for UC.EXE, and then gave up when neither actions resolved the DOS console window issue.

This wouldn't be a big deal (anyone use UC2 anyhow?) except that I would like to use TC to help me convert the piles of CD-ROM I have with UC2 archives into more modern archives and the DOS console window hang really slows the process.

Any ideas would be appreciated, I have plenty of UC2 archives to test on!

[deus-ex]

Hi john,

have you tried to work with Multiarc yet? It's a Packerinterface designed for TC.
It has included a profile for .UC2-Archives, you only have to provide the original packerprogramm.
Get the latest version at Maxwish: http://clubtotal.free.fr.

[Hacker]

(john),
Hey,
How about using VU (Visual Ultracompressor)? It should be included in the UC package.

HTH
Roman

[petermad]

2ghisler(Author)

Any chance that TC will ever support opening uc2 archives as directories?

Otherwise I suggest that support for uc2 is totally skipped and internal support for 7zip is introduced in stead!

[karlchen]

Hello, Petermad.

Can there be any good reason for re-surrecting a 6-year-old dead thread???

Any chance that TC will ever support opening uc2 archives as directories?

Look at the Packer Configuration dialogue. T.C. does, provided you have the appropriate external UC2 packing programme installed.

Otherwise I suggest that support for uc2 is totally skipped and internal support for 7zip is introduced in stead!

Personally I do not give a dime for UC-archive support. Yet, removing the support of UC archive from T.C. is totally unrelated to introducing support for 7zip archives. (And personally I do use 7zip.)

Kind regards,
Karl

[Clo]

karlchen

Hello Karl !

…Yet, removing the support of UC archive from T.C. is totally unrelated to introducing support for 7zip archives. …

• In theory, yes, but in the practice, I get the Peter's reason…
- Our “Pack ”dialogue is quite old and it's impossible to simply add the 7z without reusing a control,
let's say the UC2 one, the most obsolete, quite dead.
- The Author refused to rebuild that dialogue, despite I suggested a new one with a nice layout more than two years ago with
THIS MOCK-UP…
… buried, fell in limbo…  :|   

So…

VG
Claude
Clo

[petermad]

Can there be any good reason for re-surrecting a 6-year-old dead thread???

I was recently forced to work with uc2 files - realized that it didn't work in TC - searched the forum to see if it was known - hence found this thread. So rather than making a new thread, I took up this one. What's improper about that?

Look at the Packer Configuration dialogue. T.C. does, provided you have the appropriate external UC2 packing programme installed.

Could you please tell me which version of the Universal Compressor I should use - I have tried with v.2.2, 2.3pro and 2.37ß - with none of them TC can open a uc2 file like a directory. Those versions are the only ones I could find, and only in sites providing download of old and no longer maintained software - they weren't easy to find, and the link on http://www.ghisler.com/tools.htm#packers is obsolete.

With TC 7.xx I can pack (Alt+F5), unpack (Alt+F9) and test (Alt+Shift+F9) a uc2 file - but I can not enter it (Ctrl+PgDn or Enter).

I get the Peter's reason…

And you are right - I find it more likely that Ghisler could be persuaded to replace a packer, rather than adding one.

[Clo]

2petermad

Hello Peter !

…With TC 7.xx I can pack (Alt+F5), unpack (Alt+F9) and test (Alt+Shift+F9) a uc2 file - but I can not enter it (Ctrl+PgDn or Enter).

• I tested here, I can open the archive in all ways, I'm using this UC2 :

UC.EXE 121,2 Kio 08/01/2002 03:05 -a--

- Sorry, there is no version tab in the Win “Properties” page…
- If you wish, I could send it to you via e-mail (in a RAR archive to avoid the EXE extension…).

 FR
Claude
Clo

[Hacker]

petermad,

which version of the Universal Compressor I should use - I have tried with v.2.2, 2.3pro and 2.37ß - with none of them TC can open a uc2 file like a directory

I seem to recall that you need ucdir.bat to be in the PATH or so. Still you could use VU (UC GUI) from the UC package, worked quite OK last time I used it.

Roman

[petermad]

Still you could use VU (UC GUI) from the UC package, worked quite OK last time I used it

It still works - but it is only a poor workaround for TC fully supporting file listing in UC2.

Especially when the help file claims such support:

Archives are handled like subdirectories. You can easily copy files to and from archives. The appropriate archiving program is automatically called. pkzip, arj, lha, rar, uc2 and ace are all supported.

It looks like it has worked at some time (history.txt):

13.05.07 Fixed: Could not list UC2 archive containing ^ sign in the file name or path name

22.04.07 Fixed: Could not list UC2 archive containing & sign in the file name or path name

07.07.06 Fixed: UC2 packer: Properties of file (Alt+Enter) showing invalid file size

[ghisler(Author)]

The problem with UC2 is that
1. The file names are packed too
and
2. The file format is undocumented.

Therefore TC cannot list the names by itself as it can for ZIP, RAR etc. - it has to call UC2 just to get the file names!

[karlchen]

Hello, petermand.

Can there be any good reason for re-surrecting a 6-year-old dead thread???

I was recently forced to work with uc2 files - realized that it didn't work in TC - searched the forum to see if it was known - hence found this thread. So rather than making a new thread, I took up this one. What's improper about that?

Your previous post read like "give us 7zip support and remove UC2-support" rather than a UC2 problem report to me.

Kind regards,
Karl

[DrShark]

I have just checked it:
TC 7.04a can unpack certain files, TC 7.5 can't (error "File not found").
Settings for both TC are the same: packer uc.exe in Windows folder on Vista 32bit.
Test archive path:
c:\Users\Vladislav\AppData\Local\Temp\_tc\WINDOWS.UC2

Files in archive:
FOUND.000\
FOUND.000\FILE0000.LNK
FOUND.000\FILE0002.LNK
AUTOEXEC.BAT
UC.EXE
UC.PIF
UC2.EXE
UC2ERROR.LOG
UCRYPT.EXE

[ghisler(Author)]

Can you send me a small sample archive to beta at ghisler dot com which you can unpack with TC 7.04a, but not with TC 7.50a? I have created a sample UC2 archive with the above contents (all fake files), but could unpack it without problems both with Alt+F9 and F5.

[DrShark]

ghisler(Author)
Have just sent the sample.