THD ProScan Version 13.0
for DOS and OS/2
CHANGES
This Text lists the changes made to THD ProScan Version 13.0.
THD ProScan Version 13.0 introduces the first SHAREWARE version of THD
ProScan. Now don't panic all those users who are using it because it's
freeware... The unregistered version is a fully functional version of THD
ProScan which still adds enhancements above 12.5 and is still free to use (in
the unregistered state) with no time limit.
Registering THD ProScan version 13.0 will enable some added features
(none of which has ever been available in the freeware version). Absolutely no
functionality has been removed from the freeware version. Registering can also
be done "instantly". As soon as you send your registration fee, simply
register the program (no need to wait for a key).
In Freeware mode there are no "NAG" screens or irritating delays. The
only indication that you are using the freeware version rather than the
registered version is on the graphic screen where it says "Freeware Version"
Instead of "Registered to : xxxxxxxxxx".
Registering THD ProScan will enable the use of the following features.
An editable language file - THD ProScan Version 13.0 introduces a language
file. In the freeware version, this language file may not be altered,
however with the registered version you can alter "almost" all strings
used by THDPRO.EXE. Strings in THDPLUS.EXE are not yet modifiable.
Converting files to externally defined archive types is now available in the
registered version. This feature is not (and never has been) available in
the freeware version. See the documentation regarding /TOEXT???#.
The registered version also introduces support for wildcards. These are
standard dos style 8.3 wildcards although the OS/2 version will
recognized longer filenames as long as the wildcard supplied matches the
8.3 convention.
For those who choose not to register THDTERM.EXE is still included
for testing of entire directories.
The registered version adds a new switch which allows searching of all
subdirectories for matching files. The "/SUB" switch when supplied on the
command line of the registered version will cause THDPRO.EXE to test all
files matching the filespec supplied in the directory supplied and any
subdirectories below the one supplied.
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The following changes are present in both the freeware and registered
versions.
A new switch ("/ID") has been added for identifying a files archive type.
Using this switch (wildcards supported) will cause THDPRO.EXE to "ONLY"
identify the matching file(s) archive type and report this to the screen.
The identification used is identical to the routines used when THDPRO.EXE
tests files, so those types defined in the Archive Editor will also be
identified.
As mentioned above, THDPRO.EXE now uses a language file. In unregistered mode
THD ProScan's language file can NOT be modified. Also the language files
created in registered mode cannot be used while unregistered, and
likewise language files generated while not registered cannot be used in
registered mode.
A language editor is available in THDCFG.EXE which will allow editing of
the language files (registered version only) or creation of the default
language file (both versions)
As has been pointed out, not everybody expresses their dates in the same
format as the U.S. In this regard the date style is now selectable in
THDCFG. you have a limited selection of styles and the default style is
JAN 1, 1998 (other number only types are also available).
File types can be skipped by using the new file called SKIPFILE.THD which you
create according to the guidelines in THDPRO.DOC.
A new utility has been created to test disk images. IMAGEX can do a cursory
check of disk image's structure and extract the files to your harddisk.
The types of disk images with which it works are limited, but this will
enable you to properly test some files which might not otherwise have
been tested. Registering THD ProScan also registers this utility which
gives you permission to use it outside of THDPRO.EXE.
Extraction of CRUSH archives was actually added in 12.5 since it was derived
from my beta code. Officially speaking though it is part of Version 13.0.
Crush extraction is done by THDPRO.EXE to avoid some potential problems
with using the CRUSH/UNCRUSH distribution programs.
"F-PROT / Long Command line" problems have been fixed. Since OS/2 is unable to
pass a command line as long as DOS is able to accept (from an os/2
session to a dos session), THDPRO.EXE will now check the length of the
command line is it going to send and if that command line is longer than
100 characters, it will create an executable file which runs the needed
command with the necessary parameters and call the newly created file.
This will enable THD to send a command line as long as DOS can accept
without regard for any problems that OS/2 may have sending a long command
line.
The length at which this option takes place can be changed from he
default (100 characters) using a the THDOPT environment variable.
SET THDOPT=/LL=### (where ### is a number between 1 and 255) to change
the maximum allowable line length to send to dos without using the new
workaround for long command lines.
SET THDOPT=STRIP to strip carriage return/Line feed pairs from Maximus style
descriptions.
As mentioned above, long filename support has been added "unofficially" for
OS/2. Officially, this support is not introduced in this version but
"many" hooks are present which should allow this to work if THDPRO.EXE
is restricted to usage on HPFS drives. The reason this support is
unofficial, is because THD does not check for the presence of HPFS on the
drive which the files will be expanded on (or anywhere else for that
matter).
Support for Renegade 04-05 and 100% compatible BBSes have been added to
THDPLUS.EXE. Note that this is the same support as seen in the publicly
available Beta versions of THDPLUS.
Some changes have been made to the diagnostics performed by THDPRO.EXE to
determine if the filesize and/or space limitations will be exceeded
(prior to actual expansion). For those of you who are unaware, THDPRO.EXE
does more than simply "identify" the archive type. In some cases it
performs diagnostics on the archive structure.
Y2 compliance - Although THD ProScan has always been Y2K compliant, a flaw was
found in the date manipulation routines which would cause problem
beginning around the year 2047. This has been corrected.
Stripping of comments from ZIP archive types was not functioning correctly in
version 12.5, this has been fixed.
A read-only VENDINFO.DIZ file could cause a runtime error with the OS/2
version of THDPRO.EXE. Although I still don't know "why", this has been
corrected.
The way THDPRO.EXE detects heuristic alerts when using F-PROT and TBSCAN.EXE
has changed. In earlier version. THDPRO.EXE assumed that "any" failure by
these scanners was a heuristic failure. Now THDPRO.EXE differenciates
between a heuristic alert and a known virus detection. Choosing the LOG
ONLY option for heuristic failures will now cause files which fail these
scanners by "known viruses" to fail testing regardless of the log-only
status and will log results of those files which fail only for heurist
alerts.
In version 12.5 (and likely earlier versions as well), if you entered your
archive comment file in THDINSTL.EXE without an extension, it would not
work correctly unless the filename included the ending ".". This version
no longer requires that ending period to be present.
Failing by age/date stopped working in 12.5 and has been fixed.
The logic used to identify external archive types in THDEXARC has been
modified to avoid a possible collision which caused some externally
defined types to go unrecognized.
Fixed a runtime error in THDTERM which could happen when it attempted to
move or rename files.
Fixed a problem with runtime error when updating Maximus style FILES.BBS.
FILES.BBS entries are now properly updated if they are the last entry and not
followed by a carriage return.
Major changes have been made to the OS/2 communications routines. Previously
the routines may have not worked with COM.SYS.
Changed the way long filenames are handled in ZIP archives. Archives with long
filenames will fail (since DOS cannot support them). Previously they were
allowed to pass if no errors were detected during the rest of the test.
Note that unofficially long filenames are supported by the OS/2 version
and the above may not apply.
THDCFG.EXE is the new configuration utility. It incorporates the functions of
THDINSTL.EXE, THDDEMO.COM, THDEXARC.EXE and adds a language editor and
configuration of THDTERM.EXE.
UNP is now run even if converting the archive. To accommodate this,
THDPRO.EXE erases all files and re-expands them from the original archive
prior to rearchiving.
The Unzip command line was changed for compatibility with UNZIP 5.20.
OS/2 RAR SFX offsets are now hardcoded in THDPRO.EXE
The /OV switch now also overrides existing Age/Date limits. It also overrides
the new File skipping.
The /PR# switch has been changed to accept values from 1..256. 1 being the
lowest priority and 256 being the highest. [OS/2 ONLY]
Originally introduced in version 12.5, the comport now needs to be supplied
with a /C# where # is the comport. OS/2 File handles need to be passed as
/H# where # is the file handle of the comport.
The F-PROT command line now includes the /NOBOOT option.
The OS/2 executable files are now packed with EXEPACK 2 compression. If they
ever did work with pre WARP versions of OS/2, they no longer will.
The output for OS/2 Processes is now limited to the lower portion of the
screen (like DOS processes always have been with the DOS version).
This option can be bypassed by setting THDOPT=DIRECT
The SCAN entry in THDCFG will now accept SCANPM.EXE as a valid version of
SCAN.EXE (for those needing more memory than SCAN.EXE leaves available).
In many cases, sysops find that SCAN.EXE will no longer run under
their current configuration. As a result THDPRO.EXE will now allow
SCANPM.EXE to be used (without renaming the file as had been required
with earlier versions).
At the end of testing a quick text output shows how many files passed, failed,
or were skipped.
SQZ support has been modified to look for SFX.EXE (SQZ 1.08.2) and then
SQZSFXJR.EXE and SQZSFX.EXE (SQZ 1.08.3) when creating SFX archives.
These files as always are searched for in the same directory in which SQZ
is located.