* CARBON COPY:
 * Original was to JONATHAN DE BOYNE POLLARD in 1:OS2 on the TOPHAT BBS.

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JdBP> [ This is a pr cis of a message in the TAUCMD echo. ]

 SW> DESKARC LIST produces no output here.

JdBP> About three months ago, I posted a question asking if 
    > anyone knew the internal structure of 
    > \OS2\ARCHIVES\ARCHIVES.$$$ .  Once I know that, I can add 
    > code to DESKARC to pretty-print the information contained 
    > in it when the LIST option is used.

JdBP> Unfortunately, I've had no replies, and I don't have the time to sit
down 
    > with a hex viewer and work out the structure of the file 
    > myself.  If anyone reading this wants to do so, I'd be 
    > grateful.  I gather that there are several people who are 
    > interested in the tools when they are finished but who 
    > don't have enough spare time to cope with the full cycle of 
    > installing and using pre-releases as I shovel them out, 
    > even though they would like to contribute something if they 
    > could.  This is their chance.  If they want to make a more 
    > modest contribution, one which won't be as demanding of 
    > their time, figuring out the structure of ARCHIVES.$$$ can 
    > be it.

JdBP> Let me know what it is, and I'll implement the LIST option 
    > of the DESKARC command.


   Hmmm...you might as well have put my name on that message  

   Looking at it right now, seems like a simple enough structure. 

>  (Note added later...there really isn't much in the way of usefull
>  information here, might want to consider if it's actually worth
>  the code?  Read on for the gory details).

   Basic Structure:

   21 bytes of unknown data, followed by a text label at offset 
   21d/15h, the label is: "Originally installed Archive", followed 
   by 53 bytes of nulls, a two byte numbering label at offset 
   102d/66h, followed by 246 bytes of nulls, followed by a 10 byte 
   string (":\Desktop" at offset 358d/166h, followed by 246 
   nulls, followed by a restart of the above sequence to a total of 
   four such entries.

   The text string at 21d into each section *other* than the first, 
   is always: "Complete Archive", (There ain't much actual data 
   here...)

   Note: All offsets are zero based.

   Note: All of the "G:\Desktop" entries are followed by 246 nulls. 
   Add the 10 bytes of the string that preceeds those 246 nulls and 
   you get 256 bytes, or 16 paragraphs.

   Note: The "numbering label" mentioned above is not sequential, 
   the four labels are: (in order of appearance) "0X", "02", "01", 
   and "03". On my maintenance partition, the order is: "0X", "01", 
   "03", and "02". My guess is this is more of a type label than a 
   sequence number, but what it indicates, I have no idea. Haven't 
   found any clues in my old DD kit, nor inside any executable on 
   disk, which seems reasonable considering they are compressed...

   I'm guessing that the 21 byte section header contains a date and 
   time, and undoubtedly something else, but what?  I'll have a go 
   at decoding the date/time part tomorro.

   I'll also post a structure tomorrow.

                                         LRA


 -- SPEED 2.01 #2720: I think, therefore I'm overqualified.

--- Maximus/2 3.01
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