dave@interlan.Interlan.COM (Dave Goldblatt) (01/06/91)
In article <1991Jan4.231850.24022@maytag.waterloo.edu> dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu (Duncan Murdoch) writes: WARNING: > Don't use PKLITE 1.03 on the files TPCX.EXE or TD286.EXE that come > with the professional version of Borland's TP 6.0. (TD286 probably > also comes with TC or TC++ professional, and there might be a 286 > version of the compiler there too; I'd suspect the same problems with > it.) The reason for this is simple. These programs contain overlays. Think about it -- overlays are loaded off the disk as needed. Unless your compressor/decompressor (PKLITE, LZEXE, etc.) hangs around and responds to all accesses to that particular file, when an external module is required and loaded, it will be loaded in *compressed* form. Naturally, the software will (+poof+) at that point. > The problem is that these two programs use a DOS extender called > OS/286 which apparently has a non-standard .EXE format. PKLITE will > compress the files, and will claim to uncompress them, but they won't > run in either format. Some 8 or 9 bytes of the .EXE file get zeroed > in the compress/uncompress cycle. You'll have to restore new copies > from a backup or the original disk. The OS/286 you refer to is the protected mode kernel Borland runs TD286 underneath. > For those unfamiliar with it: PKLITE is a program like LZEXE. It > compresses executable files, and uncompresses them at load time. One > of its biggest selling points for me was that it is supposed to be > reversible; if the compressed version doesn't work, just uncompress > and don't worry about it. Looks like you can't trust this feature. I'm sure in the documentation it states for both PKLITE and LZEXE that you cannot use them on files containing overlays. For the same reason, any software you create using either Borland's VROOM overlays or Microsoft's overlays won't work either. Disclaimer: I've never gotten around to poking into PKLITE or LZEXE, nor do I use either. I still have enough disk space. ;-) > Duncan Murdoch > dmurdoch@watstat.waterloo.edu -dg- -- "Never, I repeat never, * Dave Goldblatt [dave@interlan.com] give peace a chance!" * Diagnostic Engineering - _Zarlor Mercenary_, * Racal InterLan Atari Corp. (Lynx) * Boxborough MA (508) 263-9929