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From: jvc@mirror.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: PK ARC, Another View
Message-ID: <206900063@mirror>
Date: Fri, 17-Jul-87 09:22:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: mirror.206900063
Posted: Fri Jul 17 09:22:00 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Jul-87 14:02:06 EDT
References: <287@cpsc6b.cpsc6a.att.com>
Lines: 49
Nf-ID: #R:cpsc6b.cpsc6a.att.com:287:mirror:206900063:000:2130
Nf-From: mirror.UUCP!jvc    Jul 17 09:22:00 1987


/* Written  7:28 am  Jul 15, 1987 by tes@whuts.UUCP  */
>PKARC 3.5 and PKXARC 3.5 (the latest) hangs my machine so bad that
>not even my "cboot" or my "little red switch (boots without dis-
>turbing memory)" CANNOT FIX.  I LOOSE HOURS OF WORK IN RAMDISK.

Thanks for stating the version number.

>DO NOT USE PKARC (ANY VERSION) OR PKXARC (ANY VERSION) IF YOU HAVE
>SOMETHING IN RAMDISK.  THE MOST MINOR CORRUPTION WILL HANG YOUR 
>MACHINE SO BAD THAT YOU MUST TURN OFF THE POWER.

What ramdisk are you using?  I'm using the vdisk.sys supplied with
the dos on the following machines:  Compaq, IBM XT (PC converted to
XT with expansion unit - this machine also has hardware from Visage
for the videodisc project I'm working on), Tandy 3000HL.  I also
have either dosedit or PCED running on each machine as well as 
some software from visage (TSR).  I've corrupted several archives
(both very minor corruption and major corruption).  Both ARC and 
PKARC react the same: indicate CRC failure and or file (the archive
file) is not an archive.  Neither crashed the system or affected the
ramdisk.

>Other sins of PK* not found in SEA ARC:
>  1: Random incompatibility with LIM EMS
>  2: Random inability to determine how much memory is available
>  3: Incompatible with some write-through cache programs

I don't have LIM EMS or any cache programs running so I can't
test this stuff

>  4: Will not check if something has been previously archived
>     and will re-archive.  The user is left with the exercise
>     of figuring out how "deep" the re-re-re-archiving got.

Both ARC520 and PKX35A35 do the same thing if you try to re-add
a file to an archive.  Both report the following the first
time a file is added:
   Adding file: __________  analyzing, *********, done.
Both report the following next time you attempt to add that
file:
   Updating file: ________  analyzing, **********, done.
Have I miss-interpreted what you meant by "Will not check if something
has been previously archived"?  If so, what did you mean and how
does ARC handle it?

jvc@mirror.tmc.com

Almost forgot, I'm using PC-DOS 3.1, PC-DOS 3.2, MS-DOS 3.2.