Support

PENTAWARE  SUPPORT

For assistance with any of your PentaWare software issues,
please visit our online helpdesk

General Support InformationInstallation and LicensesFAQ’sCustomer SurveyProduct RegistrationCompression FormatsView/Conversion Formats
Support can be needed for a variety of reasons:

Online HelpDesk

For assistance with any of your PentaWare software issues, please visit our online helpdesk

Downloading Issues

PentaWare products can be downloaded from multiple FTP and HTTP servers. The number of anonymous users that can download at the same time is limited so that (if this limit is reached) you may get a couple of “error” messages when you try to download. There may be cases in which the server will prompt you for a username and password or it may even tell you that there are too many anonymous users and to try again later. If you do get one of these messages, you should try a different link or the same link until you are allowed access to the file. The use of FTP generally allows resumption of interrupted downloads.

Serial Number/Registration Code

We only distribute one version of our software for every supported language. Each PentaWare software product installation kit is delivered as “Shareware”. Such kits are subject to partially expire after 15 days from the date of installation. To make a PentaWare demo version become a “Full” version you need to insert a Serial Number (also referred to as Registration Code) that you will obtain from PentaWare after you have purchased a license for a PentaWare product from our E-Commerce store.

Once you have received your Serial Number you can register your PentaWare product. The next time you see the nag screen (it appears every time you start one of the PentaWare programs which have not been registered) press the ‘Registration’ button to open the ‘Registration’ section of the Product Configuration, insert your Serial Number in the relevant input field and press ‘Register’ to change your demo version into a fully licensed version. Please see also page How to change a Demo Version to a Full Version for a detailed description of the registration procedure.

Issues concerning Online Purchases Customer Service:

For inquiries regarding order status, license files, refunds, etc. relating to online store purchases, please contact support@pentaware.com.

Ordering Issues

contact us :

  • by email through support@pentaware.com
  • by phone at 1-888-998-1492 (in NH and outside the U.S. 1-603-929-9828)
  • by fax at 1-603-218-6044

Registering your copy of a PentaWare program

There are a number of good reasons to register your copy of a PentaWare program. By doing so you are entitled to:

  • technical support
  • receive early notification of product upgrades
  • be informed of new product announcements and special offers we make from time to time

To register your product, just fill in the Product Registration form on our web page.

If you purchased a boxed version of a PentaWare product you may optionally also complete the Registration Card that is packed inside the PentaWare program box and mail or fax it to:

PentaWare, Inc.
One New Hampshire Avenue
Suite 125
Portsmouth, NH 03801
fax 1-603-218-6044

Miscellaneous Issues

There are numerous ways to search for an answer to a question concerning a PentaWare program.

  1. on the web site consult the Frequently Asked Questions – (“FAQ”) web page
  2. Visit the PentaWare online helpdesk.
  3. If all else fails, you may contact PentaWare’s Customer Service at:

 

Phone: 1-603-929-9828 (ask for Customer Service)
NOTE: Phone hours for this number are Mon-Fri – 9am to 5pm (Eastern time).
Fax:      1-603-218-6044 (send ATTN: Customer Service)
Email:  U.S. and Canada – support@pentaware.com

Mail address:   PentaWare, Inc.
One New Hampshire Avenue
Suite 125
Portsmouth, NH 03801

How to Install PentaWare Software

1. After you have finished downloading the PentaWare software you wish to install, open the destination folder you chose and double click on the Windows Installer .msi file to start the installation process. If you need to download a copy of our software, just access the Download Registration form on our Web site. Once that form is filled out (make sure that you insert a valid email address), an email with a download link will be sent to you.

2. Once the installation process begins, you will go through a number of screens asking you to agree to the license agreement, to select the installation folder and other things. Keep pressing “Next” until you have completed the installation.

Registration - How to change a Demo Version to a Full Version

PentaWare programs are all sold as Shareware.

Our programs need a Serial Number (also called Registration Code or License Key) to become “Full” versions. You will receive your Serial Number from PentaWare when you purchase your license. Large Installations need to organize the logistics of distribution and this gets done together with PentaWare’s sales staff.

Until this Serial Number has been inserted, each program will be a 15 day Demo and a screen similar to the one below will appear each time any PentaWare program will start.

Once the 15 day trial period is over, you will still be able to use PentaZip or PentaSuite for ZIP archives (zipping and unzipping) and for limited viewing using Notepad.

In some cases, PentaWare will issue an extension License allowing the trial period to go beyond the standard of 15 days from initial installation. For more information concerning trial period extensions please write to Licenses@pentazip.com.

Where to get a Serial Number/Registration Code

If you have downloaded and purchased one of our products from one of our authorized sites you’ll receive your Serial Number together with the purchase receipt via email from PentaWare.

If you purchased a boxed version of a PentaWare product you’ll find your Serial Number on the registration card included in the CD distribution package.

What to do with the Serial Number/Registration Code

Once you have received your Serial Number, you can register your PentaWare product. This can be done clicking on the Registration button located on the ‘reminder screen’ that appears every time you start one of the PentaWare programs which have not been registered:

SplashScreen

This will open the ‘Registration Section” of the Program Configuration window:

Registration entry

Insert your Serial Number (by copying/pasting or typing it manually) in the corresponding input field.

Once you have inserted the number, press the Register button located next to the input field to finish the Registration process. Your program will then be fully licensed what can be told from the modified License Type information which switches from Trial to Full.

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Products

1. I'm using a previous version of PentaZip. How can I upgrade to the latest version of PentaZip, PentaZip-PRO or PentaSuite-PRO?

All registered PentaZip users can upgrade to the latest versions of PentaZip, PentaZip-PRO or PentaSuite-PRO at a reduced price. To purchase an upgrade, please see the Upgrade section of our Buy Now page.

There can be some requirements to qualify for an upgrade.

2. 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?

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 “Relative Path” feature for more flexible extraction of your compressed files.

3. Is it possible zip and unzip files by command line?

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 FilesPentaWarePentaZip15.0Script ” (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.

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

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

5. Is it possible to compress files larger than 2GB or make compressed archives larger than 4GB?

Yes. Compress using either the ZIPX, ZIP64 or ZGB (ZipGigaByte) Format.
f
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.

6. 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?

Yes. With PentaView (part of PentaZip and PentaSuite) you can convert using the “Save As” command as follows:

From Tiff to the following Graphics formats:

BMP Windows, BMP OS/2, CAL, CMP, CUR, CUT, FPX, EMF, GIF, ICO, IMG, ICA, IFF, JPG, JTF, JP2 MAC Pict,  MSP, PBM, PSP, PCX, PCD, PGM, PNG, PPM, PSD, PSP, RAS, TGA, TIF Multipage, TIF-EXIF, TIF – FAX FORMATS, WebP, WMF, WFX, XPM, XBM, XWD

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.

Users of PentaSuite can also use PentaConverter.

Users of PentaCLI-PRO can use pzvConv to convert formats from the Command line.

7. 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.

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.

8. How can PentaZip/PentaSuite help me to protect my files from Virus attacks?

PentaZip/PentaSuite 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.

9. What do I have to do if I receive a compressed archive that is not in ZIP format?

PentaZip is compatible with and can open 18 of the most commonly used compression format types: ZIP, ZIPX, ZIP64, ZGB, BZip2, ARC, ARJ, LZH/LHa, CAB, GZip, RAR, TAR, ZOO, Ace, JAR, DCL Zip, 7Zip and BH

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

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

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)

11. I need to perform backups even when I am not in the office. How can I do it?

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

We strive to make products that are:

  1. user friendly and robust
  2. modern and intuitive
  3. fast and complete

The main reason our products are the way they are today is due to our users. We have always encouraged feedback and we want to go one step further by providing you with a means to tell us what you think of us and our products and how you would improve or change our products.

We also would like to receive reports/white paper documents explaining how our products have helped you personally or have been useful where you work or study.

First Name
Last Name
Email
Would you like us to call you? YesNo
If so please insert A phone number to call you at

the time of day (and your time zone) you would like us to call you
Would you like to send us a white Paper about PentaZip and/or PentaSuite and how either one or both have been of use to you? YesNo
What are the things you like most about our products? (600 char)
What are the things you don't like about our products?
Any other pertinent remarks

This is for users to Register the following PentaWare Products:

  • PentaZip
  • PentaZip-PRO
  • PentaSuite-PRO

Please fill in the information on this form to:

  • be entitled to technical support
  • receive early notification of product upgrades
  • be informed of new product announcements and special offers we make from time to time

Read our Privacy Statement for your peace of mind.

Title (if applicable)
First Name
Last Name
Email
Company (if applicable)
Address
City
State or Province
Zip Code
Country
Telephone
Fax
The software I am registering is:
Where did you buy our software?
Data of purchase
Number of Users for this license
Number of PC's at your site 1-2425-99100-9991000+
Is your PC connected to a modem? YesNo
Number of PC's you supervise 1-2425-99100-9991000+
What do you use your PC for? GamesHomeWorkOther
Are you using a laptop or a desktop computer? laptopdesktop
What is the principal line of business of your company? ComputerHardwarePetroleumManufacturingComputer SoftwareBanking/FinanceConstructionInsuranceCommunicationsJournalismLegalEducationCity/States/GovernmentServicesAutomotiveTransportationOther
How would you classify your computer knowledge? BeginnerAcceptableExpert
Contact me for Updates YesNo

Please tell us what you think about the PentaWare product you are using.

Compression with PentaZip

The following tables list the formats that are supported by our compression tools PentaZip and PentaZip Shell  for:

Compressing and Extracting Files
Compressing and Extracting Files

You can create new compressed archives and add files to existing compressed archives in the following formats:

Format Extension
Zip Zip .zip
zipX .zipx
Zip64 .zip
ZGB (ZipGigaByte) .zgb
BH .bh
Cabinet .cab
Lha .lha
Tar .tar
Gzip .gz
TarGzip .tgz
Jar .jar
BZip2 .bz2
7Zip .7z

 

PentaZip can  open and extract files from compressed archives in following formats:

Format Extension
Zip Zip .zip
zipX .zipx
Zip64 .zip
ZGB (ZipGigaByte) .zgb
ARC
ARJ
LHZ/LHA .lzh/.lha
ZOO .zoo
TAR .tar
RAR .rar
GZip .gz
TarGZip .tgz
SFX .exe
Cabinet .cab
Ace .ace
Jar .jar
BH .bh
BZip2 .bz2
7Zip, Cpio, CHM .7z, .cpio, .chm
ISO CD/DVD Image files .iso
Copying Files between Compressed Archives
Copying Files between Compressed Archives
Copy FROM Copy TO
Any of the supported archive formats. ZIP, ZIP64,ZIPX, ZGB, LZH, LHA, CAB, Tar, BH.

 

Converting between Compression Formats
Converting between Compression Formats

You can convert compressed archives from one supported compression format to another using the SaveAS command, as outlined in this table:

Conversion FROM Conversion TO
ZIP, ZIP64, ZipX, ZGB, ARJ, LHa/LZH, ARC, CAB, RAR, ZOO, TAR, GZip, BH, Ace , JAR, 7Zip, CHM, Cpio, TarGZip ZIP, ZIP64; ZipX, ZGB, LHa/LZH, CAB, TAR, GZip, BH , JAR, 7Zip

 

Conversion into Self Extracting Files (SFX Archives) is currently only available for ZIP Archives: Zip (.zip), ZipX (.zipX) and ZGB (.zgb)

Encoding and Decoding Emails
Encoding and Decoding Emails

PentaZip can encode and decode to and from the following email formats:

Format Extension
MIME (binary 64) .mme or  .mm
UUENCODE .uue or .uu
XXENCODE .xxe or .xx
BinHex .hqx or bqx

 

 

 

Formats supported by PentaView, PentaWare’s Single File Viewer.  The following tables describe the formats and types of files that can be viewed and converted by our file viewer PentaView:

Graphics Files
Graphics Files

All of the following can be viewed using PentaView. The Save As command allows you to convert a graphics image from its original format to any of the following formats that PentaView can read and write (R/W). For example from JPG to FPX. The table shows which formats can be read (R) or can be read and written (R/W) through the “Save As” command.

Extension Type R or
R/W
BMP Bit Mapped Image (OS/2) R/W
BMP Bit Mapped Image (Windows) R/W
CAL Continuous Acquisition and Life-Cycle (CALS) Support >Raster – U.S. government standard R/W
CMP Lead Tools Compressed file format R/W
CUR CURsor Format for Windows R/W
CUT Dr. Halo files R/W
DXF AutoCAD Drawing Interchange Format R
DWG AutoCAD Drawing Files R
EPS Encapsulated PostScript R
FLC Flic Animation (Auto-desk) R
FLI Flic Animation (Auto-desk) R
FPX FlashPix R/W
EMF  Enhanced Windows Metafile R/W
GIF Graphics Interchange Format R/W
GIF Animated GIF with full animation R
ICO ICOn Format for Windows R/W
IMG GEM metafile R/W
ICA IOCA – Image Object Content Architecture (IBM) R/W
ICA MODICA –  Image Object Content Architecture – RAW format (IBM) R/W
IFF Interchange File Format R/W
JPG JPEG File Interchange Format (24 bit) R/W
JPG JPEG File Interchange Format (8 bit [grey] R/W
JTF JPEG Tagged Interchange Format R/W
JP2 * JPEG2000 R/W
MAC MACPaint R/W
MPT Multipage TIFF format (used for faxes) R
MSP Microsoft Paint (an older format) R/W
PBM Portable BitMap Format R/W
PCX PCX by ZSoft (r) used by Paint R/W
PCD Kodak Photo CD R
PGM Portable GrayMap Format R/W
PNG Portable Network Graphics (replacement for GIF) R/W
PPM Portable PixMap Format R/W
PSD Adobe PhotoShopDocument Image R/W
PSP Paint Shop Pro Image R
RAS SUN Raster (RAS) native format to Sun UNIX platforms R/W
TGA Truevision(r)TGA (TARGA) compressed /RLE R/W
TIF Tag Image File Format R/W
TIF TIFF Fax Formats R/W
TIF EXIF for Digital Still Cameras R/W
WebP * WebP R/W
WMF Windows MetaFile (WMF and EMF) R/W
WFX Winfax Fax format R/W
AWD Microsoft Fax At Work Document – Microsoft Fax format R/W
XPM X PixMap – color format developed  for X Window systems R
XBM XBitMap – BitMap format for X Window systems R/W
XWD X Window Dump – format of the X Window Dump screenshot utility R/W 

* not available in PentaZip 

Digital Photography Files
Digital Photography Files

All of the following can be viewed using PentaView. The Save As command allows you to convert a digital image from its original format to any of the graphics formats that PentaView can read and write (R/W) as shown by the table. For example from NEF to PNG or FPX to JPG.

The table shows which formats can be read (R) or can be read and written (R/W) through the “Save As” command. Digital Photography Images are generally all “Read” (R) files, i. e. it is not possible to convert graphics files in any of these formats.

Extension Type R or
R/W
CRW * Canon Raw Format – native image format for Canon Digital Cameras R
CAM * Casio Digital Camera  Format R
FPX  FlashPix R/W
X3F * Foveon X3F format created b the Sigma SD9 camera R
RAF * Raw format produced by FujiFilm FinePix S2 Pro Camera R
MRW * Raw format produced by Minolta DiMage5 and DiMage 7 cameras R
DCR *
TIF
TIFF
Kodak Professional Digital Camera R
NEF * Raw format produced by Nikon digital cameras R
ORF * Olympus ORF Raw Format produced by Olympus E-10 and E-20 cameras R
MBM Psion MultiBitMap (MBM) – native file format for the Psion mobile computing solution products. R
SFW Seattle Film Works R
PMP * Sony Digital Camera R
WBMP WAP – Wireless Application Protocol R

only available in PentaSuite-PRO

Multimedia Files
Multimedia Files

All of the following can be viewed/listened to using PentaView. The Save As command is not available for these files therefore the reference in the R or R/W column is always “Read” (R).

When viewing movie files (AVI, MPG, MOV) it is possible to pause movie playing and export the currently viewed frame saving it as a common image in any of the supported graphics files formats.

Extension Type R or
R/W
AVI Windows AVI – native multimedia files format for MS Windows. R
MID Musical Instrument Digital Interface – used in computer music applications to store and play musical notes. R
MP3 MPEG-3 – file format used for storing audio data. R
·        MPG

·        MPEG

·        MPV

·        MP2

·        MPA

·        MPE

MPEG-1  – a standard for lossy compression of digitally stored video and audio data. R
MOV Non Proprietary Apple QuickTime R
WAV Wave – native sound format for MS Windows R
Documents and Spreadsheets
Documents and Spreadsheets

All of the following can be viewed using PentaView. The Save As command is available for these files under some circumstances. The table shows which formats can be read (R) or can be read and written (R/W) using the “Save As” command.  You may copy and paste from these files to other files.

Extension Type Formats supported R or
R/W
DOC,
DOCX
Microsoft Word DOCument – one of the most common Word Processing Formats. The versions supported are Word 6.0 (a.k.a. 95), Word 97 (Word 7.0), Word 2000, XP, 2003 and 2007. R/W
HTM,
HTML
Hyper Text Marker Language – popular Web Page format. PentaView supports most pages and formats. PentaView can act as a Browser viewing pages directly from an Internet connection. Internet Explorer must be installed. R/W
RTF Rich Text Format – File format used for interchange between word processors as well as Publishing programs (e. g. Adobe Pagemaker) Most formats are supported R/W
PDF Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format If Adobe Acrobat is installed, PentaView can view PDF files.

 

All features of the Adobe Acrobat Reader are supported (including printing).

 

Only with PentaZip-PRO:

PentaView can also create PDF files for the file formats PentaView supports (i.e. DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML, CSV, XLS, most Graphics formats).

R/W
TXT Text – ASCII and Unicode text files R/W
XLS Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets Versions 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0,
Excel 97, Excel 2000, XP , 2003 and 2007.Formulas and data are supported. Images incorporated in spreadsheets are not supported at this time.
R
CSV Comma Separated Value You can create a CSV document using the “Save As” command on a currently viewed file in a supported format and also create a new CSV using the “New CSV file” option from the File menu. R/W
Please note: PentaView allows to convert a single file at a time using the “Save As” command. Users who need to convert multiple files at a time (batch conversion) may be interested in our format conversion utility PentaConverter which is available with PentaSuite-PRO.