(Or, questions which would be frequently asked if it were not for the presence of this document)
| Q: | What's new in version 0.1.0? |
| A: |
Due to some requests, I've added multiple-file export support. You can now select a group of files the way you would in Explorer, and extract them all in one go with CTRL-S, or by clicking the SAVE icon on the toolbar. Instead of prompting for a target file name, you are instead prompted for a target folder to which these files will be extracted. Paths will be preserved, so the structure of the archive should be properly reflected. To make this happen, I had to spruce up the UI with common controls, mainly the ListView which replaces the pedestrian list control. I also added a toolbar and status bar, to make it look less 1990's, but it serves some functionality as well. I can show more info such as comments and warnings directly in the ListView, so you don't have to click on an item to receive notification about any nastiness. Plus, I get some formating and coloring support of individual items for free. Bug Fixes:
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| Q: | What's new in version 0.0.9? |
| A: | Plenty. Here's a quick rundown:
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| Q: | When I try to install version 0.0.9, the setup package asks me if I want to replace some of my more recent DLLs with older versions. What should I do? |
| A: | Keep your newer ones. UnZixWin will work as well anyway. |
| Q: | Great! I already replaced them! Now what kind of mess am I in? And what do I do about it? |
| A: | Don't fret. The files in question will probably work just as well. They pertained to the Microsoft Windows Common Controls and the WebBrowser control. Most of the differences are merely cosmetic, if there are any. The next automatic update from Microsoft will probably restore the more recent versions. |
| Q: | I'm looking at the setup program. Where's the button that kicks off the installation? |
| A: | It's the big square one with the picture of the computer and the floppies. Not very intuitive. But I didn't write the setup program, MicroSoft did. Next release of UnZixWin will feature a customized installer, with a little more smarts and beauty to it. |
| Q: | I used your program to extract an AVI file, but the result is garbage. It won't play in any player, whatever I do and whatever I install. You messed up! |
| A: | No I didn't. Crap in, crap out. The WinZix mongers like to spread crippled
AVI files in order to entice you to install the 3wPlayer (or the Vodei player).
Which is just as infested with spyware as WinZix is. You have simply come
across such a file. The devil of it is, some ZIX archives actually do contain valid AVI files. I've come across at least one myself. So you never know. UnZixWin at least tries to help by checking the start of the AVI before extracting it. If it's not kosher, the status bar flashes pink to warn you. |
| So, are those crippled AVI files just random garbage? | |
| A: | Yes. They were very probably produced with this program, appropriately named Dummy. I have compared the garbage files in ZIX archives and the output of this program, and am fairly confident that the Dummy utility was used to produce it. Actually, it's not quite random, since random garbage would occasionally compress well. This data is carefully coded to be impervious to compression, by never repeating the same sequence of bytes twice, and never producing a predictable trend in the values (such as a uniform increase/decrease in the sequence of numbers. In geek-speak, this kind of data is called high entropy data, which is to say that the data cannot easily, if at all, be compressed by any known software. This actually requires some ingenuity on the part of the program, so there really isn't much randomness to it at all. However, the main point is that the data is inherently meaningless, and completely useless. There is nothing you can do to it to produce a usable movie. Much as I appreciate the programming skill requried to produce such data streams - it isn't as easy as you think - I abhor the existance of this app and the thinking behind it. I think the program is evil, and I highly question his stated motives for writing it. At best, his program has been misused for evil purposes (such as you've encountered). At worst, those purposes were exactly what he had in mind when he wrote the software. |
| Q: | When I try to open a ZIX archive or AVI file I downloaded, I get error messages like "Automation Error" |
| A: | Make sure your're not still seeding the file. If it's a media file, make sure your media player isn't still having it loaded. UnZixWin (versions 0.0.9 thru 0.0.9) wants exclusive access to the file. That means that no other program can have it open for reading or writing at the time. This problem will go away in the next release. |
| Q: | I ran UnZixWin and opened a Zix archive. But it just says 'Analyzing...' and then doesn't do anything. I've been waiting for hours, and nothing! You messed up! |
| A: | Yes I did.
You're probably using version 0.0.5, which contains a bug where this happens occasionally. You should get hold of version 0.0.7, where this should be fixed. In my defense, when I released the first version, I had seen a total fo two (2) ZIX archives, and coded the utility based on what little knowledge I gained from dismantling those, plus incomplete (and somewhat erroneous) information found elsewhere. It's little wonder that files should pop up which confuse UnZixWin. |
| Q: | So, I did like you said and downloaded the new version. It still won't work. Now what? |
| A: | Get in touch with me. I'll try to determine the cause of the problem. |
| Q: | When I run UnZixWin.exe, I get an error message about some missing DLL. What's that about? |
| A: | You need to have the Visual Basic runtimes installed on your computer.
For many users, these files have already been installed by other software,
or perhaps by Windows Setup itself. You should have got a separate installer for the VB runtimes along with the UnZixWin utility. Run that, accept Microsoft's end-user agreement, to extract the installation package. Then, run that package to set up the runtimes. After this, UnZixWin should run without trouble. Also, UnZixWin needs support from SHLWAPI.DLL, a dll which is installed with Internet Explorer versions 5 and later. It is highly likely to be on your system already. But if you don't have Internet Explorer installed, or have uninstalled it manually, you may get complaints about this file being missing. |
| Q: | Why didn't you write this thing in C++ like, you know, a real programmer? |
| A: | Because then you would see this utility in six months instead of right
now, when it's needed. I'm nowhere near good enough with C++ yet to whip up reliable code fast. By contrast, the first working version of UnZixWin was written in Visual Basic in a week-end. It has already saved lots of people lots of grief. |
| Q: | Why don't you supply a setup program like regular folks? Then nobody has to go through this stuff with the VB runtimes. |
| A: | As of version 0.0.9, I have. The new version requires some external components which require registration. However, I resisted a setup package for quite some time. I felt people might be wary of setup programs after encountering the ones which infested their computers with spyware. Being able to run a utility out-of-the box was, I felt, a welcome change of style. What's your take on it? |
| Q: | Why is your EULA (End-User Licence Aggreement) so gnarly? |
| A: | I've tried to mimic the legalese practised by other software vendors,
up to a point. It's mostly CYA stuff, to prevent myself from being blamed in case you extract something nasty, get your system damaged, and start looking for someone to blame. In any case, depending on national and/or international law, the EULA might be invalid due to some legal techicality (such as failure to WRITE EVERYTHING IN UPPERCASE AS IF YOU WERE SHOUTING AT THE POOR SCHMUCK WHO WANTED TO INSTALL YOUR SOFTWARE mua ha ha) |
| Q: | Why can't I run WinZix before or after running your crappy utility? |
| A: | Sure you can. You misread or misunderstood the clause in the EULA. You can run whatever you want on your computer, in any order you like. But please understand that, once WinZix has been on your computer, there's no telling what that computer might do, and what piece of software (if any) caused the problem. If your system has been infected, somebody across the internet may freely take over your computer and start deleting files. In that case, don't blame me for anything that happens to your system for any reasons whatsoever. |
| Q: | What's all that talk about ZIX files being (or not being) software? What do you mean? |
| A: | ZIX files are data, not software. But if your .ZIX extension has been
asosciated with the WinZix program, then double-clicking on a ZIX archive
will launch WinZix. When that happens, your computer may or may not be compromised
again (It's not only the WinZix installer that knows how to pull nasty tricks). So, if double-clicking a ZIX archive causes software to run, are we still able to interpret it as pure data? This is a legal debate I don't want to be part of, so take precautions to exculp myself from. Furthermore, ZIX files can contain executable code (files ending with .EXE, .BAT, .PIF, .VBS, .MSI and a few other extensions). Once extracted, those files constitute software. |
| Q: | Why does UnZixWin pester me with warnings about the file contents? |
| A: | As a charitable service. Based on experiences collected from victims of WinZix and its cronies, some files are highly dangerous to extract, or just *might* pose a risk. I thought it only fair that any occasional user should be warned before dealing with these files. |
| Q: | From what UnZixWin tells me, every executable file (*.exe) I click on might be infected. How does it know that? |
| A: | It doesn't. But please understand that those people who create ZIX archives
are virus mongers, and that any program they share with you through a ZIX
archive should be treated with extreme caution. It is highly likely to be
infected. Even if someone innocently has used WinZix in the misguided belief that it offers better compression (it offers none whatsoever), that means that WinZix is on their system. And for that reason alone, *any* excutable on their computer may have been compromised. They are no longer in full control of their system. Somebody else is. And he might infect whatever program he chooses without the user ever knowing. Don't let this happen to you. |
| Q: | Why doesn't UnZixWin prevent me from extracting virus-infested files? Why only a warning? |
| A: | There are valid reasons why a person might want to extract such a file.
Perhaps they want to test their antivirus/antispyware shield. Perhaps
they want to peek inside it and see what it does. Perhaps they feel they
have no option but to extract and execute these files. Perhaps they don't
trust in any warnings from me. In any case, it would be wrong to try to actively prevent users from doing with these files what they want. All I can do is issue warnings. Your system, your rules. |
| Q: | When I started extracing a file, the target file was there in its entirety (the file size matches that reported by UnZixWin) in no time at all. But the copy progress window is still up, and claims to be working. Why? |
| A: | UnZixWin pre-allocates space for the target file (using IStream:SetSize(), for programmers who are curious) in order to improve the data transfer rate. But until UnZixWin finishes copying the data, the contents of the file are garbage (more specifically, remnants of file data which occupied those sectors of the disk previously). So, please be patient and wait for the copy progress dialog to go away. |
| Q: | So, where's that website with the checksums you promised? |
| A: | It's on the way. Check out http://scamwatch.kennethsorling.se |
| Q: | Are you going to start charging money for this utility anytime soon? |
| A: | Nope. Making money off of a scam is, I feel, almost as bad as being part
of it. UnZixWin is free, and will continue to be free. At least, until some asshole sues me and I need to whip up some dough to cover legal expenses. Let's all pray that doesn't happen. |