Frequently Asked Questions

1.   I'm using a previous version of PentaZip. How can I upgrade to the latest version of PentaZip or PentaSuite? (2001)

All registered PentaZip users can upgrade to the latest versions of PentaZip or PentaSuite at a reduced price. To purchase an upgrade click here.

There can be some requirements to qualify for an upgrade.

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2.   Which release of PentaZip (or PentaSuite) is compatible with Windows ME or XP? (2001)

All versions of PentaZip and PentaSuite starting with  5.1 are fully compatible with Windows ME and with Windows XP (Pro and Home) as well as Windows 95 (OSR-2), Windows 98 and Windows 98SE, Windows NT and Windows 2000.

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3.   I have upgraded to Windows ME and PentaZip doesn't work.  How can I fix this problem? (2001)

Check which release of PentaZip is installed on your PC. This can be found by clicking on
'Help > About PentaZip' on your program menubar.   If you have installed PentaZip 4.X you must upgrade to version 5.  If you have upgraded Windows ME after installing PentaZip, you will need to uninstall PentaZip and reinstall PentaZip 5.

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4.  I have created a .zip file with the option "save path" selected but when I unzip the files, they are unzipped outside their original folders.  What am I doing incorrectly? (2001)

When you unzip your file you must remember to select the option "Original Path" in the decompression window.  Also, be sure to select the root drive as your destination folder (i.e. C:/)  Then the files will be unzipped into their original location. 

You can also use the new "Relative Path" feature for more flexible extraction of your compressed files.

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5.   Is it possible zip and unzip files by command line? (2001)

Yes. The PentaZip Command Line interface is made up of three programs that can only be used with MS-DOS:  CHZIP which you use to make a new Zip archive or add files to an existing archive and CHUNZIP  which you use to unzip and manage existing Zip archives and CHSFX with which you can create Self Extracting files.

First, from the menu bar, select "tools" and then "prompt MS/Dos" (or cmd under some Windows systems). Then use the programs chzip and chunzip that you will find inside the following folders."C:\Program Files\PentaWare\PentaZip\5.1\Script\ " (English). You MUST also insert the complete path information to have the Command Line Interface work properly. You will be prompted by the system in case the PATH is not complete.

See the help documentation included in PentaZip for more detailed instructions.

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6.   Is PentaZip compatible with DCL (Data Compression Library)? (2002)

Yes. PentaZip can read Data Compression Library. You need to run PentaZip, select "tools" on the menu bar and then select "Unzip DCL".

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7.   Is it possible to compress files larger than 2GB or make compressed archives larger than 4GB? (2002)

Yes. Compress using either the ZGB feature (ZipGigaByte) format or the ZIP64 format.

These formats will allow you to compress any size file and create compressed archives larger than 4GB.

If you choose ZIP to compress your files and the end result will be an archive larger than 4GB, PentaZip will convert to ZIP64 automatically.

Note: Only systems with the NTFS file system can handle files larger than 4GB (NT, 2000 and XP)

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8. My Scanner puts images into the TIF format. I would like to be able to convert these images to the JPG format, to conserve hard drive space and to make the images easy to send attached to an E Mail. Does your software do this? (2002)

Yes. With the PentaZip Viewer (part of PentaZip) you can convert using the "Save As" command as follows:

From Tiff to the following Graphics formats:

And from most of these to Tiff. We do exactly the same thing with the pictures we scan for our screensavers (http://www.saveourscreen.com). The Scanner output is in TIFF and for our screensavers we use JPG. For more information check this link: PentaView

Users of PentaSuite can also use PentaConvert.

Users of PentaCLI-PRO can use pzvConv.

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9. What is PZVServer? and why is it running? This is a privacy concern (2002)

PZVServer is that part of our viewer that avoids having to load all the portions of the Viewer program each time you view a file.

In practical terms PZVServer gets loaded once when you start your computer and then when you activate the viewer you'll just be loading the file you want to view. This means that file loading will be much faster.

There is no need to worry about privacy issues. If you have such concerns get a firewall program and monitor your incoming/outgoing I/O. PZVServer has no I/O of any kind incoming or outgoing.

Starting with Version 7.5 pzvserver is no longer running constantly. This section will only apply to version 7.1 or prior.

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10. I understand that PentaZip supports compression of MP3 files, but when I have zipped these it seems to make little difference to file size : e.g.: 2895620 byte reduced to 2878198 byte. Please can you advise if this sounds correct. (2003)

Yes it is correct. What PentaZip does is allow you to play MP3's both from inside an archive or wherever they are located on your system.

JPG, MPG in all formats (hence including MP3) are formats that are already compressed in their own right. One does not insert such files in a ZIP or other kind of archive to save space but rather to:

1. categorize (i.e. maintain one's files in an orderly fashion)

2. store in one sole archive for convenience in moving files from one device to another or from one computer to another.

There are even cases in which a zipped archive containing JPG's, MP3's or other such files will actually take up more space that they would singly.

We suggest that you use "Stored" or 0 compression level for such files. This will include the files in an archive without wasting time or resources to perform a useless compression exercise.

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11. Why are there 3 versions of PentaZip on your download pages? (2003)

** January 2004 ** There is only one kit now which works with all 32 bit Windows systems. The reply below is therefore superceded.

We have chosen to offer our users 3 versions for downloading due to the differences present in Microsoft's different Windows versions.

1 - is for Windows 9X (i.e. 95 and 98 users)

2 - is for Windows NT Users

3 - is for Windows Me/2000/XP users.

The software in all 3 is exactly the same. The differences between these kits is due to the inclusion of the Microsoft Windows Installer Runtime program (msiexec.exe) in kits 1 and 2 which is not required by Windows Me/2000/XP which already include this software. We chose to do things this way as a service to our users.

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12. What do I do if I get an error number 2352 while installing PentaZip? (2004)

Some users installing PentaZip may come across a problem with Error 2352.

If you receive an error 2352 message, you need to update the Windows Installer to its most recent version. To do this, download the appropriate version for your operating system from the following links:

Windows Installer Redistributable for Windows 95, 98, and Me

Windows Installer Redistributable for Windows NT 4.0 and 2000

Windows XP does not require an update for the Windows Installer.

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13. I am using Windows 95. I have tried to install PentaZip and at the end of the installation I get an "Error number 1904". What should I do? (2003)

Some users that are using Windows 95 (in some cases Windows 98) must verify whether all the updates for their version of Windows have been installed. To help you verify whether the updates have been made we have prepared a list here

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14. How  can PentaZip help me to protect my files from Virus attacks? C

PentaZip has two forms of Antivirus protection.

First, it offers a "Custom" interface for virtually any Antivirus program that has a command line interface feature available.

Second, by providing an integrated viewer that can allow you to access files in more than 50 popular file formats without the risk of launching macro viruses or other sorts of hidden stealth type items (such as scripts, worms, etc.). Once the file is open in the viewer you can print the file or even copy and paste to other programs safely. Of course the viewer will also access files even if you don’t have the associated program on your system.

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15. What do I have to do if I receive a compressed archive that is not in Zip format? (2004)

PentaZip is compatible with and can open 15 of the most commonly used compression format types:

ZIP, ZGB, ARJ, ARC, CAB, LZH/LHa, TAR, ZOO, RAR, GZip, Z, BH, Ace, JAR, DCL Zip.

PentaZip can also convert any of these formats to ZIP, ZGB, CAB, JAR, LZH/LHa, TAR, GZip.

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16. How can I send a file by email if the size of that file is bigger than the size some email servers will accept? (2004)

PentaZip supports MultiVolume and MultiVolume Self Extracting files. You can "Split" large files into manageable pieces or Create Self Extracting MultiVolume files when you need to send files to people that may not have a decompression program installed on their system. PentaZip was the first ZIP manager to offer a direct interface with most of the available email programs with its support for Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora and most other popular email programs compliant with the MAPI standard as well as most versions of Netscape Messenger (including non MAPI versions prior to 4.7)

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17. I need to perform backups even when I am not in the office. How can I do it? (2004)

PentaZip can help you. With PentaZip you can automate file backups using the script and scheduling features

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18. I have seen an error 1316 - A network error occurred while attempting to read from the file X:\XXXXXX.xxx- when I start to install PentaSuite. (June 2004)

When you select to Install PentaSuite Full Install on a computer where either PentaZip or PentaSuite has already been installed, you may receive an error message similar to the following: Error 1316. A network error occurred while attempting to read from the file ............. if the previous version is still installed and you want to use this as a quick means of uninstalling the previous version.

You may receive this error message if you originally installed PentaSuite or PentaZip from a CD-ROM that contained the installation file on the root of the CD. This error has also been noted when an installation was made originally from a network drive and the current installation is from a CD.

This error is of no consequence. Just ignore it and continue to uninstall the previous version.

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19. When trying to unzip a document an error comes up. File \"D:\\data 1.cab\" isn't a supported archive. (July 2004)

There can be two causes for this problem:

1. the CAB file is not a Microsoft Cabinet file but a file extracted from an installation file (Install Shield files are known for this). Such files are not true Microsoft Cabinet files but simply share the file extension CAB.

2. the version of PentaZip or PentaSuite being used is prior to version 7.

Version 7 supports the latest versions of Microsoft Cabinet files. Microsoft from time to time updates the format of its Cabinet files (that use the CAB extension).

PentaWare has to release updates to the supported formats to allow users of PentaZip or PentaSuite to access all the versions of Cabinet files that Microsoft has released.

All other producers of compression software also have to release updates to handle such format changes.

Upgrades to prior versions of PentaSuite and PentaZip are available from our e-commerce page.

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20. Do  PentaZip and PentaSuite work with Lotus Notes™ ? (September 2004)

To use PentaZip or PentaSuite with Lotus Notes will require the installation of the Lotus Notes Service Provider.

What is the Lotus Notes Service provider?

The Lotus Notes MAPI service provider (or NOTES MAPI support) is a .DLL file provided with Lotus Notes. It allows programs that require a MAPI interface, including the Microsoft Exchange client and Microsoft Outlook to access LOTUS NOTES e-mail.

How do I install Notes MAPI support?

When you install Lotus Notes, if the setup program finds MAPI support installed, it will add NOTES to the list of MAPI services available to the Exchange/Outlook profile. In practice, this means it will always be installed in Windows NT 4. For NT 3.51 or Windows 95, it will be installed if Windows Messaging, Exchange or Outlook is already installed.

If you installed Lotus Notes first, you can re-install Notes after installing Exchange, Outlook or Windows Messaging. It will just add the necessary MAPI transport .DLL file while preserving the rest of your Lotus Notes setup. This means you'll see Lotus Notes as an available service when you set up or modify your Outlook profile.

How do I tell applications to use this service provider?

Before applications can use Notes MAPI support, you must include Lotus Notes as a service in your Exchange/Outlook profile. In Windows NT 4 and Windows 95, use Control Panel | Mail (or Mail and Fax). For Windows NT 3.51, a separate icon is installed to allow MAPI services to be configured. Once a profile is defined, it is available to all MAPI-enabled applications.

Which versions of Lotus Notes have MAPI support?

All 32-bit versions of Lotus Notes from 4.5 onwards provide the necessary .DLL. However, version 4.5.4 works reliably in all situations. Version 4.6 and 4.6a were missing some fixes to the MAPI support that were in 4.5.4 and so do not work properly.

When is Lotus supplied MAPI support available to PentaZip and PentaSuite?

PentaZip and PentaSuite will detect MAPI support see preceding paragraphs) if it is present and use it to process email requests.

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21. I am a registered owner of PentaSuite 7 but have been unable to use  my code to unlock the most recent versions (October 2004)

If you have installed a version of PentaSuite with build 7.1.1.156 or later (starting July 29, 2004) the licensing system has changed.

All Registration Keys (a.k.a. Serial Numbers) will not work with the new versions of our software.

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22. I need to Re-Install a PentaWare product. How do I do this? (October 2004)

We have prepared detailed instructions showing how to re-install a PentaWare product. Click here for more information

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23. How do I get a License File? (January 2005)

We have prepared detailed instructions relating to License Files. See the following list:

• How to Get a License File for a PentaWare Product
• How to Install a License File for a PentaWare Product
• How to Save a License File you receive by Email

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