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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Packing

Q: I have an archive file of type xyz, but Total Commander cannot unpack it. Is there a way to still unpack it with Total Commander?
A: Total Commander supports packer extensions, so-called plugins. These support a range of additional formats, like GZIP, RPM etc. Furthermore there is a plugin, which can be configured in detail for calling external packers. You can find all available plugins and instructions to write your own on our add-ons page.

Q: Where can I find the external packers supported by Total Commander, for the formats ARJ, LHA, RAR, ACE and UC2?
A: You can find the links to these programs on our add-ons page.

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Q: How can I unpack Java archives (*.jar)?
A: Java archives are just normal zip files with a different extension. They can be opened with Ctrl+PageDown. If *.jar isn't associated with a different program (Files->Associate with), you can also open the file with ENTER.

Q: How can I see the contents of self-extracting archives?
A: Select the file, and press CTRL+PageDown. This works with normal and self-extracting archives as well as with directories.

Q: Why doesn't Total Commander support the new JAR packer from the author of ARJ? It creates *.j files.
A: Unfortunately the JAR format is undocumented. Its contents can only be determined by unpacking the file. However, you can unpack JAR files with the Multi-Arc plugin from our addons page. This plugin directly calls the JAR packer.

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Q: Where can I find Zip-NT by Info-Zip to pack files with long filenames?
A: You can find Zip-NT at the following WWW address: http://infozip.sourceforge.net/
Unfortunately this version does NOT support high ASCII characters like German "Umlauts" and French or Scandinavian accents! You should use the internal ZIP packer which supports all this! You should only use ZIP-NT if you need special command line switches like zip file comments, freshen, or update.

Q: I have downloaded ZIP-NT 2.01, but it just doesn't work!
A: First, you need to copy Zip-NT (only the EXE) to a directory with a short name, e.g. c:\zip.
Then, choose Configuration - Packers and click on the >>button behind the Zip packer field.
Now switch to the Zip-NT directory and select Zip-NT. You can then click on 'Use Zip-NT' Total Commander will patch ZIP-NT.

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Q: I have installed ZIP-NT, but when I use it, Windows 95 tells me that it wants to start in DOS-only mode!
A: In Total Commander, switch to the root of drive c: and press ALT+ENTER on command.com.
This brings up the property sheet of command.com. Click on the 'Program' tab, then on 'Advanced'.
There are 3 square checkboxes: Only the middle of the three must be selected! It reads 'Suggest MS-DOS mode as necessary'.

Q: Zip-NT cannot find any files to pack!
A: This happens if there is a PIF file which contains a startup path. ZIP-NT will always start in that path and therefore will not find any files to pack!
To correct this problem, you must modify either dosprmpt.pif, command.pif or 4dos.pif, whichever is present in your Windows directory.
In Windows 3.1 and NT you must use pifedit.exe to modify them. In Windows 95 you can press ALT+ENTER on the PIF files or on command.com/4dos.com directly.

F: Why doesn't Total Commander open all CAB file types?
A: There are two types of CAB files: The official CAB standard from Microsoft, which is used e.g. by Windows, and the installation files from InstallShield, which also have the extension .cab, but have nothing in common with the CAB standard. Unfortunately Total Commander cannot open those files, because their format isn't documented.

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