Stealth for Windows 6.0 Stealth Archive Converter is considered the finest in its class. No other utility can match its speed, versatility, and ease of use. Many registered users have asked for several add-ons: 1. Drag and drop interface from Windows. 2. Customizable virus scanner strings. 3. Full support for STEALTH.CFG files, allowing reading of config files from version 1.0 + and use of multiple configuration files. 4. Path support - if STEALTH.CFG is in your path, we'll find it. 5. Ease of use Intuitive interface Easy menu selections Clear dialogs Choose options from checkboxes and text blanks 6. Never touches WIN.INI or SYSTEM.INI and does NOT create its own .INI file that you must hunt down later 7. No 'install' functions to screw up your Windows configuration. Just copy two files, and go! 8. Fully ICONized Window that you can manuever around without getting in your way Traditional Features of Stealth include: _ It supports every major archiver available! ARJ, ARC, LHA, HAP, SQZ, DWC, PAK, ZIP 1.1 and 2.0, ICE, LHARC, LARC, UC2, HYPER, SDN, FCOMPACT, LIMIT and ZOO. _ It can recognize PKZIP 1.1 files and PKZIP 2.0 "normal" compressed files, then convert them to PKZIP -EX "extra" compression. This will save you a ton of hard disk space! _ Allows using LHA SFX self-extracting archives to be the "target" archiver. That makes distribution of your archives easy, since the recipient does not need a program to un-archive your files! _ Allows REMOVAL of a file's comment to a separate file. _ Supports VENDINFO.DIZ: The new standard in vendor and BBS information. The FIRST util to support this. _ Uses MULTIPLE config files, so you can completely change Stealth's operation from a batch file. _ Leave PKZIP and ARJ -AV files alone, plus virus scanning using any of the three most popular scanners! _ Recognizes embedded directories, and can include them with the conversion. _ Is perfect for SYSOPS, since it can be run as an "event" to update all .ZIP files, or be used as an upload processor. Even add comments or strip them from the files... _ You can "customize" STEALTH to almost any configuration. Include some archives, but not others, recurse subdirectories, leave SFX files alone, delete files after processing, plus MORE. _ Keeps an accurate log of all activity. Future Version: Lists archived files using its own 'internal' compression viewer (super-fast!). _ You can add extra BBS advertisements, add only your comments, or evaluate the current files. _ Search archives for FILE_ID.DIZ, DESC.SDI, *.SDA {SDA.ID} or VENDINFO.DIZ No other utility can do this! Plus STEALTH recognizes even DWC, SQZ, and LARC self-extracting files. Please notice that NO OTHER ARCHIVE program can do that. Is hard disk space important? That PKZIP file you downloaded yesterday... it is probably in 1.1 format. In fact, most of your PKZIP'ed files are 1.1 or else 2.0 "normal" compressed. Use STEALTH to maximize their compression. You can save 60,000 bytes of disk space on a few files, and several megabytes if you re-archive every downloaded file. Doing that manually will take FOREVER. And even batch files are no good, since they are so slow. But, you can be assured of accuracy and speed with STEALTH! Stealth is extremely simple: Make sure to run STLCFG.EXE first, to set up your preferences. 1. Choose FILE/NEW from Program Manger and type: STEATLHW.EXE with its full pathname. 2. Double click on the icon, and Stealth goes immediately into a ICON on your desktop. NOTE: Stealth looks for STEALTH.CFG in your path. If it cannot find it, then a message box will pop up telling you that Stealth will use defaults. You can always choose READ CONFIG FILE from Stealth's menu to pick out your preferred configuration. Please see "CONFIGURATION FILE" below for more details. 3. Start up your file manager, and find some files to convert. 4. While holding down the CONTROL key, click on each file you want converted. Each one will be highlighted. 5. When you have tagged all you want, drag them over to the Stealth ICON and drop them. 6. Stealth will shell out to DOS and convert each file using your default archiver. 7. If any viruses were found, or if there were any errors, Stealth: Moves all infected archives to : \STEALTH\VIRUS Moves all error files into: \STEALTH\ERROR These subdirectories are erased unless there are infected files/error files. In which case a box will pop up, detailing out what happened. You can then later examine these files for yourself. Stealth uses a configuration file called STEALTH.CFG (or you can name it anything you like). If STEALTH.CFG is in your path, then it will be used. Your located config file is on the ICON, ie: STEALTH: Using C:\UTILS\STEALTH.CFG Configuration File Included here is STEALTH.CFG, a configuration file for this program. Use the enclosed STLCFG.EXE program for a quick and easy way to create Stealth.cfg. Just fill in the blanks, and change the values to what you like best. Inside STLCFG.EXE, if you already have a STEALTH.CFG that you like, simply press [READ CONFIG] button to retrieve it. If you don't have one, then fill in the blanks on page 1 and 2, then press [WRITE CONFIG] to save your settings. Remember: Save your new STEALTH.CFG in your path so that Stealth will automatically load it upon startup. Now you can change it by using a text editor, and type out which options you want to use. The format is: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Put the archiver you want everything converted to. [archiver] = archiver Whereas archiver could be: PKZIP1 ARJ LHA DWC PKZIP2 PAK ZOO ARC6 LHASFX SQUEEZE ICE HAP LARC LIMIT HYPER LHARC UC2 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Next, put all the archives you want converted to YOUR archiver. For instance, if you put LHA here, all .LZH files will be converted. [archiver] = convert Whereas archiver could be: PKZIP1 ARJ LHA DWC PKZIP2 PAK ZOO ARC6 LHASFX SQUEEZE ICE HAP LARC LIMIT HYPER LHARC UC2 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, do you want to strip all comment files in the archivers found? NO = strip comment --------------------------------------------------------------------- And do you want to add your own comment file to the archives that are converted? NO = add comment --------------------------------------------------------------------- Then, what comment file do you want added? (leave this line out if you want to comment added) NOTE: Make sure that the filename is left justified! No spaces should be on the left of the filename! B:\COMMENT.1 = comment file --------------------------------------------------------------------- When .EXE self-extracting archives are found, do you want them extracted? NO = executables --------------------------------------------------------------------- If PKZIP 2.0 files are found that have been compressed using "normal" compression, do you want them to be re-compressed using "EXTRA" compression? NOTE: You MUST have your ARCHIVER to PKZIP 2.0 and include PKZIP2 in your " = convert" section. NO = make ZIPs -EX --------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you want to recurse the subdirectories? If YES, then all directories beneath the current one will be processed also! NO = recurse subdirs NOTE: Not needed in Windows version --------------------------------------------------------------------- As a default, STEALTH logs all activity into \STEALTH.LOG. This makes it easy to see what happened, and keep track of what went where. yes = create log file C:\STEALTH.LOG = log file location --------------------------------------------------------------------- Also as default, STEALTH deletes the old archives, so that your hard disk is not cluttered with old and new versions. That would make it extremely difficult to sort through them! yes = delete files --------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to scan your archives for viruses, you can utilize any of the three most popular virus scanners avaiable. Just include the "check for viruses" line, then choose one of the scanners listed below (NOTE: You can only specify one) yes = CHECK FOR VIRUS VIRUSCAN = VIRUS PROGRAM * McAfee's * F-PROT = VIRUS PROGRAM * Frisk * TBSCAN = VIRUS PROGRAM * Cook/Veldman * --------------------------------------------------------------------- An added feature in Stealth 6.0 is the ability to specify where and exactly what your scanner and switches should be. IE: If you are using McAfee's SCAN you may want to specify /NOMEM as a switch, to speed up processing. Just remember: Always left justify your scan file and switch parameters. C:\TBAV\TBSCAN.EXE = scan file /NOMEM /ALLDRIVES = scan switches --------------------------------------------------------------------- Many PKZIP and ARJ files have a -AV seal attached to them. Most people (including SYSOPS) may not want to break those sealed files, since a "sealed file is a safe file". If a PKZIP or ARJ is -AVed, then you can be pretty sure no one has tampered with it. no = break AV files --------------------------------------------------------------------- STEALTH has an internal "archive viewer" that allows you to see what's inside an archive before/as it is processed. This will allow a clear representation of the file. Actually, the viewer is FASTER than any other I have found. Try it out! yes = list files before processing Technical notes Please think about what you put into STEALTH.CFG before starting the STLCFG.EXE 1. If your "Archiver" and "convert" file types are the same, then all files will be processed twice: ARJ = Archiver ARJ = convert PAK = convert ARJ = convert because STEALTH will convert all the .ARJ and .PAK files, then convert them again because they are now ARJ files! IMPORTANT NOTE: If you specify MAKE ZIPS -EX, then you MUST have PKZIP2 = Archiver and PKZIP2 = Convert 2. If you have 20 archives with the same name: ANOTHER.PAK ANOTHER.ARJ ANOTHER.ZIP ANOTHER.SDN ANOTHER.ZOO ANOTHER.ARC all of the contents of ALL THE ARCHIVES will be converted into your new file. So, if you said: PKZIP2 = Archiver then ANOTHER.PAK's contents will be stuffed into ANOTHER.ZIP, and ANOTHER.ARJ's contents will be also. And you will lose the original files. So please don't name several archives the same file name, then include all those types in your STEALTH.CFG file! 3. Embedded directories are NOT processed if you use: yes = recurse subdirs Why? Because when you re-compress the file, then you will include all subdirectories under the current one. And if you are in the root directory, your whole hard drive will be sucked up into the new compressed file! 4. Please don't STRIP a file's comments, then ADD a comment. If you ADD a comment, then the old one is automatically deleted. 5. Please make sure ALL FILENAMES IN STEALTH.CFG are left justified! For example, your comment file should look like: ª ªC:\PCBOARD\COMMENT.FIL ª instead of: ª ª C:\PCBOARD\COMMENT.FIL ª Because to get the filename, an ASCII 'zero' is placed wherever a 'space' character is. And the filename won't register unless it's left justified. NOTE: PKZIP 2.0 "stored" files are identical to PKZIP 1.1 format. Therefore, all 2.0 "stored" archives are flagged as version 1.1. 6. For Stealth for Windows, you MUST have a 'MOVE' command. In DOS versions 6.x, you have one included. If you do NOT have a move command, then make a batch file with: copy %1 %2 del %1 This will substitute just fine. 7. Also NOTE: Any unsuccessful de-compression of a file or any errors encountered while processing files will result in the original not being erased. So if STEALTH does not get an errorlevel of 0, then it moves the file into \STEALTH\ERROR S H A R E W A R E Stealth is Shareware, which means you try it before you buy it. If you like Stealth, and want to use it on a regular basis, please register! Registered users get a printed manual, lifetime support and several other goodies. There are several ways to register: Mail a check/money order/postal money order for $25.00 + $5.00 shipping to: David Smith 1104 Mason Drive Hurst TX 76053 Or use your VISA/MASTERCARD by calling 1-800-242-4775 from 8:00a - 5:00pm, Monday - Friday, Texas time David Smith may be reached: CompuServe : 71441,2723 BBS: (214) 606-1485 The shareware version of Stealth for Windows leaves the batch file it uses: THEBATCH.BAT in your root directory. It also displays annoying boxes and shareware reminders upon startup. These are removed from the registered version! P r o b l e m s Before you report any problems, remember your configuration and which files you want to convert. If PKZIP 1.1 files are not getting converted, it's probably because they are version 2.0 already. Make sure and check before you write.