Packers/depackers etc for the A8

[carmel_andrews]

Are there any 'standard' depackers on the a8 that will depack any a8 packed exe/com etc file irrespective and regardless of how it was and the way it was packed and what it was packed with (using a800win+) and unpack the outpuit files back to their original, proper locations

 

Also is there any decent packers out there (a8) that allow you to pack v. long files (over 32k or 7fff bytes) and also pack dos files that low load i.e as low as 500/480 or 400 hex as well as support dos files with run/init addr's (i guess that cancels out superpacker and cruncher 5 as well as flashpack and fast pack)

 

any help is greatly appreciated

[Fröhn]

You can try Exomizer: http://noname.c64.org/csdb/release/?id=46162

[Heaven/TQA]

or Superpacker or Flashpack.

 

http://gury.atari8.info/details_software/1430.htm

 

http://gury.atari8.info/details_software/1318.htm

 

http://www.s-direktnet.de/homepages/k_nadj/prog/packers.zip

[+CharlieChaplin]

Well,

1) for COM/EXE/XEX Atari files longer than 32kbytes try:

- Fast Packer

- Code3 Cruncher 2.x and 3.x

- APC Packer 1.x (uses page 4+5+6 to depack)

- Powerpacker by T. Karwoth

 

files that use memory location 0700-09ff cannot be packed with any packer I know, so turbotape programs (usually found at fandal`s site) are quite a problem here. Super-Copy can convert such files (or relocate/copy them) to another memory adress, but is limited to max. 32kbytes...

 

2) for packers which can pack files below page 6 (0600) try:

- Code3 cruncher 2.x and 3.x (480-6ff, 0a00-cfff and d800-fffx)

- DJ packer (max. 32 kbytes, one version uses page 1+4 to depack, the other version uses page 5+6 to depack)

- Fast Packer (uses page 4 to depack)

- Power Packer (uses page 4 to depack)

 

3) Now, for a packer that can depack files at or below page 4 *and* longer than 32 kbytes, well - there is none. At least none that I know of... But I know Raster/CPU hides his own selfmade packer from the public, I think this one can pack such files (it can also pack files in the 0700-09ff memory area), but again, he does not give it away to the public...

 

There is also Tom Hunt`s self-extract utility, but it is more a kind of archive program, which when run/init. will automatically un-archive. (And at least one thing, maybe the archiving or un-archiving did only work with Sparta-DOS)... You can of course also try the SFDN-Packer, but this one does not unpack automatically - you have to write your own depack-routine and add it to the packed file (using the supplied assembler source) to do so... -Andreas Koch.

[Heaven/TQA]

are you sure that FP2.1 can not pack $0700-$09ff? the depack routine is only 128 bytes so should work. and in superpacker you can relocate the buffers etc depending on the source file...

[+CharlieChaplin]

Well,

both SuperPacker and FP 2.1 require a DOS to run from disk, don`t they ?!? And what happens if you run them under DOS and then try to load a program that uses memory area 0700-09ff ?!? 1) Afaik Superpacker refuses to load such a program or data segment. 2) FP 2.1 seems to work fine at first, it packs the program (if it is shorter than 30kbytes) - but after you have packed such a program or segment with FP 2.1 you cannot run it from disk with any DOS or gamedos I know, meaning the program shows the same behaviour (it does not run!) as if it were not packed... on a real Atari with standard OS of course !! If you have QMEG or another OS (with built-in COM/EXE loader) or if you use an emulator, then running programs which use memory area 0700-09ff is no problem... -Andreas Koch.