Just Solve the File Format Problem - User contributions [en]

TINYPROG

2025-12-18T03:09:15Z

DOSGuy: /* Software */ Adding date reported by versions 3.0 through 3.8

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Compression
|subcat2=Executable compression
|released=1990
}}
'''TINYPROG''' is an executable compression utility for DOS, developed by Tranzoa. It compresses [[MS-DOS EXE|EXE]] files (to EXE), and [[DOS executable (.com)|COM]] files (converting them to EXE).

It has several options that affect the compressed file, including a password protection feature.

== Identification ==
According to the documentation, a compressed EXE file has bytes {{magic|'t' 'z'}} at offset 28. The next byte is "hex C0, logically OR'ed with the TINYPROG version number". (Representing only the major version number, this value is C1 for the "6/8/90" releases and C3 for versions 3.0 through 3.9.) A capitalized {{magic|'T' 'Z'}} is found at offset 40.

TINYPROG-compressed files normally contain the following ASCII string somewhere in them:
TINYPROG says, "Bad program file!"

Except that password-protected files instead contain:
TINYPROG says, "Bad password or program file!"

== Software ==
* TINYPROG
** Version "6/8/90" - variant 1: [https://archive.org/details/cdass-5 CD-ROM Aktief Super Special 5 - Tools en Utilities (Dutch)] → SHELL/COMP/TINYPROG.ARJ
** {{CdTextfiles|ultimateswco/la/la022.zip|Version "6/8/90" - variant 2}}
** {{CdTextfiles|nightowl/pdsi006/028A/TINYPR.ZIP|v3.0 (1991-01-25)}}
** {{CdTextfiles|simtel0692/MSDOS/FILUTL/TINYP33.ZIP|v3.3 (1991-08-08)}}
** {{CdTextfiles|pier01/001a/tiny35.zip|v3.5 (1992-04-27)}}
** {{CdTextfiles|simtel/simtel/DISK1/DISC2/EXECOMP/TINYP36.ZIP|v3.6 (1992-12-03)}}
** {{CdTextfiles|psl/pslv2nv01/DOS/UT_DSKFI/TINY38.ZIP|v3.8 (1993-05-11)}}
** {{CdTextfiles|pdos9606/ARCHIVER/EXECOMP/TINYP39.ZIP|v3.9 (1994-03-11)}}

Decompression, for DOS:
* See [[Executable compression#Decompression software]] for some multi-format utilities that support TINYPROG.
* {{CdTextfiles|pdos9606/ARCHIVER/EXECOMP/UNTINY.ZIP|UnTiny v0.91}}
* [{{SACFTPURL|pack|untiny.rar}} UnTiny v1.04]

Protection:
* [[PKTINY]]
* [{{SACFTPURL|pack|rosetiny.zip}} Rosetiny]
* [{{SACFTPURL|pack|tp10eshr.zip}} TinyProt]

Deprotection:
* [{{SACFTPURL|pack|tp10eshr.zip}} Rose Patch] (TinyProt/Rosetiny unpacker)
* [{{SACFTPURL|pack|tppf12.zip}} TinyProg Password Finder]

TINYPROG

2025-12-18T03:03:13Z

DOSGuy: /* Identification */ Explanation of "TINYPROG version number" only resolving to version 1 or 3, not 3.0-3.9, and additional method of identifying an executable with TINYPROG compression through presence of "TZ" at offset 40 in all versions.

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=Compression
|subcat2=Executable compression
|released=1990
}}
'''TINYPROG''' is an executable compression utility for DOS, developed by Tranzoa. It compresses [[MS-DOS EXE|EXE]] files (to EXE), and [[DOS executable (.com)|COM]] files (converting them to EXE).

It has several options that affect the compressed file, including a password protection feature.

== Identification ==
According to the documentation, a compressed EXE file has bytes {{magic|'t' 'z'}} at offset 28. The next byte is "hex C0, logically OR'ed with the TINYPROG version number". (Representing only the major version number, this value is C1 for the "6/8/90" releases and C3 for versions 3.0 through 3.9.) A capitalized {{magic|'T' 'Z'}} is found at offset 40.

TINYPROG-compressed files normally contain the following ASCII string somewhere in them:
TINYPROG says, "Bad program file!"

Except that password-protected files instead contain:
TINYPROG says, "Bad password or program file!"

== Software ==
* TINYPROG
** Version "6/8/90" - variant 1: [https://archive.org/details/cdass-5 CD-ROM Aktief Super Special 5 - Tools en Utilities (Dutch)] → SHELL/COMP/TINYPROG.ARJ
** {{CdTextfiles|ultimateswco/la/la022.zip|Version "6/8/90" - variant 2}}
** {{CdTextfiles|nightowl/pdsi006/028A/TINYPR.ZIP|v3.0}}
** {{CdTextfiles|simtel0692/MSDOS/FILUTL/TINYP33.ZIP|v3.3}}
** {{CdTextfiles|pier01/001a/tiny35.zip|v3.5}}
** {{CdTextfiles|simtel/simtel/DISK1/DISC2/EXECOMP/TINYP36.ZIP|v3.6}}
** {{CdTextfiles|psl/pslv2nv01/DOS/UT_DSKFI/TINY38.ZIP|v3.8}}
** {{CdTextfiles|pdos9606/ARCHIVER/EXECOMP/TINYP39.ZIP|v3.9 (1994-03-11)}}

Decompression, for DOS:
* See [[Executable compression#Decompression software]] for some multi-format utilities that support TINYPROG.
* {{CdTextfiles|pdos9606/ARCHIVER/EXECOMP/UNTINY.ZIP|UnTiny v0.91}}
* [{{SACFTPURL|pack|untiny.rar}} UnTiny v1.04]

Protection:
* [[PKTINY]]
* [{{SACFTPURL|pack|rosetiny.zip}} Rosetiny]
* [{{SACFTPURL|pack|tp10eshr.zip}} TinyProt]

Deprotection:
* [{{SACFTPURL|pack|tp10eshr.zip}} Rose Patch] (TinyProt/Rosetiny unpacker)
* [{{SACFTPURL|pack|tppf12.zip}} TinyProg Password Finder]

Talk:TINYPROG

2025-12-18T02:45:13Z

DOSGuy: Confirmation of reported 't' 'z' at offset 28, observation that 'T' 'Z' is always present at offset 40, and possible internal build number separate from reported version number

==Further header details==

I Tinyprog'd some executables using all known versions. Indeed, there's always "tz" at offset 28 followed by hexadecimal C1 in the "6/8/90" versions and C3 in versions 3.0 through 3.9. Capitalized "TZ" is also present at offset 40 in all versions.

I was curious about how the two "6/8/90" versions differ. The timestamp on TINYPROG.EXE is 1990-06-16 in TINYPROG.ARJ and 1990-06-20 in la022.zip. The two executables are different and produce different output files from the same input file. Comparing each version in a hex editor, I noticed that TINYPROG.EXE always has a 5-digit string at offset 81, as follows:

{| class=wikitable
|Version "6/8/90" - variant 1 || 00003
|-
|Version "6/8/90" - variant 2 || 00006
|-
|v3.0 || 00008
|-
|v3.3 || 00010
|-
|v3.5 || 00012
|-
|v3.6 || 00013
|-
|v3.8 || 00015
|-
|v3.9 || 00018
|}

Since they're sequential, it may represent an internal build number. Based on this, I would say that "variant 2" is not just a variant, but an update. There was probably a TINYPROG.EXE that was created on 1990-06-08 that had '00000' or '00001' at offset 81, and "variant 1" and "variant 2" were compiled on 6/12 and 6/16, respectively, despite the program still displaying "6/8/90".

[[User:DOSGuy|DOSGuy]] ([[User talk:DOSGuy|talk]]) 02:45, 18 December 2025 (UTC)