ZIP Brand FAST! v1.11. A (BBS) util to
brand .ZIP files in a whole directory
tree SAFELY and QUICKLY with a comment
or banner taken from a file. Typically
processing speed is 20+++ files a sec.
Advanced but very easy to use.Does NOT
use external programs as PKZIP or Info
ZIP. DOS version. US$ 10 Shareware.

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Version 1.11 (DOS and OS/2). Released on April 2. 1994

Copyright 1993,1994 Ketil Kintel. All Rights Reserved.



This is the user documentation for ZIP Brand FAST! v1.11. It has been
formatted for the "Letter" paper size (57 lines per page), but should
print correctly with the A4 paper too. To print it, simply type the DOS
command COPY ZIPBRAND.DOC PRN.



INDEX.


Index. ................................................. 1
Introduction. .......................................... 2
Software License. ...................................... 2
Benefits of registering this program. .................. 3
Protecting against tampering, viruses etc. ............. 3
Installation. .......................................... 4
Using program arguments. ............................... 4
Command line syntax: .............................. 5
Detailed description of all program arguments. ......... 5
StartPath ......................................... 5
CommentFile ....................................... 5
/V (Verbose) ...................................... 5
/I (Ignore file attributes) ....................... 6
/R (Reprocess) .................................... 6
/O (Old Time Stamp) ............................... 6
>>{LogFileName} (LogFile) ......................... 6
/B (Block Read Size) .............................. 6
/D (No Direct Video Writes) ....................... 7
/E (rEgister) ..................................... 7
/? or /H (Help) ................................... 7
Error Messages ......................................... 7
Not a .ZIP File: ........................ 8
Comment header not found: ............... 8
Access Denied: .......................... 8
Could not read: ......................... 8
The Future. ............................................ 9
Contacting the Author. ................................. 9



ZIP Brand FAST! v1.1 User Documentation. Page 1






INTRODUCTION.


If you run a BBS or ever used the -z switch with your ZIP utility, you
will know what to use this utility for.

This is a small program to safely and quickly brand your ZIP files with a
comment of your choice. The typical speed is 10-30 files a second. (50
files a second with the 32bit OS/2 version on HPFS volumes.) This is more
than 10 times faster than PKZIP v2, and about 50-100 times faster than
Info Zip, depending on the file size. The file comment is taken from an
arbitrary file. It can be text ANSI or even "binary". The program will
search for uncommented zip files in a whole directory tree.

As a file is branded, and if the OS permits it, the seconds part of the
file time is set to 64. This is to avoid processing an already branded
file when the program is run again at a later moment. If you dont like
this "feature", it can be easily disabled.

This program is safe to use. If it encounters any problems with your
file, nothing will be done. It will not write to any file if it isn't
100% sure of what it is doing. The engine in this program has been used
in local BBB's for more than a year now. Thousands and thousands of files
have been commented with it, and it has NEVER damaged any file. HOWEVER
THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS", AND NO WARRANTIES AT ALL ARE GRANTED!




SOFTWARE LICENSE.


This program is shareware. Shareware means that you can freely distribute
the COMPLETE program package to others, and that you have the opportunity
to test it for a period of 30 days before you decide if you want to buy
it. If you are going to use the program after this evaluation period, you
have to register and pay for it! The registration fee is 10 US$ and can
be paid in almost any currency you like. (I don't accept Ulzugistanic
Squinnies!) The registration is valid for all future releases of ZIP
Brand FAST!. Cooperate users can contact me to negotiate about a site
licence. See the file ORDER.FRM for more information.

THIS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED "AS IS", AND NO WARRANTIES AT ALL ARE GRANTED!
NONE AT ALL. I DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SOFTWARE IS ERROR FREE. I
DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE SOFTWARE, EITHER EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT OF
THIRD PARTY RIGHTS.


ZIP Brand FAST! v1.1 User Documentation. Page 2






NO LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL I BE LIABLE
FOR CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT
OF THE DELIVERY, PERFORMANCE OR USE OF THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF I HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT WILL MY
LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY OF
LIABILITY, EXCEED THE LICENSE FEE PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE. (Phew!)



BENEFITS OF REGISTERING THIS PROGRAM.


If you register this program, you will help keeping a starving computer
science student off the streets 🙂

Besides that, if you register this program as a single user, you will be
granted the right to install and use it on any computer you wish, as long
as you are the only one who uses it. You will be notified of upgrades if
you are reachable by electronic mail. You will also be prioritised if you
have any need for technical assistance, or have any questions.

The registered version of the program does not print the (huge) shareware
message after each run, and it does not add the invisible "unregistered"
notice at the very end of the zip file.

This notice does not damage the file in any way. It does NOT show up when
you unzip or in any other way processes the file. It can only bee seen if
you view the file with a hex viewer. It disappears completely at the very
moment you update the file with a tool other than ZIP Brand FAST! It's
only purpose is to make it more worthwhile to register this program.

However, there is no way of telling the difference between a file branded
with PKZIP or a file branded with the REGISTERED version of ZIP Brand
FAST!.



ROTECTING AGAINST TAMPERING, VIRUSES ETC.


If you want to make sure that the program is not tampered with in any
way, the PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) 2.3a Signature is enclosed in the file
ZIPBRAND.SIG. If you don't have my Public Key, drop me a line, and I will
send it to you.

Note that this signature is only valid for the shareware version. When
you install your name and serial number in it, the program is changed.



ZIP Brand FAST! v1.1 User Documentation. Page 3






If you use PGP, you will know how to verify this program. For those who
don't: There are no other secure way of detecting tampering with this
file than by using PGP. All other methods can be forged. PGP is one of
the most secure and easiest way to communicate with encrypted or signed
messages. It is free and can be obtained from almost anywhere. Definitely
worth a look!

The program also does a pretty secure self check at start-up. If the
program is tampered with, by a virus or by some amateur hacker, it will
simply not run.



INSTALLATION.


This program does not really require a installation, but I'll tell you
how to use it anyway.

Copy the file ZIPBRAND.EXE to a directory of your choice. If you haven't
got a comment file, create one now. Use the file ZIPBRAND.CMT included in
this archive as an example. The preferred location of this file is in the
same directory as ZIPBRAND.EXE, but anywhere will do, but if this comment
isn't in the same directory as ZIPBRAND.EXE, or in the current directory
when the program is run, you will have to specify the path to it with the
parameter [CommentFile].

If you use a parameter frequently, it is an good idea to place it in the
environment variable ZIPBRAND. Add a line containing the DOS SET command
to your AUTOEXEC.BAT. (e.g. SET ZIPBRAND=/D c:\BANNERS\BBS.TXT) See your
DOS documentation for more information about the SET command and
AUTOEXEC.BAT.

If you have registered the program you may want to run ZIPBRAND /E to
install your name and serial number in your copy of ZIPBRAND.EXE and to
transform it into the registered version. If you have the OS/2 version
you must run the file ZIPBRREG.CMD instead.



USING PROGRAM ARGUMENTS.


Note that all arguments are optional and the order is arbitrary. They
MUST, however, be separated with a space. All arguments, except for the
>>{LogFileName} can be put in a environment variable called ZIPBRAND. Use
the SET ZIPBRAND= command to do this. See your DOS documentation for
more information about environment variables.


ZIP Brand FAST! v1.1 User Documentation. Page 4







Command line syntax:

ZIPBRAND [{StartPath}] [{CommentFile}] [/V] [[/R] | [[/O] | [/T]]]
[/B{bytes}] [/D] [>>{LogFileName}]

or ZIPBRAND /E [/D]
or ZIPBRAND /? [/D]

Note that the /D and the /E switch is not supported in the OS/2 version
of the program.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ALL PROGRAM ARGUMENTS.


StartPath

Any directory specified on the command line will indicate the path where
the program will start branding files. All files with the extension .ZIP
in all sub directories will be processed.

The default is the current directory.

CommentFile

Any filename specified on the command line will indicate what file the
comment is to be taken from. This file can be of any type, but a text
file is naturally preferred. This file must be of the same format as for
the PKZIP utility. This means that you must have an empty line first in
the file to make it display properly. The limit of the comment is 8kb. If
it is bigger, it will be truncated without any warning. Please send me a
note if this limit is too small.

The default is ZIPBRAND.CMT in the current directory. If it doesn't
exist, the file in the program directory is used.

/V (Verbose)

Makes the program show some more output. Both the comment and the files
processed will be listed. Can be used with the >>{LogFileName} option to
create a complete log of files processed. The use of this switch slows
down program execution a bit.

The default is that only error messages and the file count will be
displayed.



ZIP Brand FAST! v1.1 User Documentation. Page 5






/I (Ignore file attributes)

This switch tells the program to reset the file attribute before trying
to brand the file. The attribute is reset to it's original value after
the file has been branded.

Use this switch first if you get the Access Denied: error
message.

/R (Reprocess)

This switch tells the program that all ZIP files, already branded or not,
will be reprocessed. This is useful if you want to brand the ZIPs with a
different comment.

/O (Old Time Stamp)

This switch is for those who prefer the old way (prior to version 1.1) of
marking the files as branded. This was done by setting the file time to
00:00:00. This has the advantage that it shows in a directory listing
which files which are branded, and which are not.

This is the default if your operating or file system does not permit the
setting of "invalid" file times. (OS/2 as an example.)

/T (No Time Stamp)

This switch stops the program from messing with the file time at all. If
you use this switch, the program has no way of telling which files are
already branded, so all files will be reprocessed each time the program
is run.

>>{LogFileName} (LogFile)

Appends the action log to the file {LogFileName}. Included in this log
are the time and date when run, command line arguments, the error
messages and statistics. Use in conjunction with the /V switch to include
all files processed in this log.

Note that this option is a DOS pipe operator, and therefore cannot be
included in the environment variable ZIPBRAND.

/B (Block Read Size)

This switch tells the program what block size (in bytes) to use for read
operations. This is to fine tune the performance on individual systems.




ZIP Brand FAST! v1.1 User Documentation. Page 6






The optimal value depends on your HD and cache configuration, but a
suggestion will be a value right above the size of the original comment.

The default is 2048 bytes. Valid values are in the range 256-12288 bytes.

/D (No Direct Video Writes)

Use "slow" BIOS write for screen updates. Use this switch if you
encounter any problems with your display. It might be necessary to use
this switch to make certain screen scroll back utilities capture the
output from this program.
The use of this switch slows down program execution a bit, especially
when the /V option is used too.

The default is to write directly to video ram.

This switch has no effect in the OS/2 version, since there is nothing
called "writing directly" to anywhere in a real operating system.

/E (rEgister)

Use this switch to transform your copy of the program into a registered
version, and to install your name and serial number in it. Follow the
instructions given. Note that the name must be typed in exactly as it is
printed on the registration certificate. The case IS significant.

If the program already is registered, the name and serial number is
removed, and the program is changed back to the shareware version.

Note that this switch causes the ZIPBRAND.EXE executable to be changed,
so you may have to reinstall certain anti virus utilities.

This switch is not supported in the OS/2 version. You will instead have
to use the script ZIPBRREG.CMD to register your copy of ZIP Brand FAST!

/? or /H (Help)

Displays a brief help on how to use the program, including all command
line arguments.



ERROR MESSAGES


Only the error messages concerning the processing of zip files are
mentioned here. All the other messages are fairly self explaining.



ZIP Brand FAST! v1.1 User Documentation. Page 7







Not a .ZIP File:

The file has a .ZIP extension, but was not recognised as a valid zip
file. ZIP Brand FAST! uses a very quick method for checking for ZIP
files, so you get this error message if the file is a self extraction
archive renamed from .EXE to .ZIP, even though PKZIP and Info ZIP can
handle these files.

Solution: Try to run PKZIPFIX (or Info ZIP with the switch -F or -FF) on
the file first. If the error still occurs, rename, move or delete the
file.

Comment header not found:

The file was recognised as a zip file, but the program could not find the
end of central dir record. This is probably because the file has an old
comment which is bigger than 24kb, or it has been damaged or modified by
some other zip file utility.

Solution: Run your zip utility with the parameter -z on the file to
reconstruct the end of central dir record. [PK]ZIP -z FileName the error still occurs, run PKZIPFIX (or Info Zip with the switch -F or -
FF) on the file.

Access Denied:

The file could not be opened for reading and writing. This is probably
because the file is flagged as read only, or some other process has
opened and locked the file.

Solution: Make sure that the file does not have the Read-only or System
attribute set, or run the program with the /I switch.
If the file still gets this error message, try running the program again
at a later time or close the process which has locked the file.

Could not read:

The file was successfully opened and recognised as a zip file, but the
program was not able to continue to read from it. This is a very, very
rare situation and will probably only happen if your operating system is
at an unstable state. (Or if you discover an unknown bug in the
program...)

Solution: Reboot the operating system. Please notify the author if you
get this error message.




ZIP Brand FAST! v1.1 User Documentation. Page 8






THE FUTURE.


Support for self extracting archives (ZIP2EXE) might be included. If
anyone could provide me with a fast and reliable way of detecting such
archives (I do not want to search the entire file), this is easy to
implement.

The support for other archive types (e.g. ARJ) might also be included in
future releases if I find a quick way to process them and if the interest
is big enough.

But if you have any comments or suggestions of improvements of your own,
please drop me a line, and I will see what I can do about it. This is
especially true for bug reports. Don't just think that someone else
already have notified me about it, because the odd thing is - they
didn't!



CONTACTING THE AUTHOR


Any questions, suggestions or comments can be directed to the author in
any of the following ways:

By ordinary mail:
Ketil Kintel
ZIP Brand FAST!
Dr. Frostadsg. 34
N-8650 Mosjoen
Norway

Or by electronic mail: (preferred)
Internet : [email protected]
X.400 : S=kintel;OU=ifi;O=hsr;P=uninett;A=uninett;C=no;
Various Norwegian BBS Networks: Ketil Kintel@alp

For those who care about privacy, my PGP 2.3 Public Key is available
on request, from me or from any Public Keys Server.

Remember to include your name and serial number if you are a registered
user.







ZIP Brand FAST! v1.1 User Documentation. Page 9