XPACK

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(Updates due to splitting this article into multiple articles)
(Disambiguation)
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== Disambiguation ==
 
== Disambiguation ==
* XPACK is not the same as [[X-pack for Executable]] (XE.EXE).
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This XPACK is not the same thing as...
 
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* [[X-pack for Executable]] (XE.EXE)
* DOS XPACK is not the same as the [[XPA]]/[[Xpa32]]/XPAGUI/"XPACK-archiver for Win32" programs by the same author. More research is needed to understand the relationships of these things.
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* [[xpa32]] - File archive demo / xpack-archiver for win32
 
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* "Xpa v0.93b - Archiver for Win32" ([{{SACFTPURL|pack|xpagui.zip}} xpagui.zip]) - 32-bit Windows GUI utility (Don't know what this is, can't get it to run.)
* There is an unrelated collection of DOS utilities also named XPACK: {{CdTextfiles|mhblackbox3/IBM1/XPACK.ZIP|XPACK.ZIP}}
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* "XPA v1.4.3 demo - Packer" ([{{SACFTPURL|pack|xpa.zip}} xpa.zip]) - 32-bit Windows GUI utility (Seems to be a single-file compressor/destroyer. Replaces the original file, and has no decompress function.)
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* XPACK ({{CdTextfiles|mhblackbox3/IBM1/XPACK.ZIP|XPACK.ZIP}}) - A collection of DOS utilities from around 1990.
  
 
== Format details ==
 
== Format details ==

Revision as of 14:42, 21 August 2021

File Format
Name XPACK
Ontology
Extension(s) special
Released 1995

XPACK (often written XPAck in later versions) is a multi-function compression utility for DOS, probably best known for its executable compression. It was developed by JauMing Tseng. Some versions were distributed as freeware, others as shareware.

This article covers the executable compression and single-file compression formats, and the software in general. Some native XPACK formats have their own articles:

Contents

 [hide

Disambiguation

This XPACK is not the same thing as...

  • X-pack for Executable (XE.EXE)
  • xpa32 - File archive demo / xpack-archiver for win32
  • "Xpa v0.93b - Archiver for Win32" (xpagui.zip) - 32-bit Windows GUI utility (Don't know what this is, can't get it to run.)
  • "XPA v1.4.3 demo - Packer" (xpa.zip) - 32-bit Windows GUI utility (Seems to be a single-file compressor/destroyer. Replaces the original file, and has no decompress function.)
  • XPACK (XPACK.ZIP) - A collection of DOS utilities from around 1990.

Format details

XPACK does executable compression of .EXE and .COM files.

It supports single-file compression of arbitrary data files, and has a TSR utility to do transparent decompression. Such files are presumably expected to retain their original filename.

It has an .XPA compressed archive format.

It has an .XDI compressed floppy disk image format.

Identification

At least some compressed EXE files have "xpac" at offset 28.

Compressed data files apparently start with bytes 0xcd 0x20 'j' 'm'.

Software

Ed. note: Unable to get v1.64 or earlier to run in DOSBox -- it just says "XPACK is corrupt".

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