Com2txt - Revision history

Jsummers at 20:44, 21 January 2026

2026-01-21T20:44:15Z

Jsummers: /* Software */

2025-12-12T14:45:38Z

‎Software

Jsummers: /* Disambiguation */

2025-03-22T11:47:54Z

‎Disambiguation

Sembiance: /* Sample files */

2024-07-30T13:25:35Z

‎Sample files

Jsummers: /* Identification */

2024-03-22T18:29:17Z

‎Identification

Jsummers: /* Disambiguation */

2022-03-25T18:22:46Z

‎Disambiguation

Jsummers at 17:59, 28 October 2021

2021-10-28T17:59:45Z

Jsummers: /* Disambiguation */

2021-10-26T14:54:49Z

‎Disambiguation

Jsummers: Changed primary category

2021-10-20T15:36:53Z

Changed primary category

Jsummers at 01:18, 25 August 2021

2021-08-25T01:18:55Z

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 == Identification ==
-Only version 1.11 has been evaluated. It can decode three formats, which we'll call ''old'', ''new-default'', and ''new-alternate''.
+Only versions 1.11 and 1.41 have been evaluated.
-''Old'' files (e.g. from v1.00) start with "{{magic|TXPPP}}".
+The default format for 1.11-1.41 starts with ASCII "{{magic|T_OOWW3&#x3d;XXWX}}" (see the HDR_DATA.C source file). The signature "{{magic|com2txt/Nide}}" also appears in the file, but is less reliable for format identification.
-''New-default'' files (e.g. from v1.11) start with a roughly 200-byte prefix that begins "{{magic|T_OOWW3&#x3d;XXWX}}" (see the HDR_DATA.C source file). The signature "{{magic|com2txt/Nide}}" also appears in the standard prefix, but is less reliable for format identification.
+An alternate format is enabled with the <code>-c</code> option (undocumented in English in v1.11). It is named something like "com-batch shared format". For v1.11, such files start with "{{magic|:&#x3d;%00%AA5$QP}}". For v1.41, they start with "{{magic|:?7%00%CCPY}}", though sometimes the initial "<code>:</code>" is edited to be "<code>;</code>".
-''New-alternate'' format is enabled with the <code>-c</code> option (undocumented in English). It is named something like "com-batch shared format". The format begins "{{magic|:&#x3d;%00%AA5$QP}}".
+There is apparently also an old format (e.g. from v1.00), whose files start with "{{magic|TXPPP}}".
-−
-[[GetTyp]] reports the existence of several newer versions of Com2txt, through v1.41. According to its database, files from v1.20-1.41 start the same way as v1.03-1.12, with "{{magic|T_OOWW3&#x3d;XXWX}}", but then they diverge.
 == Software ==
@@ Line 37: / Line 35: @@
 * [{{SACFTPURL|pack|xpa167m.zip}} xpa167m.zip] → *.COM (files have a customized signature)
 * {{DexvertSamples|archive/com2txtPacked}}
 [[Category:Transfer Encodings]]

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 * [{{SACFTPURL|utilprog|com2t111.rar}} com2txt v1.11] (DOS binary + source code)
 ** [https://github.com/hannob/com2txt A copy at GitHub]
 == Sample files ==

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 == Disambiguation ==
-Not to be confused with [[Com2txt (Dark Stalker)]].
+Not to be confused with:
 For other software with a similar name or function, see [[Executable envelopes#Transfer-encoded executables]].

@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 == Sample files ==
 * [{{SACFTPURL|pack|xpa167m.zip}} xpa167m.zip] → *.COM (files have a customized signature)
 [[Category:Transfer Encodings]]

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 == Identification ==
-Assuming version 1.11 is the last, and that it can decode all the formats, there are a total of three formats, which we'll call ''old'', ''new-default'', and ''new-alternate''.
+Only version 1.11 has been evaluated. It can decode three formats, which we'll call ''old'', ''new-default'', and ''new-alternate''.
 ''Old'' files (e.g. from v1.00) start with "{{magic|TXPPP}}".
@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ''New-alternate'' format is enabled with the <code>-c</code> option (undocumented in English). It is named something like "com-batch shared format". The format begins "{{magic|:&#x3d;%00%AA5$QP}}".
 == Software ==

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 |released=≤1993
 }}
-'''Com2txt''' is a utility that converts a [[DOS executable (.com)|DOS COM file]] to one whose bytes all belong to certain set of [[ASCII]] characters, and which still (hopefully) has the same functionality. It was developed by Naoyuki Nide. Most of the information about it is in Japanese.
+'''Com2txt''' is a utility that converts a [[DOS executable (.com)|DOS COM file]] to one whose bytes all belong to a certain set of [[ASCII]] characters, and which still has the same functionality. It was developed by Naoyuki Nide. Most of the information about it is in Japanese.
 It's a silly hack, but it had some practical uses, such as for embedding a COM file in a [[Batch file]], email, etc.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 == Disambiguation ==
-Com2txt is not the only utility that does this sort of thing to COM files.
+Other software with a similar name or function includes:
-There is a "com2txt v1.2a by Dark Stalker 97" utility[{{SACFTPURL|utilprog|com2t12.rar}}], which seems unrelated to the com2txt utility covered in this article.
+* [[c2t]] (Jørgen Ibsen)
 == Identification ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{FormatInfo
 |formattype=electronic
-|subcat=Executables
+|subcat=Executable envelopes
 |extensions={{ext|com}}
 |released=≤1993