Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL

[charlie]

Michael,

I'm sorry, but I find your post counterproductive.

You're clouding the issue here. This isn't about your most favored unzipper or it's abilities to repair corrupted downloads. Neither do we need to leave messages of impending doom to folks who may not be so computer literate.

Did I not list Winrar as one of the alternatives in the first message in thus thread? The point of this thread is that we have three known methods for the job at hand. They have all worked for me. If you have information that this is not so, please post that.

regards,
charlie

[charlie]

Folks,

Mike Sinclair (sinclair97) has been kind enough to bring to our attention a class of spanned file not produced by RouteRiter that you will likely encounter when downloading routes.

These files are produced by Winrar, and handling them is similar to the above. In this case though, only Winrar will do. Collect the pieces all in one temporary folder, and operate only on the <routename>.exe with Winrar. Direct the output to the folder of your choice, and there you have it...

Thanks to Mike for the following graphic.

regards,
charlie

[Link Expired]

[charlie]

Eric Swenson (buttercup) has pointed out that the information provided by Mike in message 21 above is not entirely correct.

Although generated by Winrar, you don't need to have Winrar installed in order to unpack this type of archive.

This is a self-extracting archive similar in operation to those that can be produced by Winzip. If you don't have Winrar installed, you won't see the Winrar associated icons as in the graphic attached to message 21. Don't worry, just collect all the download pieces in a temporary folder.

Double click the <filename>.exe file to start the process. You'll need to choose a destination folder on the first screen.

Perhaps if we keep picking at this thread long enough, we'll succeed in making all this more complicated than it really is. :)

regards,
charlie

[mitgarand]

I hate these damnable spanned zip files! Rarely do they unzip properly for me, and when they do unzip, I end up with a route with missing files. I have yet to have a spanned zipped route work. And yes, I do read the readme and instruction files, and yes, I have followed all the posted unzipping instructions to the letter. If I'm doing something wrong, I'll be damned if I know what it is.

BTW, I've tried using both WinZip and WinRar.

Maybe some enterprising individual who has no problems getting these {bleeped out expletive, but if you watch the HBO western Deadwood, it matches the "favorite" negative adjective most people on the show use} spanned zip files to work can do a screen shot post of each and every step so that the rest of us unfortunates can follow along step by step and maybe get these damned things installed right.

As I write this, I have once again come across a corrupted GM&O file even after downloading it three times.

I'm about to give up on downloading any route that uses spanned zip files.

[landnrailroader]

I have just completed another E-mail to someone having troubles unzipping my Milwaukee Road, RMD-2 - he was using RouteRiter's utility.
1. When I am ready to upload a route, after I zip it up, I delete the route from my system (of course I have a backup on a CD), then I unzip the files I have created for uploading to be sure they will successfully unzip and install. I believe everyone should follow this policy, or a similar one.

Recommendation: Let us decide how we shall package routes for distribution and then let all of us follow that method. I have no problem using old-fashioned zips, or spanned zips, and the main advantage to spanned zips that I can see, is that I can establish a maximum size for each archive, and know that my zipping process will produce a number of files of that size, and no larger. Otherwise it can take a while to zip up a route manually. If we can establish a standard, then we can produce instructions that are as foolproof as possible, assuming that they are read first.

I'll vote for using RouteRiter & for producing spanned zips.

J. H. Sullivan

[dns860]

Where is RouteRiter found? That's my question! I would like also to try the consist writer program.

Tomorrow I shall attempt to add Boston to Providence to MSTS. The route came in four parts. That's what you guys call a "spanned" file, right?

Should be interesting. I am intimidated!

Dave N.S.

[thenudehamster]

>Make sure that the spanned files do NOT have a ".zip"
>appended to them....
>
>There should only be ONE .zip file. The rest should have
>extensions of .z01, .z02, etc. SOME browsers, if configured
>incorrectly, will append a .zip to spanned zip files.
>
>Without better information, though, I'm afraid I can't help
>either... Looks like a possible problem in downloading. Are
>you possibly using a download accelerator to speed a dial-up
>connection???? If so, disable it....
>
>If all else fails I DO offer CD-by-mail service....
>
>JBD

The problem of the appended .zip may be a browser created one, but I thought it was a Windows created effect. To ascertain whether your system will be affected by it, go to Control Panel/Folder Options and lick on the 'View' tab. In the Window, under 'Advanced Settings' is an entry for 'Hide Extensions for known file types'; make sure this is NOT checked. This will ensure that you can at least SEE the extra .zip if it has been added.
I use both IE and Opera, and I can't find where either might attach an extra .zip to a downloaded file, but it seems that if the option described above is checked, then it happens...

[quaia]

When the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principle isn't followed, this is the result.

I don't understand why Microsoft didn't add the useful split utility...

Anyway, I've downlaoded UWIN from AT&T site:

http://www.research.att.com/sw/tools/uwin/download.html

Now I have a practical KornShell always available, with many useful UNIX commands at hand.

I run my ksh from my desktop, then ("$" is ksh prompt):

$ cd /c/mypath/

$ split -b 1M whichever.zip whichever.zip.

That splits my whichever.zip file in pieces of 1M (can be freely adjusted) named whichever.zip.aa, whichever.zip.ab, ...

I then can e-mail, one zip for each e-mail, my zip to the intended recipient, with a note explaining how to re-obtain the original file (see below)...

The recipient (who has received the multiple e-mails), simply puts all the files in a path of his/her choice and then types:

copy /b ^
whichever.zip.aa + ^
whichever.zip.ab + ^
whichever.zip.ac + ^
whichever.zip.ad + ^
whichever.zip.ae ^
whichever.zip

and voila! The original zip is restored (The only downside is that you temporarily need to have free space to recreate the original version).


The nice thing is that:
1) the file is simply split based on size specified and no header or anything else is added. That's not a NEW format, like spanned/splitted zips or rars are, and ANY utility capable of handling the original format can handle that, because the split/unsplit is completely transparent, the decompression utility is unaware of the fact, it deals with the original file only.
That means you can apply this method to any big file of your choice, .zip, .rar, arj, .doc, .xls, .mynicearc, whichever, as the method does not depend on the file format of the original file. split just splits the specified file in pieces as large as you wish.

2) Only the sender has the UWIN installation requirement (or anything giving him the split utility, I've used UWIN because it is available under educational license and is a David Korn creation), the recipient uses the standard COPY utility to recreate the original file.
That means that no additional utilities are required, people downloading your files need only the standard COPY command (I always send a note with the command already prepared for those who are not familiar with DOS copy tricks...).


Yes, I know, you are thinking "Here is another additional utility...", but I think that the fact that the recipient does not need any additional utility is worth considering, since it shifts all the whole problem to the sender only, which is probably more competent with the various utilities.


Umberto

[thenudehamster]

>Where is RouteRiter found? That's my question! I would like
>also to try the consist writer program.
>
>Tomorrow I shall attempt to add Boston to Providence to
>MSTS. The route came in four parts. That's what you guys
>call a "spanned" file, right?
>
>Should be interesting. I am intimidated!
>
>Dave N.S.

RouteRiter is available from a number of places, but the main site is http://www.railpage.org.au/steam4me/...ter/index.html Try also www.uktrainsim.com
ConBuilder, the consist writer, is in this file library as well as the UK one and others.

I don't know if the 'T' route is spanned or not. Some are in multiple zipfile format, others are spanned. Spanned files use one master file (filename.zip) to read information in a series of others (filename.z01, filename.z02, up to filenam.z0n). In a multiple zipfile installation, you must unzip each file individually; spanned ones do it automatically from the master file. It's not that difficult - provided you RTFM.

[marcmarc62]

I'm on dial up and personally I'd prefer a huge single download, as long as I can use a download manager. Perhaps a "user friendly" method of using a download manager (even if only under premium membership) could be found?
This would free up time for poor souls like me to learn the activity editor amongst other things.
Having said that, I am prepared to put in the hard yards to get the results I want.
"No pain, No gain, No Train".

Marcmarc