Copyright: © 1998-2005 ACE Compression Software && e-merge GmbH


Description of WinAce

WinAce Archiver

© 1998,2005 ACE Compression Software & e-merge GmbH

WinAce is a 32-Bit GUI (Windows95/98/ME/NT 4.x/2000/XP) for the new and widely popular compression format ACE.

The program's main purpose is to provide the user with a means to create, modify or extract compressed files of different types.

In addition to the Windows version there is a DOS version available which also includes an easy-to-use shell and several commandline versions for various operating systems (DOS, Win32 and OS/2 as of 6/99).

The compression features of WinAce are not limited to ACE alone - other popular formats, like the common and widely used ZIP format can be both used for compression and extraction of data files.

Since handling archives is very similar to handling files and directories, WinAce can also be used as a file manager shell. It supports operations like copying, moving or deleting files as well as viewing text and commonly used graphic files.

WinAce features:

•	Compression formats: ACE, ZIP, LHA, MS-CAB

•	Decompression formats: ACE, ZIP, LHA, MS-CAB, RAR, ARC, ARJ, GZIP, TAR, BZip2, ISO-Images, ZOO

•	Multi-volume (aka "disk spanning") archives (ACE, ZIP, CAB)

•	dedicated compression routines, optimized for special file types (multimedia compression etc.)

•	Solid compression (ACE), resulting in up to 50% better compression

•	Self-Extracting archives (SFX modules) for ACE and ZIP

•	Encryption of archives

•	Recovery data for corrupted archives

•	AV signatures (authenticity verification) for ACE-archives

•	HTML, ANSI, and ASCII-comments for ACE- and ZIP-archives (displays comments of any other formats, too)

•	Complete (DOS-ACE compatible) control from command line

•	Detailed information on archives

•	Integrated viewer and quickviewer for Word-documents, RTF-, HTML-, ASCII- and commonly used graphic files

•	Full Drag&Drop support

•	An easy, user configurable and clearly arranged shell

•	Complete file-management functionality (Drag&Drop, copying, renaming, deleting of files)

•	Optimization of existing archives

•	Directory of ACE and ZIP archives (Property dialog)

•	Support for commonly used Virus Scanners

•	Automated installation of archives containing "SETUP.EXE" or "INSTALL.EXE"

·	·	·	·	·

WinAce achieves very high compression rates using the ACE format without sacrificing compression speed.

The ACE compression also offers easier handling of multi-volume (aka "disk spanning") archives and a more efficient compression algorithm compared to the ZIP-Format. The use of solid compression improves the compression rates even more, especially when used on data contained in a large number of (small) files.

Due to the high distribution of ZIP files around the globe, the ZIP format is also fully supported - although ZIP lacks the powerful and fast compression ACE has to offer.

WinAce is very easy to use! To open an archive linked with WinAce you only need to doubleclick it in any shell environment, like the Microsoft Explorer. When running WinAce, archives may also be browsed for and/or opened by using the File/Open command.

Archives opened with WinAce are handled like ordinary directories. This basically means that archive files can be opened or displayed by the internal viewer by doubleclicking on the archive name.

WinAce has full Drag&Drop support. Files may ba dragged to an already existing archive or from an archive to another folder or onto the desktop. During the compression/extraction process a status window keeps you informed about the file(s) currently processed.

WinAce is distributed as Shareware. This means that you may evaluate this program for 30 days.

If you decide to use it after this test period, you will need to obtain a registered copy of WinAce.

WinAce Archiver standard: 	US$ 29.00

32-Bit GUI (Windows 95/98/NT4.x/2000/XP)

WinAce Archiver plus:	US$ 39.00

32-Bit GUI plus Ace for DOS and all available commandline versions (currently DOS, WIN32, OS/2)

Order form

Benefits for registered users

If you have questions or suggestions which you think can help us improve WinAce please contact us.

WinAce is constantly under development in order to improve functionality and ease of use, so your suggestions are welcome at any time.


Before using WinAce

Important notice:

WinAce is distributed as shareware. This means that you have the right to copy the evaluation version of the program as well as the documentation and give it to your friends and co-workers or other people who might be interested in it. The only restriction is to distribute it in its original state. This refers to both the program and the documentation.

Any commercial use of WinAce as well as the distribution connected with an commercial product is not allowed without the agreement of the author.

WinAce is distributed as Shareware. This means that you may evaluate this program for 30 days.

If you decide to use it after this test period, you will need to obtain a registered copy of WinAce.

Click here to find out more on how to order WinAce.

This shareware version is NOT limited in its functionality!

You have the possibility to test the program for 30 days.

Limited warranty and liability:

The author does not warrant the suitability for any particular purpose or any particular configuration of your hardware.

Moreover he shall not be liable for damages of any kind caused by the use or inability to use WinAce. This includes loss of data, loss of business profits, business interruption, and the like, as well as consequential damages, even if the author has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Some states and countries do not allow the exclusion of consequential damages so some restrictions may not apply to you.

By using WinAce the user acknowledges his acceptance of the "limited warranty and liability".

Before you start

Before using WinAce you should read these instructions carefully.

They contain important information about working with WinAce and how to solve common problems that may occur.

If you still have problems with WinAce you can contact our technical support.

Address:	e-merge GmbH

Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 157

D-48153 Muenster

GERMANY

Phone:	+49 - 251 - 430 00

(Mo-Fr: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. CET)

Fax: 	+49 - 251 - 430 52

WWW:	http://www.winace.com (international customers)

http://www.emerge.de (german site)

e-mail:	support@winace.com

System requirements


License

SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT AND LIMITED WARRANTY

between the end user of this software and

e-merge GmbH	fon +49-251-430-00

Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 157	fax +49-251-430-52

D-48153 Muenster	http://www.winace.com

Germany	info@winace.com

This file contains two license agreements:

(1) If you have a trial copy of our software (also called a "shareware" or "evaluation" copy), read the first license

agreement below.

(2) If you paid e-merge GmbH (or one of our authorized dealers) for your software, read the second license agreement below.

(1) LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR TRIAL COPIES

If you don't agree with the terms below, you should not use or evaluate the Software. In this agreement: "Software" means the e-merge product(s) you have obtained for evaluation, including the software, documentation, and other materials; "Trial Copy" means a copy of the Software for which you have not paid a fee to us or one of our authorized dealers (Trial Copies are typically described as "trial" or "shareware" copies in the Software's sign-on messages); "Purchased Copy" means a copy of the Software for which you have paid a fee to us or to one of our authorized dealers, and which is not described as a trial or shareware copy in the Program's sign-on messages; "we" or "us" means e-merge GmbH, a corporation based in Muenster, Germany, "you" means the evaluator or end user of the Software.

I. Legal Agreement

This legal agreement allows you to evaluate the Software under the terms and conditions below.

II. Ownership

We or our licensors own the Software under copyright, trade secret and all other laws that may apply. All e-merge GmbH product names, designs, and logos are trademarks of e-merge GmbH.

III. Evaluation Period

You may use a Trial Copy of the Software for an evaluation period of up to 30 days in order to determine whether the Software meets your needs before purchasing a license. Your evaluation period begins when you first install the Software on one or more computers for evaluation purposes. Once the evaluation period ends, you agree to either purchase a license for the Software, or to stop using it. If you have ordered a purchased Copy of the Software from us or from one of our authorized dealers you may continue to use your Trial Copy until your Purchased Copy arrives.

IV. Use of the Software

While you are evaluating the Software, you may use it on as many computers as are required to perform your evaluation. However, once the evaluation period is over and you purchase a license for the Software, your use will be restricted to the number of computers for which you have purchased licenses, under the license agreement which applies to your Purchased Copy.

You may not distribute archives created with an unregistered copy of this product.

V. DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS

DISCLAIMERS: YOU ARE NOT PAYING FOR THE TRIAL USE LICENSE FOR YOUR TRIAL COPY OF THE PROGRAM. ACCORDINGLY THE TRIAL COPY IS PROVIDED "AS-IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. YOU ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SELECTION AND USE OF THE SOFTWARE TO ACHIEVE YOUR INTENDED RESULTS, AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IF YOU USE THE SOFTWARE IMPROPERLY OR AGAINST OUR INSTRUCTIONS YOU CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO YOUR FILES, SOFTWARE AND DATA. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: IN NO EVENT SHALL WE BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES WHATSOEVER ARISING OUT OF USE OF THE PROGRAM OR YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH US. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, THEREFORE THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

========================================================================

(2) LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR PURCHASED COPIES

PLEASE NOTE: If you received a printed license agreement from us for this software, or you have executed a signed license agreement, please refer to that agreement instead of the text below.

IMPORTANT: If you don't agree with the terms below, you must return the Software unused, to us or to the dealer where you purchased it, for a refund. In this agreement: "Software" means the e-merge GmbH product(s) you purchased, consisting of either a single program or one or more programs sold together as a unit (whether in separate disks or files; or combined in a CD, other media, or electronic file), including the software, documentation, and other materials; "we" or "us" means e-merge GmbH, a corporation based in Muenster, Germany, "you" means the evaluator or end user of the Software.

 and "Computer" means a computer keyboard, terminal, or other primary input device used by a single user.

I. Legal Agreement

This legal agreement allows you to use the Software under the terms and conditions below.

II. Ownership.

We or our licensors own the Software under copyright, trade secret and all other laws that may apply. All e-merge GmbH product names, designs, and logos are trademarks of e-merge GmbH

III. Use of Individual Copies

If you purchased an individual copy of the Software, it may be installed for a single person's use on one or more Computers (such as a Computer at work, a Computer at home, and a portable Computer), as long as all Computers are primarily for that person's use at all times, and they are never used simultaneously except during active transfer of files between them. (If the Software copy was purchased by your employer, you must obtain your employer's explicit permission before installing the Software on multiple Computers as described above.)

IV. Multi-System Licenses

If you purchased a multi-system (rather than individual) license for the Software, you may install the Software on at most the number of Computers licensed, as shown on the program sign-on screen or authorized in other electronic or printed documents received from us or our dealer. Unlike individual copies, under a multi-system license each Computer (work, home, portable, etc.) is counted separately, even if the Computers are not in use simultaneously.

V. Copying and Distribution

You may copy the Software files as necessary for normal backup purposes. You may not make, sell, or give to others, any other whole or partial copy of the Software, without our advance written permission.

VI. Serial Numbers and Codes

Any serial numbers, registration keys, or other similar codes you receive in order to personalize, install, or register the software are private and confidential information known only to you and to us, and may not be given to others under any circumstances. Publishing your personal registration data results in immediate termination of your licence.

VII. LIMITED WARRANTY for Physical Defects

We pledge that any disks, CDs, or manuals physically delivered to you will arrive free of physical defects interfering with normal use. If you report such a defect to us within 90 days after purchase, we will replace the defective unit(s) at no charge. We don't promise that the Software will be free of software bugs or program errors. If you report an error or bug to us, we will use reasonable efforts to remedy the problem. If we issue a maintenance release for the Software containing a correction for an error you reported, we will make a copy of that release available to you for electronic download at no charge. We will only do this for maintenance releases, not for other new versions of the Software.

VIII. DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS

DISCLAIMER

Except for the Limited Warranty stated above, we disclaim any and all warranties, express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. You acknowledge and agree that you had full opportunity to use and test the Software before purchase, so that the essential purpose of the above warranties is fulfilled even where a refund may not be available. You assume full responsibility for the selection and use of the Software to achieve your intended results, and acknowledge that if you use it improperly or against our instructions you can cause damage to your files, software and data. The Limited Warranty above gives you specific legal rights, but you may have other rights, which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES

The Software is not fault-tolerant and is not designed, manufactured or intended for use as on-line control equipment in hazardous environments requiring fail-safe performance, such as in the operation of nuclear facilities, aircraft navigation or communication systems, air traffic control, direct life support machines, or weapons systems, in which the failure of the Software could lead directly to death, personal injury, or severe physical or environmental damage ("High Risk Activities"). e-merge GmbH specifically disclaims any express or implied warranty of fitness for High Risk Activities for the Software or any portion thereof.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

In no event shall we be liable for any incidental, consequential, or punitive damages whatsoever arising out of use of the Software or your relationship with us. Some jurisdictions do not allow exclusion or limitation of liability for incidental or consequential damages, therefore the above limitation may not apply to you.

EXPORT

Licensee may use the Software in any country, except countries that are subject to german export restrictions. Licensee is solely responsible for determining whether any planned export relating to the Software is legal under german and other applicable laws.


Register & order WinAce

If you want to use WinAce longer than the 30 days test period you will have to register your copy.

Benefits for registered users of WinAce:

•	Legitimate and royalty-free distribution of archives created with WinAce

•	Free technical support

•	Creating archives with authenticity verification. When registering WinAce, you will receive a personalized AV-Key. With this key you can optionally "stamp" your archives in order to protect them from modifications

•	The AV-Key authorizes you to freely download coming point releases of WinAce from the Internet

•	Major Updates which include significant improvements will be available for a moderate update fee

•	By registering WinAce you are supporting the further development of this product.

·	·	·	·

WinAce pricing information

WinAce Archiver standard: 	US$ 29.00

32-Bit GUI (Windows 95/98/ME/NT4.x/2000/XP)

WinAce Archiver plus:	US$ 39.00

32-Bit GUI plus Ace for DOS and all available commandline versions (currently DOS, WIN32, OS/2)

Ordering

You can order WinAce by e-mail, phone, fax or postal mail

Online order	http://www.winace.com

(select "Order Now" from the menu)

e-mail:	sales@winace.com

Fax:	+49 (251) 430 52

Phone: 	+49 (251) 430 00

Postal mail:	e-merge GmbH

Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 157

D-48153 Muenster

Germany

In order to process your registration, we need the following information:

a) Your private or business address; if different from your name your preferred AV-String (for sealing your archives)

b) Possible methods of payment:

•	credit card (we're accapting VISA or MasterCard)

•	Transfer to Postbank Dortmund/Germany; Bank access code: 440 100 46, Account# 418 480 - 467;

·	·	·	·	SWIFT Code: PBNKDEFF(optional, ask your bank if service is available)

•	by sending cash or a check (US-Dollars only).

·	·	·	·	Please note that we will have to add a US$ 10.00 handling fee for orders by check.

All online orders require payment by credit card.

Please contact us if you have further questions about ordering.

Some general information on credit card orders:

In order to protect the integrity of your credit card, all first-time customer information will be verified for approval before any order is processed. We have right to refuse any order. If you have noticed a quite a few business days have gone by, and you haven't received an e-mail with the registration information for the products you ordered, it simply means you did not fill out your e-mail address correctly on the form.

Please type your e-mail name in correctly, as it is the only way you will receive a reponse regarding status of your order.

Fraudulent transactions will be reported to the appropriate credit card company for further action, as well as the internet service provider which hosts the account. If you don't want yourself and the card holder involved in legal difficulties, we suggest you back out now - please take this hint seriously.

If you are authorized to use your parent's/spouse's/friend's credit card, we need to confirm this by fax (+49-251-43052), and not E-mail. Using a family member's credit card without his or her knowledge means the actual cardholder will be held responsible for your charges. When they receive their monthly credit card statement in the mail, we sure hope for your sake they gave you permission to make the purchase.

Pricing information

WinAce

Copies 	"standard	"plus"

1	US$ 29.00	US$ 39.00

2 - 9	US$ 25.00	US$ 30.00

10 - 24	US$ 22.00	US$ 27.00

25 - 49	US$ 19.00	US$ 24.00

50 - 99	US$ 16.00	US$ 21.00

100 - 149	US$ 13.00	US$ 18.00

150 - 199	US$ 10.00	US$ 15.00

200 - 499	US$ 7.00	US$ 10.00

500 - 999	US$ 4.00	US$ 7.00

Please inquire for corporate/site licences.


System requirements

WinAce requires Window95, Windows 98, Windows ME or Windows NT (version 4.0 SP3 or later)/2000/XP.

Basically, it will run under any hardware that supports these operating systems.

A rule of thumb is - as always: The faster, the better.

More available system memory increases performance significantly.

If you want to use WinAce with other operating systems please use DOS-ACE.

ACE for DOS contains a DOS-Shell as well as command line programs for various operating systems. The format of these archives is competely compatible with the one created by the Windows version.

WinAce does not require the use of any other external program. The integrated viewers for pictures and HTML do not need any other program as well. When viewing Word, Write, and Excel documents, the installation of Wordpad is required.

To scan archives for viruses you will need an installed virus scanner.

A list of supported scanners is available in the WinAce options section.

Furthermore WinAce requires the Windows system file comctl32.dll with at least version 4.71. It is distributed with Windows98 and Internet Explorer 4.0.

You can download an update here:

http://www.winace.com/ftp/40comupd.exe


Uninstall WinAce

There are two ways to uninstall WinAce:

1. Click in the Control Panel on the entry "Software". Then choose under "Install/Uninstall" the entry of WinAce and click "Add/Remove" to uninstall.

2. At the start menu select the submenu "Programs/WinAce Archiver" and click on the entry "Uninstall WinAce".

The uninstall will now remove WinAce completely from your system, including all files and references in the Windows registry. In some cases the uninstall routine will not be able to delete all files from your hard disk. Please delete those files manually after you have rebooted your system at least once.


Support

Before sending in bug reports or contacting our support staff, we kindly ask you to check the following steps:

1. Please make sure that you are using the latest release of WinAce.

The latest version is available for download at:

http://www.winace.com

2. Please check the FAQ (list of frequently asked questions), to see whether your question is already answered there.

An updated FAQ may be found in the support section of our website (see above).

Technical Support is available via the internet under http://www.winace.com or by sending e-mail to support@emerge.de.

If you're reporting a bug please provide the following information:

•	Can you reproduce the problem/bug? If so, please describe the steps that lead to the error you're encountering. Be as precise as possible.

•	Which version/release of WinAce are you using?

•	If an error message was displayed, please quote the exact content of that message.

•	Are you using any special software (System guards, Virus scanners etc.)?

·	·

On the support page of our website is a short online form that you can use for sending in your bug reprorts.

Please send your reports in english or german only.


What are archives?

What is an archive?

There are lots of various archive formats. The best known, and most widely spread, is the ZIP format.

The formats currently available mainly differ in the compression algorithms used.

A simple example for compression can be found in the graphic world. Imagine a picture with a landscape

and a blue sky. Instead of storing hundreds or even thousand of bytes for defining each blue pixel of the exact same color, you might as well save this information by instructing the computer to store 1,745 blue pixels, starting from this position". The amount of information you will need for storing this picture will reduce rapidly, resulting in a smaller file size

As already stated, this is a fairly simple example. But in the end, all computer generated data breaks down

to "zeroes" and "ones", the smallest "bit" of information. As the blue pixels in the landscape, those numbers

can be "packed", using sophisticated mathematical algorithms.

So in general, the main reason for using archives is to store and transfer information at a higher "density" while preserving all the information of the data stored inside. An archive can be handled as a one single file or, optionally, as a set of files, making it easier to copy and/or transfer them.

Important fields of use

•	Archives are very well-suited for long distance data transfers as performed over the internet or BBSs. You only need to transfer one file (the archive) and not each single file. Another big advantage is the decrease in transfer time that can be achieved by using file compression. Distribution of software packages or data benefits from compression.

•	Another field is securing and encrypting data. By using password encryption, sensible data can be transferred on generally unsecure channels. Even if other parties manage to intercept the data, they won't be able to access the files because of the encryption. The security depends heavily on a safe password). An easy-to-guess password, like your or your spouse's name will jeopardize the security of your data.

•	A large number of files and directories, which would usually take megabytes of disk space and therefore could not be transferred to common media like floppy or zip disks may be split, using "multi-volume" or "disk spanning" archives.

•


Comparison ACE - ZIP

Now the strengths and weaknesses of both ZIP and ACE are compared.

ZIP Archives

•	very common

•	widely used

•	lots of compression tools are able to extract ZIP-Archives

ACE Archives

•	a better Multi-Volume-Algorithm (splitting an archive to multiple disks)

•	Solid-Archiving, therefore significantly better compression rates

•	a more effective compression algorithm

•	additional data to protect from damages (restoring damaged files is possible within certain limits)

WinAce supports these two both formats. So generally it is your choice which format you want to use.

The ZIP-format is more suitable in some situations due to its high distribution.

On virtually every PC there is some program to extract ZIP-archives.

On the other hand the ACE-format offers a far better compression and safety features.

Here is an example:

Comparing compression: ACE vs. ZIP

Program directory WinAce 1.31 including all subdirectories:

Uncompressed size: 3.770.304 Bytes

Compression results

ZIP compression (maximum):	2.334.610 Bytes (~61%)

ACE 1 compression (maximum, solid, 1024 dictionary)	1.932.071 Bytes (~51%)

Ace 2 compression (maximum, solid, 4096 dictionary):	1.837.367 Bytes (~48%)

The ACE-2 compression was able to save about 500kB.

Even if you add an SFX-Module (so that the archive is extractable on every PC) the ACE archive would still require about 350kB less data.

Basically these results depend on the data that is to be compressed.

If the data files are already stored in a highly compressed format (JPG, GIF files), the race will be a lot closer. In other cases ACE might be able to save even more precious disk space, resulting in rapidly

decreased download times.

Apart from a better compression rate the ACE-format additionally offers several features that improve your everyday work with archives. A strong feature is the sophisticated support of Multi-Volumes.

By using multi-volume (aka disk spanning) archives you are able to distribute your data in multiple archives onto many disks.

By dividing the archives into several files, downloading the data takes significantly less time in case one of the files gets damaged during the data transmission. Instead of downloading the whole data again, only the damaged part needs to be retrieved again.

By using the data recovery option the risk of data loss is even further reduced.


AV-signature - Authenticity verification

Authenticity verification is only available with the registered version of WinAce. By registering WinAce you will receive your personal AV string for optionally sealing your archives.

An AV String is required for any commercial use or distribution of ACE archives.

The AV signature does not only provide users with security information on the archives created with WinAce, it also can be used as a copyright note as well.

Archives protected by the AV-signature can only be modified by copies of WinAce having the same signature. If you still need to edit that archive, it will lose it's AV information. This way you can be sure that no one but you is able to modify your archive without destroying the AV-signature.

Information

The AV-signature is available for ACE archives only.


Multi-volume archives

ACE-multi-volume-archives

To store larger amounts of data on a set of disks - for backups or software distribution - you will need to split your archives into compressed chunks of data of a specific size (1.44 MB, for instance).

The "multi-volume" - or "disk spanning" - support of WinAce keeps this task as simple as possible.

Creating multi-volume-archives is nearly as simple as creating "normal" archives.

The only downside is, that multi-volume archives can not be modified once they're created, since the chunks of data need to be "glued" back together during extraction. If a file is missing or added to a archive volume, this can not be done correctly anymore.

When creating a multi-volume archive you will need to select the size of the multi-volume archive before you start compressing. You can do that at the "Create archive" dialog.

The switch "Autodetect" creates archives which will fit the size of the destination disk. The minimum size is 65kB. If there is insufficient space left, you will be prompted to change the destination directory.

Before creating a new volume, WinAce waits for a change of the destination disk or asks for a new destination path if there is insufficient space on the current drive.

Volumes are named as follows

<Archive>.ACE, <Archive>.C00,

<Archive>.C01 .. <Archive>.C99,

<Archive>.100 .. <Archive>.999.

As you can see, the maximum number of volumes is limited to 1001 parts.

To extract a file from a solid mode multi-volume archive WinAce needs to extract all files sequentially. If one of the volumes is missing or becomes corrupted, you won't be able to extract the remaining volumes.

Some general hints when dealing with multi-volume-archives:

•	If possible, do not use the solid mode when storing to "unreliable" media such as floppy disks. If one volume is damaged all following volumes will be useless!

•	Use the option "Protect archive from damage"

CAB-multi-volume-archives

WinAce also supports the creation of CAB-multi-volume-archives. These file extensions assigned to CAB multi-volumes differ from the extensions used for ACE archives. Contrary to ACE-Multi-Volumes the extension (.CAB) always remains the same. Instead the file name will be followed by an increasing volume number identifier.

Archive<.cab>, Archive1<.cab>,

Archive2<.cab> .... Archive99<.cab>,

Archive100<.cab> ... Archive999<.cab>

There is no maximum amount of volumes for CAB files.

ZIP-multi-volumes

The size of each ZIP-multi-volumes is variable. It is limited only by the disk space available on the destination drive. This is very similar to the "Autodetect" settings of ACE archives. All ZIP volumes bear the same name and therefore can not be saved to the same directory. ZIP multi-volumes will be created automatically if the destination disk does not have sufficient space available for the archive. In that case, WinAce will ask for a new floppy.


SFX-modules

An SFX-module is an independent program which contains an extracting module as well as the actual archive data. This is useful when you are distributing archives and are not sure wether the recipients of the data have the right tool to decompress your archive.

By using SFX-modules ("self-extracting") Ace archives can be distributed easily. The only downside is the slightly increased size of the archive due to the extraction module, that needs to be added (about 10-50 kB, depending on the type of module).

WinAce supports two different types of modules:

•	DOS-SFX-Module (only ACE): This module is very compact and can be run under any DOS-compatible operating system. It's versatile, yet easy to use. It should be used if the destination operating system is unknown. The language is English.

·

•	Windows-SFX-Module (32Bit, ACE and ZIP): This module is a bit larger, adding up to 80 kB to your archive and runs under Windows95/98/NT4 only. It is easier to use and highly configureable (Headline, Destination path, Language).

·

Every SFX archive is extractable like a normal archive, independent from the type of module it contains. WinAce handles SFX-archives like any other normal archives. They can be opened and extracted without actually starting the module. WinAce recognizes the type regardless of the file extension.

A Windows-ZIP-Module is extractable under DOS by PKUNZIP.EXE as well.


Protecting archives from damage

Especially Solid-archives are susceptible to damages. To decrease the risk of losing data, a recovery record should be added to the archive. Such a block of data contains information about the whole archive. That way damaged sectors can be recognized and recovered. The size of this block depends on the size of the archive.

Size of archive  	?..64K  64K..512K     	512K..1024K 	1024K..?

Size of block	1K       2K               	4K        	8K

Whereas the archive is growing only a little the security increases rapidly.

It is highly recommended to activate the option "Protect archives from damage" before creating an archive.

If a damaged archive does not contain recovery data or is severly damaged, WinAce looks for each single file in the archive, making a complete restoration of the archive highly unlikely.

Some files could be extracted incorrectly.

To repair a damaged archive choose "Repair archive" from the menu.

This option is only available for ACE-archives.


Encryption

You can encrypt archived data to protect it from unauthorized access.

The encryption can be applied both during or after the compression process. To encrypt during compression set a password at the "Add to archive" dialog.

To encrypt an already created archive, select the archive and choose "Password for selected files" from the menu. If the cursor bar is placed on the archive the whole archive will be encrypted. Otherwise only the selected files within the archive will be password protected.

To edit files from a Solid-archive the correct password has to be given for each file because they have to be analysed before editing is possible.

If you add files to the archive the current password is used. When decrypting files you will be prompted if you want to use your default password or if you want to enter a new one. The default password may by altered at all times in the "Options" tab of the "Add to..." or "Create archive..." dialog. From the command line you can set your password by using the "p"-switch.

To increase security against hackers, passwords are not stored to the archives or configuration files.

This is why it's crucial to remember your password by all means.

Even the WinAce staff will not be able to to recover data from password protected archives if the password is lost.

It is safer to choose longer passwords which cannot be guessed by others easily.

The password encryption used by WinAce is case sensitive and limited to a password lenght of 56 characters. So if you seem to have entered a wrong password, there is the chance that you just accidentally hit the caps lock key.


Locking archives

When using WinAce you are able to lock your archives. That way archives become protected against modifications. This option is useful for important archives that should be protected against changes of both accidental or deliberate nature. Archives can be locked during creation as well as later on.

This option is only supported by ACE-archives.


Solid archives

"Solid-archiving" benefits from treating all files as one data stream. That is why it is excellently suitable for archives with many small or similar files. However when modifying (adding or deleting) those archives, WinAce has to decompress the whole data stream in order to maintain data integrity. Solid-archiving is a time consuming process compared to normal archiving. The advantage is a recognizable higher compression rate.

You should not use Solid-archives when handling larger files and need to access single files from that archive frequently.

Note that Solid-archiving does not slow down the extraction of whole archives (all the files in an archive).


Dictionary

The best way to improve the compression rate is to choose a larger dictionary size (compression memory).

Using a larger dictionary size increases the need for memory during both compression and extraction. In order to extract an archive you will need at least as much memory as was used during compression. That means if using an 1024k dictonary at compression you will need at least 1024k free memory to extract the archive again. When using a 256k dictionary, you may suffice with only 640 Kb conventional memory to extract.

The compression level influences the time of compression. The default setting is a compromise between compression rate and time. For a better compression set it to "Good" or "Maximum". You may change the default setting under the "Compression" tab in the "Options" dialog, which is available in the "File" menu (press Alt-F9 for "Options").


Comments

There are two types of comments: The archive (main) comment and the file comment. The main comment is displayed each time an archive is opened or extracted*. The file comment becomes visible when switching to "file list" (detailed) in a seperate column.

WinAce supports ASCII, ANSI as well as HTML (not compatible with DOS-version) files as main comment. File comments only support normal text.

The main comment can be displayed by using "Show main comment" from the "Archive" menu.

If the checkbox "Display comments automatically" in the Options dialog (Alt-F9) is activated, a panel with the comment will pop up once an archive containing a comment file is opened with WinAce.

Furthermore the possibility exists to change/add/delete comments. Choose an archive or file from the file list and click on "Edit main comment" or "Edit file comment" from the "File" menu. When editing a file comment you can select several files, to which the same comment will be assigned.

WinAce supports both file and main comments for ACE archives, but only main comments for ZIP archives. Comments of other formats will be displayed but cannot be changed.

* only with command line or DOS version.


Tips & hints

There are several options to improve compression. Some options require more memory, others influence the compression- and update time.

"Solid-archiving" benefits from treating all files as one data stream. That is why it is excellently suitable for archives with many small or similar files. However when modifying (adding or deleting) those archives, WinAce has to decompress the whole data stream in order to maintain data integrity. Solid-archiving is a time consuming process compared to normal archiving. The advantage is a recognizable higher compression rate.

You should not use Solid-archives when handling larger files and need to access single files from that archive frequently.

Note that Solid-archiving does not slow down the extraction of whole archives (all the files in an archive).

The best opportunity to improve the compression rate is to choose a larger dictionary size (compression memory).

Using a larger dictionary increases the need for memory both during compression as well as extraction. To extract, you will need at least as much memory as you needed during compression. That means if using an 1024k dictonary at compression you will need at least 1024k free memory to extract the archive again. When using a 256k dictionary, you may suffice with only 640 Kb conventional memory to extract.

The compression level influences the time of compression. The default setting is a compromise between compression rate and time. For a better compression set it to "Good" or "Maximum". You may change the default setting under the "Compression" tab in the "Options" dialog, which is available in the "File" menu (press Alt-F9 for "Options").


Glossary

Common terms

AV	Authenticity Verification: contains a character string and checksums.

Proves that an archive is original and shows its origin; see also AV-signature - Authenticity verification

CRC	Cyclic Redundancy Check; a method for checking correct extraction

Dictionary	file data buffer (compression memory); is used by the ACE compression algorithm to find patterns in already compressed data; see Dictionary

SFX	SelF eXtracting; describes archives included in EXE-files. They are able to extract the archives without any other program; see SFX-modules

Solid	method to improve the compression rate; all files are treated as one data stream and compressed after that; see Solid archives

Volume	Part of a multi-volume-archive; larger archives can be saved on several floppies by dividing them into volumes


Command line options

Usage:

WinAce <command> [-<S1>..] <Archive> [<Root_dir>\] [<files>/@<list>]

Commands

 a 	archive files	m 	move files to archive

 d 	delete files from archive	t	test files in archive

 e	extract files (without path)	u 	update archive

 f	update files in archive	x 	extract files (with path)

 l	list files in archive	s	convert to SFX

Switches

 av[-]	add AV-Signature	rr[-] 	add recovery data

 s[-]	Create Solid-archive	c[-] 	show comments

 sfx[-/jr] 	add (junior) SFX-Module	cfg- 	use default settings

 cm[-]	add main comment	tk 	retain archive time

 d<Größe>	set dictionary	tl 	Archive time --> oldest file

 ep 	remove paths	err<file> 	Error log file *

 v 	automatic Volume size	m<0..5> 	set compression level

 v<size> 	Volume size=<size>*1000	k 	lock archive

 z<file>	comment file	p<Password>	set password

 y 	yes to all queries 	r 	edit subdirectory

 yo 	allow overwriting files

 sopt<Datei>	SFX32 configuration file (see	sfx32    	Add Win32 SFX module (replaces

SFXOPT.INI)	the normal sfx switch)

 fp	store full path	fpd	store full path and drive

* not implemented yet

Examples:

•	show TEST.ACE

·	·

WinAce TEST.ACE or WinAce l TEST.ACE

•	Create Non-Solid-Archive PICS, store *.GIF from the current directory including all subdirectories

·	·

WinAce a -r -s- PICS *.gif

•	Compress current directory to archive TEST.ACE; use dictionary size 512kB

·	·

WinAce a -s -d512 TEST

•	Create TXT.ACE, use *.txt , add recovery data and lock archive

·	·

WinAce a -rr -k TXT *.TXT

•	Extract all file from archive ARC to C:\Temp

·	·

WinAce x -r -t C:\TEMP ARC


Options...

With this dialog you can adjust most settings for WinAce.

It can be accessed either by selecting the menu item "Options" from the "View" menu or by pressing ALT-F9.

It is divided into seven different tabs:

General

Here you will find general settings for the WinAce GUI or the language setting.

Display

The "Display" tab allows changes in the general appearance of the program, e.g. which font will be used. Außerdem können Sie hier das Verhalten der Dateilisten einstellen.

With the "File list options" general settings for the file list window can be accessed. Some of the items in this dialog may help to speed up WinAce if necessary.

Shell integration

Hier finden Sie alle Einstellungen, die die Integration in die Windows-Shell (z.B. Explorer) betreffen.

Archives

This tab includes the settings for the supported archive formats.

Program Locations

On this page the paths to external programs which can optionally be used are entered. WinAce supports the use of separate viewes, editors and virus scanners.

Compression

This tab is used for changing the default settings for each archive type used in WinAce.

Icons

All icons within WinAce may be user-defined. Browse and replace the icons with this options tab.


Options - General

Display comments automatically

If selected, archive comments (if they exist) will be shown automatically when an archive is opened. The comment window is displayed on the right side next to the file list. It's width and position can be changed by clicking and holding the left mouse button on the small handle at the top or left side of the comment window. When pulled from the GUI, it will become an independent floating window, that may be placed anywhere on you screen. In order to dock it back on the WinAce window, click and drag it near one of the window borders of your WinAce screen.

Save window position

Choose this option if you want WinAce to save the last window size and position. The positions of every toolbar and additional settings are saved and will be used on the next start-up of WinAce.

Start in last folder

Checking this option makes WinAce open the last used directory on startup.

Beep when done

When checked, this option will cause WinAce to emit a short beep when an archiving task has been completed. This is useful when you are running WinAce minimized and want to be informed when the extraction or compression process is finished.

Add WinAce to your Desktop

If activated the WinAce symbol is added to your Desktop. Uncheck this option in order to remove the shortcut from your desktop.

Add WinAce to your Start menu

That option adds/removes an entry of WinAce at the main part of the Start menu.

Display directory structure in archives

This switch is activated by default and forces WinAce to display the directory structure of an archive as you would expect in a Windows directory tree. If you want to see all files contained in the subdirectores of an archive at one glance, you need to uncheck this option

show directory structure -> 	Programs

WinAce

WinAce.exe

do not show directory structure -> Programs\WinAce\WinAce.exe

Check associations on startup

WinAce can check on each start if previously set file associations for archive files still exist and, if any file associations have been "hijacked" by other applications, restore them to point back to WinAce, allowing you to open them with WinAce with a double click of the mouse.

Priority

With Windows being a multitask operating system, multiple applications can be launched and need to share the cpu time allocated by Windows.

This section sets the priority level/CPU time that you would like to assign to WinAce. The higher the setting the more time will Windows allot to WinAce, speeding up the compression process. Please note that other applications may become sluggish when WinAce is running with a "high" priority setting. By using "low" priority, other applications will run as usual, but the time WinAce needs to compress your files will increase.

The compression ratio will not be affected by this setting. Switching to "Minimize" in the compression progress window will automatically set the priority to "low".

Default archive directory

This is the default target directory for archives. If set, all archives will be created and stored in this folder. If left blank, archives will be created in the current directory.

Default extract directory

The directory path entered here will be used as the default "extract to" path. If left blank, files will be extracted to the current directory.

Default startup directory

Allows you to set up the default directory you want WinAce to start in. If left blank, WinAce will display the current directory, unless "start-up in last folder" is activated. If you keep most of your archives or downloaded files in one specific folder, you should enter this path here.


Options - Display

Use default mouse pointer

That option defines whether a "hand" or the default mouse pointer of your system is used.

Display menus with icons

Adds little icons next to the menu entries.

Font

Allows you to adjust the font face and size in WinAce. Please do not use fonts or font sizes that are extemely deviating from the default settings - this could distort some text areas of the WinAce GUI.

File list

Some of the following entries only refer to the detail mode of the file list!

Mouse pointer automatically selects files

If activated, the entries of the file list are selected automatically if the mouse pointer is positioned over them for a short while. You do not need to click on a file to select it.

Full row select (detail mode)

If selected, the cursor bar marks the whole row and not only the file name.

Show default icons only (faster)

By using that option you can keep WinAce from trying to retrieve the correct icon for each file by extracting the icons from the corresponding file. Instead, the default icon for that file type is displayed. Reading file lists and the contents of larger archives and directories will be much faster if using slow network connections or floppies.

Show grid lines

This switch toggles the grid lines between the rows and columns in the file list.

Underline current name

With this option selected the file under the mouse cursor becomes underlined.

Right button selects

That option has far-reaching effects to the handling of the file lists. If unselected, the list will behave like a normal Windows list. If activated only a right button click selects files and directories, similar to commander style filemanagers. The main advantage of selecting by right-clicking is that the existing selection is not lost once you click on another file without holding down Ctrl or Shift. If you want to use the shell extensio ("right mouse button menu"), you will need to hold down the right mouse button for a few seconds.

Drag&Drop immediately

This option will only be available if "Right button selects" is checked.

Sometimes it may be inconvenient to have drag & drop kick in the instant you move your mouse with the left mouse button held down. By unchecking this option drag & drop functionality is reduced to cursor movement outside of the file list - horizontal movement works best, since vertical mouse movement is often used for selecting files.

Allow all uppercase names

WinAce usually embellishes file names like the MS Windows Explorer by using all small letters for the filename and the extension except for the initial letter, which is set in caps. Check this option in order to have WinAce display all files  in capital letters like in plain DOS.

Single click to open an item

By activating this option the file list entries behave like hyperlinks. One single click opens an archive or executes a file.

Flat scrollbar

This option replaces the standard 3D scrollbars with a sleek flat-style scrollbar.

Background graphic

Allows to select a background image (*.bmp format) for the file list viewpane. The image will be tiled to fit the the size of the window. Please note that using high-contrast or too coloful bitmaps will affect readabilty!

Display color for directory view

This option sets the background color for the file list viewpane when viewing a directory (in contrast to viewing the contents of an archive). By selecting different color schemes for directory and archive view you can easily determine wether you're watching a directory or the contents of an archive.

Display color for archive view

This option sets the background color for the file list viewpane when viewing an archive (in contrast to viewing a directory). By selecting different color schemes for directory and archive view you can easily determine wether you're watching a directory or the contents of an archive.


Options - Archives

Select the type of archive you want to change the settings for from the list on the left side.

In the right panel the supported options for the selected compression type will be displayed.

Choose symbol

You can assign an icon to each archive type associated with WinAce. The selected icon will be displayed in every file list. The current icon is shown left of the button.

Associate this archive type with WinAce

If activated, Windows opens this file type with WinAce (e.g. when double-clicked). All available options will only work if that archive type is associated with to WinAce. WinAce will save the previous extension link and restore it when uninstalling WinAce. Regardless of whether this option is checked, WinAce will be able to open, create and extract all supported archive types with it's shell.

Activate context menu "Extract..."

This option is only available if "Activate WinAce shell extension" is activated because it is a part of the "right mouse button" menu. If checked, WinAce will add two new entries to the Windows context menu for extracting archives with WinAce.

1. Extract to...

By selecting this command a browser window for the targer directory will pop up.

2. Extract to "Archive name extension"

This is only displayed if a single archive file is selected. In this case, the destination folder will be determined by the file name of the archive. Upon confirmation the directory will be created automatically and all files will be extracted to this folder.

Show contents in properties

That option is available for ACE and ZIP files only and requires the Shell extension as well. If activated, a tab named "Archive" will be added to every Windows properties dialog. This tab will then include a table of content of the archive as well as some command buttons for the most commonly used archive functions. If several files are selected, each archive from that list can be accessed by selecting it from a drop-down list. This feature is a real time saver, since it does not require to launch WinAce in order to inspect a list of archives.

Activate WinAce Shell Extension

This checkbox activates or deactivates Shell extension completey. This shell extension is an independent module which hooks in the Window system and is activated context-sensitively, thus consuming no or very little memory. The WinAce shell extension will add entries for creating and extracting archives to the context menu. You will be given the opportunity to modify options before creating or extracting an archive.

Cascaded context menu items

Checking this option joins all context menu entries related to Windows in a single, cascading entry in the Windows context menu. If your context menu is populated by a lot of shell extension entries, you may want to use this sub menu option to tidy up your WinAce commands. The downside is the additional click that is required to access the commands related to WinAce.

"eMail archive" context menu item

This item adds the "compress and eMail" feature to the Windows context menu. Selected files can be compressed and sent to your eMail client via the shell extension ("right click menu"). Requires a MAPI compliant email client. If your email client does support MAPI or you do not want to use this feature, you should uncheck this box to keep your shell extension neat an clean.


Options - Shell integration


Options - Program Locations

Temp folder

Indicates the directory where WinAce will store temporary files. It should provide enough capacity for storing temp files. By default it is set to the Windows "Temp" directory.

External viewer (F3)

Enter the name and path of your preferred external viewer here. In addition the option "Use Win Quickview if possible" is available. WinAce will determine if that file type is linked to the Windows Quickview and use it, if possible. Otherwise the internal or selected viewer is started.

Editor

WinAce does not come with it's own editor, but it supports editing files by pressing F4.

Just enter your preferred text editor here. By using "Use associated Editor if possible" the linked program (e.g. Excel for .xls-files) will be launched.

Optional Virus scanner

Select your virus scanner here. It will be started if you select "Virusscan archive" at the "Tools" menu. Choose your scanner from the list and enter its directory. If you require optional parameters, enter those in the corresponding input line.

The following variables are available:

•	%d - The folder to which the archive will be temporarily extracted. This folder should be referenced to the scanner if the scanner software requires this parameter to prevent it from scanning the whole drive.

•	%r - The name of the report file will be stored here.

If you want the scanner to run minimized, activate the corresponding option.


Options - Compression

With this tab you can change the default settings that are used in the "Add..." dialog.

Archive type

The default compression type is the Ace compression format. The default type selected here will be used in both the WinAce GUI and the shell extension menu command "Add to...". Use the drop down list to select the new default compression (ACE, LHA, MS-CAB or ZIP).

Compression

The default setting for the compression level. The number of available compression levels depends on the selected compression format.

include subfolders

If activated subdirectories of the selected folder will be included, too. Moreover the file selection is extended to the subfolders.

Folders

This section determines the default setting for compressing multiple folders and sub-directories. The following options are available:

•	keep directory structure - all files will be stored with their relative paths (from the source directory downwards).

•	discard directory structure - all files will be stored with their filename only, regardless of the directory level they reside in. All directory level information will be discarded.

•	store full path - all files will be stored with their full path from the root directory, excluding the drive letter).

•	store full path (incl. drive letter)  - same as store full path, but including the drive letter.

These default settings can be changed manually before every archiving process, if necessary.

Dictionary

Default setting for the ACE compression memory.

Make Solid Archives

Select it if you want to creare solid ACE archives by default.

Protect archive from damage

Check this box if you want to add recovery data to the archive by default.

Check CRC after compressing files

The optional "Check CRC after compressing files" feature is available for ACE archives only and makes sure that the archive has been stored correctly. After compression, the files in the archive will be compared to the source files by performing a CRC (checksum) test.

Put authenticity verification

This feature is available in the registered version only. If activated, your personal AV-signature is added to the archive automatically.

Use Ace 2.0 compression

WinAce 2.0 features the new and more powerful Ace 2.0 compression, which in most cases will significantly improve the achieved compression ratio. When activated, the new ACE 2.0 algorithm will analyze the data during the compression process in order to determine the best compression approach for that particular data part. If favourable, one single file may be compressed using several techniques:

Delta compression

Optimized exe compression

Optimized graphic compression

Optimized sound compression

Please note: Archives created with Ace 2.0 compression can not be extracted or changed with WinAce or Ace 1.x!


Options - Icons

Large icons

List of icons used for displaying the icon bar with "large icons".

Small icons

List of icons used for displaying the icon bar with "small icons".

Change icon (small and large icons)

Select and replace single icons from each icon bar. The newly assignes icons will stored and loaded when running WinAce. The button "Reset" loads the default WinAce icon set. Various graphic formats are supported. Files not matching the default sizes (32x32 pixels for "large icons", 16x16 for "small icons") will be scaled automatically to fit. The color of the pixel in the bottom left of the icon file sets the transparency color for the icon.

Load complete icon list (small and large icons)

Allows to load a complete icon set from file. This set is required to contain a single bitmap file (*.bmp) consisting of the icons directly placed in line next to each other. Currently a maximum number of 71 icons is supported. If the loaded set does contain less than 71 icons, the remaining slots will be left blank.

Reset (small and large icons)

Resets the both icon bars (small and large) to the WinAce default set. All icons will be reset - it's not possible to reset single icons.


Creating archives - adding files

This dialog is displayed when adding files to an existing archive or when creating new archives. It is used in both the WinAce shell and the compression options added to the shell extension ("right mouse button menu"). It consists of three tabs.

The "Selection" tab contains the basic elements for creating an archive. File selection, target name and directory are set up here.

The "Options" tab includes advanced settings for the compression process, like the compression rate, password encryption and multivolume or SFX support.

The "Comment" tab is only available for ACE & ZIP archives because these are the only archive types that WinAce supports adding/changing comments for.

Please select one of the following for detailed information on the "Create archive" tabs:

Selection

Options

Comments


Add - Selection

This tab contains a file list of the current directory. By opening the dropdown list on top of the dialog, you can navigate your way through your drives easily. The directory tree button (the left one from the three buttons in the upper right corner) splits the file list window and adds a viewport for the drive/directory structure of your computer.

If you have selected files for compression in the WinAce main window, those files will be pre-selected here. Below the file window is a status bar that keeps track of the number of files and/or directories that have been selected. Those filenames will be displayed in the "files"-line below the file window, each file set in quotation marks. You can use wildcards as well to select your files by entering the name schemes here. If you want to use more than one wildcard selector, just add as many as needed, separating the entries by spaces. If you want to use wildcards that contain spaces (%20), you will need to add quotation marks.

The button "Use wildcards" will only be accessible if wildcards are used for selecting files.

This button has the same function as the "Add" button.

Below this dialog element is another input line which contains the name and type of the archive that will be created. WinAce proposes a name for the archive by using the filename + the extension of the selected compression if only a single file is selected ot by using the directory name +  the extension of the selected compression if more than one file is selected. These default name selection is not mandatory and can be edited before starting compression.

By clicking on the drop-down arrow the compression type can be changed. The current compression type is indicated by the text and icon in the lower right screen.

The compression type is the default set under Options - Compression (Alt-F9, "Compression" tab).

Directory structure

include subfolders

If activated subdirectories of the selected folder will be included, too. Moreover the file selection is extended to the subfolders.

Folders

This section determines the default setting for compressing multiple folders and sub-directories. The following options are available:

•	keep directory structure - all files will be stored with their relative paths (from the source directory downwards).

·

•	discard directory structure - all files will be stored with their filename only, regardless of the directory level they reside in. All directory level information will be discarded.

·

•	store full path - all files will be stored with their full path from the root directory, excluding the drive letter).

·

•	store full path (incl. drive letter)  - same as store full path, but including the drive letter.

·


Add - Options

On this this tab you can adjust all compression parameters.

Depending on the archive type some options may not be available for certain compression types.

Archive type

Please select the type of the archive to create here. The file extension will be changed accordingly.

Note that the destination file changes as well. If you, for instance, want to add some marked files to an existing ZIP archive and you choose to switch the compression type to ACE, a new file will be created which will contain only the marked files, ignoring the contents of the ZIP file.

Action

WinAce offers three different operations for storing files in an archive:

Add

The selected files are added to a new or existing archive (default)

Move

The selected files will be deleted after compression.

Refresh

Only files which are already included in the archive will be added. This option works with ZIP and ACE only.

Attention: Adding to existing archives is not possible for all archive types.

CAB archives can only be created from scratch. If trying to add to an existing CAB archive, the existing archive will be erased and replaced by a new one, containing the selected files.

Compression

Select the compression level here. The dictionary size influences both compression speed and efficiency. The default setting is a compromise between compression rate and speed.

For a better compression set it to "Good" or "Maximum".

Under the "Compression" tab of the general options (Alt-F9) you can set new default values for archive type, compression level, dictionary size and other miscellaneous options.

Volumes

Select the Volume size by using one of the presets from the drop-down list or simply enter a user-defined value. Note that the minimum size is 65kB. Values have to be stated in kiloByte (size in Byte divided by 1024). The option "Autodetect" determines how much free disk space is on the targer drive and adjusts the size of each volume accordingly. A detailed description of Multi-Volumes you will find here.

Use password encryption

To encrypt files with a password activate this option and enter your password twice. For security reasons the password will be displayed as asterisks (*)  only. Mit dem Button rechts neben der Passwortaktivierung können Sie das Passwort allerdings auch sichtbar machen. Please note that the password encryption is case sensitive. so you should check your keyboard status (Caps Lock) to prevent typing mistakes.

It is not possible to retrieve files from a password protected archive without the password!

SFX-Module

If selected, an self-extractor module will be added to the archive. For ACE archives you have the choice between five several module types. For the Windows 32-Bit Module WinAce also offers the languages English and German. Furthermore you can adapt the modules fulfilling your desires using the "Options" button.

The following options are only available for ACE archives.

Make Solid archive

If activated the solid mode will be used for compression.

Protect archives from damage

Select it if damages might hit the archive (corrupt floppies, etc.). WinAce will add recovery data to the archive.

AV-signature

If you work with the registered version you will have got an special key. That switch allows you to add your AV-Signature. These archives are only modifyable by you. It is like they contain a Copyright information from you which is displayed at extracting of with the properties information. By that option the addressee of your archive can be sure having received an original.

Check CRC after compressing files

The optional "Check CRC after compressing files" feature is available for ACE archives only and makes sure that the archive has been stored correctly. After compression, the files in the archive will be compared to the source files by performing a CRC (checksum) test.

Dictionary

Enter the compression memory WinAce should use.

Archive date

Select which date the resulting archive should have. There are three possibilities:

•	Set archive time to last changing - the archive gets the current date

•	Keep archive time - if the archive already existed before the date remains.

•	Set archive time to last file - the archive gets the date of the most current file included.

·	·	·	·

Use Ace 2.0 compression

WinAce 2.0 features the new and more powerful Ace 2.0 compression, which in most cases will significantly improve the achieved compression ratio. When activated, the new ACE 2.0 algorithm will analyze the data during the compression process in order to determine the best compression approach for that particular data part. If favourable, one single file may be compressed using several techniques:

Delta compression

Optimized exe compression

Optimized graphic compression

Optimized sound compression

Please note: Archives created with Ace 2.0 compression can not be extracted or changed with WinAce or Ace 1.x!


Add - Comment

To attach a comment to an archive file you need to activate the option "Add/edit archive comment" from the "Comment" tab. If a comment already exists for this archive, it will be displayed and may be changed or deleted. If you already have a comment saved as a text file - either ASCII, ANSI or HTML - you can load that comment from file by using the corresponding button.

Please note that HTML or ANSI files will be displayed as normal text in this dialog. However, they will be displayed correctly by WinAce in the main file window. Since WinAce does not include an ANSI or HTML editor, it is required to change the comment files in textmode.


SFX Options

This set of options assists you in generating your individual SFX file.

Additional headline for SFX module

Enter a headline which should be added to the title "WinAce SFX".

Target directory

You can select any destination folder for the SFX module. The directory entered here will be the default installation directory but may be changed by the user. If the target directory specified here does not exist on the users system, it will be created automatically.

There is a list of variables in the drop-down window which may be used as wildcards for the target drive and/or directory:

•	<WINDIR> - Is replaced by the Windows directory of the system (e.g. "C:\Windows")

•	<WINDISK> - Is replaced by the drive Windows is installed on (e.g. "C:")

•	<WINSYSDIR> - Is replaced by the Windows System directory (Win95/98: "C:\Windows\System"; WinNT: "C:\WinNT\System32")

·

These wildcards may be followed by additional parameters, e.g. "<WINDISK>\My Data" which will result in the installation path "C:\My Data".

Run program (after successful decompression)

The program entered here will be launched automatically after the extraction process is completed successfully. Both files from the extracted archive and executables from the user's system may be used here - you just should make sure that the file actually exists. The above mentioned wildcards are still in effect and may be used here as well. For instance if you want the program "REGEDIT.EXE" to start from the Windows directory enter "<WINDIR>\REGEDIT.EXE". Additional parameters may be added as needed.

Due to safety reasons the user will be prompted to confirm the program start specified here.

Information

Enter any text information up to 32kB in this field. This information will be displayed on startup of the

SFX module. Use this for general instructions, licence statements or the likes.


Structure of the program

Here you can find a short, general description of the program.

File list

The most important part of the WinAce window is the file list. It displays both the entries of directories and the content of archives. Additionally the WinAce window includes a menu as well as a status bar. All other elements can be switched on/off.

Further components of the WinAce shell

Button bar (Ctrl+B)

The most important functions are available directly by clicking buttons. Optionally they can be displayed with or without text. That bar is moveable by the mouse and can be positioned at any border and even out of the WinAce window. The position will be saved if you select "Save window position". By clicking the right mouse button you will get a context menu.

Input bar

If you want to load an archive or directory you will be able to enter it directly here. You can even use UNC names (\\Server\Share\...). Additionally commands and programs can be entered. Beside this line there is a button with a drive icon. Click it to change the current drive. That button also reacts on pressing ALT+F1. The input line can be positioned everywhere.

Extra information (Ctrl+L)

This window contains information about the current directory or archive. You can switch it off or change its width. Dragging is not possible.

In the upper part a bar chart is displayed which graphs the relation between disk size and free disk space or the compression rate.

Folder view

The folder view is switchable in the menu "View". Displaying folders as well as moving/copying files by using Drag&Drop is possible. Also this directory tree is not moveable and is always displayed left to the file list.

Quickview

The quickview offers a preview to many file formats. It always displayes the selected file. Following formats are recognized and shown correctly:

•	Text files

•	Picture files (BMP, GIF, animated GIF, JPG, ICO, TIF, PCX, PNG)

•	HTML files (completely with included frames and animated GIF)

•	RTF files

•	WinWord, Excel and Write documents (assumes installed Wordpad or WinWord)

If WinAce does not recognize the format the file is displayed as ASCII. It can be switched to Hex-view. By a dubbleclick pictures will grow to full screen. Furthermore a context menu is offered by clicking the right mouse button. The quickview window can be placed everywhere and set to any size.

Control bar (Ctrl+K)

The control bar is similar to the button bar and contains several buttons. The difference to it is the hierarchic structure. Functions can be selected by choosing categories.


Frequently asked questions

Following are some answers to frequently asked questions.

This FAQ is updated constantly on our website. If you do not find the answer to your question please take a look at our FAQ in WWW under http://www.winace.com/faq.htm

Do I have the most current version of WinAce and where do I get it?

The version number of your version is displayed in the title bar of your WinAce window. You may also find the version number in the "Info" screen in the "Help" menu. The latest version of WinAce is available at http://www.winace.com.

How can I link archive formats to WinAce if other programs have cut those links?

Simply use the "Options" dialog and choose "Archives". Select the file types you want to link to WinAce and close the dialog. The selected file types will be linked instantly to WinAce.

What are Solid archives?

Please read the topic "solid-archives" for more information on solid archives.

Which compression setting do I need?

To help you to decide between ACE and ZIP easier, please read the comparison of both formats. Tips for basic settings you can find under "Tips and hints for compression". Special options are described under the section "Create archives - add files".

How to extract ACE files?

There are lots of possibilities to extract ACE files. The DOS freeware program UNACE.EXE, XACE / XACE Plus (for 32-Bit Windows) or WinAce are examples. If using WinAce the archive has to be selected in the file list or simply start WinAce with the archive as parameter. After selecting choose the menu command "Extract to...". If you included WinAce in your shell extension (the "right mousebutton menu"), you can right-click on any archive within almost every Windows application and select "Extract to..." from the list that pops up.

During extracting the error message "CRC failure" appears.

Either the archive is corrupt or the destination drive is damaged. WinAce saves a checksum (CRC) with each file in the archive and creates one after restoring the file again. If these to checksums are not identical, this error message is displayed. If a recovery record has been included in the archive, a restoration might be possible. Otherwise the file is lost. Note that in Solid archives all files stored "behind" the first corrupt file will be lost as well!

One volume of a Multi-Volume-archive is damaged. How can I extract the archive anyway?

If the archive was created by using the "Solid archive" mode, you won't be able to extract the other volumes unless a "recovery record" was initially stored within the archive. Try to use the "Repair archive" feature from the Archive menu (Ctrl-P). If "Solid archives" has not been used, you may try to open the volumes manually and extract the data as you would from any other archive.

I want to place ACE archives in the Internet. How can I be sure that visitors of my website are able to extract the archive?

We're offering two freeware programs which are capable of extracting all available types of ACE archives: UNACE.EXE (a DOS command line program), XAce32 and XAce Plus (both for 32-Bit Windows). While XAce can only extract Ace files, XAce Plus also supports extraction of ACE, ARJ, CAB, LHA, RAR and ZIP files. Feel free to download a copy of those programs and put them to your website. For more information please visit our website http://www.winace.com/xace.html.

Is it possible to convert old archives to the ACE format?

There is no special "convert" function in WinAce. However, you can use the feature "Optimize archive" from the "Tools" menu in order to convert existing archives into the ACE format, using maximum compression and the "solid archives" option. Archive comments will be considered during this process. Note: File comments, AV signatures and SFX- or multi-volume settings will not be stored during the optimization!

What could I do if I forgot my password?

Nothing really - sorry. The encryption used by WinAce is so secure that even our support team is unable to "hack" password protected archives. Don't forget your password! Write it down and keep it in a safe place. If you have trouble entering your password - or what you think is your password - try different methods of spelling, since the password encryption is case sensitive. Make sure that you have turned your caps-lock off - in 9 out of 10 cases this is the key.

I receive the error message "The path cannot be excluded! Several files have the same name". What is wrong?

This message appears when the option "Include subfolders" is activated and the option "Save full path" is turned off.

If, in this case, files in different subdirectories have the same name, the archive can not be created correctly, causing

WinAce to cancel the process.

Example:

A Directory TEST with two subfolders named ONE and TWO is about to be compressed.

Both subdirectories contain a file named FILE_ID.DIZ.

With the option "Save full path" the files would be stored as follows:

ONE\FILE_ID.DIZ

TWO\FILE_ID.DIZ

Without the option "Save full path" the files would be stored as

FILE_ID.DIZ

FILE_ID.DIZ

which would result in loss of data, since two files with the same name can not exist in the same directory

(remember, we're not talking Unix here...)


Suggestions on WinAce
Suggestions for WinAce

WinAce is developed continously. If you have comments or suggestions, please let us know.

Although we can not consider every wish or proposed feature, we are trying to adapt our products

to our customer's requirements.

Updates and Plugins for WinAce are available on our website http://www.winace.com.

If you discover errors please report us about it. Please pay attention to the following points if writing us:

•	When did the error appear (after which command)?

•	On what system (hardware, software) did the error occur?

•	Was an error message displayed?

•	If yes, please quote the exactly text.

•	Can you reproduce the error/bug? If yes, describe how did you produce the error.

·	·	·	·

The more detailed the information, the faster we will be able to track down and eliminate the bug.

Please read the list of Frequently asked questions before contacting our support staff.

Please send suggestions for improving WinAce and bug reports to

e-merge GmbH

Friedrich-Ebert-Str.157

D-48153 Muenster

Germany

Fax: 	+49 - 251 - 430 52

e-mail:	support@winace.com


How to contact us

Address:	e-merge GmbH

Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 157

D-48153 Muenster

GERMANY

Orders by phone/technical support:

Phone:	+49 - 251 - 430 00

(Mo-Fr: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. CET)

Fax: 	+49 - 251 - 430 52

WinAce on the net:

WWW:	http://www.winace.com (international customers)

http://www.winace.de (german site)

e-mail:

Sale:	sales@winace.com

Technical Support:	support@winace.com

General inquiries:	info@winace.com


Ordering information

Please use the program ORDER.EXE if you want to purchase a copy of WinAce or any other program available from e-merge GmbH. The order wizard will guide you step by step through the ordering process,

help you to calculate the totals and assist you by selecting the best method of payment.

The order wizard ORDER.EXE can be found in the installation directory of this software product

or in the program group that has been created during the installation process.


Gradient captionbar

Choosing that option the captionbar of windows opened by WinAce will be gradient.


Display comments automatically

If selected archive comments (if existing) will be shown automatically when an archive is opened. Firstly the comment window is displayed on the right side next to the file list. It is changeable in width and position. Closing that window will not have an effect to that option.


Save window position

Choose that option if WinAce should save the last window size and position. Moreover the positions of every toolbar and additional settings are saved. They will be restored on the next start-up. If not activated you can save it by selecting the menu "Save window position". Otherwise will not be displayed.


Use default mouse pointer

That option defines whether a "hand" or the default mouse pointer of your system is used.


Add WinAce to your Desktop

If activated the WinAce symbol is added to your Desktop. Otherwise it will be removed.


Add WinAce to your Start menu

That option adds/removes an entry of WinAce at the main part of the Start menu.


Display directory structure in archives

Normally that switch is activated. So the directory structure of the archive is displayed as in normal file systems. The only disadvantage is not to get a survey of the archive at once. WinAce offers both options.

show directory structure -> 	Programs

WinAce

WinAce.exe

do not show directory structure -> Programs\WinAce\WinAce.exe


Mouse pointer automatically selects files

If activated the entries of the file list are selected automatically if the mouse pointer is positioned over them for a short while. You do not need to click on it.


Full row select (detail mode)

The cursor bar covers the whole row not only the file name, if selected.


Show default icons only (faster)

By using that option you can avoid WinAce trying to find out the icon for each file. The default icon for that file type is displayed instead. Creating file lists will become faster if using slow network connection or floppies. For instance WinAce would extract the icon from each program file (*.exe).


Show grid lines

You can switch on/off the grid lines between the entries of the file list.


Underline current name

Choosing that option the entry under the mouse cursor gets underlined and emphasized.


Right button selects

That option has far-reaching effects to the handling of the file lists. If unselected the list will behave like a normal Windows list. Activated only a right button click can select entries. Maybe you know that kind of controling from DOS programs like Norton Commander. Another advantage is to un-/select files without pressing any keys and no other entry will lose its selection. The disadvantage is not being able to reach the context menu by clicking the right button.

You will have to see which mode you prefer.


Drag&Drop immidiately

This option will only function if "Right button selects" is activated. It might be disturbing if file dragging happens too often at mouse actions. That is why WinAce offers an option which prevents you from that. The Drag&Drop action will only start if the mouse cursor leaves the file list (if possible horizontally). That way it is easier to scroll through the list with the mouse pointer. If deactivated the Drag&Drop action will start immidiately after pressing a mouse button and simultaneous moving.


Allow all uppercase names

WinAce normally "beautifies" file names (like Explorer). That means the name is modified to small letters except the first remains a capital one. This improves the optical impression but does not need to correspondent to the actual spelling of the file name. Activate this option if you want to see the name in its original spelling.


Single click to open an item

By activating that option the file list behaves like an Internet Browser. The entries are treated as links and a single click opens the file. The doubleclick is replaced by a single click actually.


Flat scrollbar

This option does not an affect but displaying a flat instead of a 3D scrollbar.


Temp folder

Indicate the directory where WinAce saves temporary files. It should be big enough to take up a huge amount of data. By default it is set to the Windows "Temp" directory.


Program language

Choose the language you prefer from the list. After that WinAce restarts automatically and is displayed in the selected language. WinAce is programmed in German but is distibuted with English language files. These two languages should be available every time. Moreover WinAce is translated into other languages. If you miss your language please take a look at our Homepage http://www.winace.com. Maybe you will find the files for your language there.


Choose symbol

You can assign a symbol to an archive type linked with WinAce. That icon is displayed at every Windows file list. The current symbol is shown left of the button.


Associate this archive type with WinAce

If activated, this option will allow other applications file type with WinAce (e.g. by double-clicking). Furthermore all options will only work if that archive type is linked to WinAce. WinAce will save the previous file associations and restore them when WinAce is removed from your system. Regardless of whether this option is activated or not, WinAce can open, create and extract all supported archive types in its own shell.


Activate context menu "Extract..."

This option is only available if "Activate WinAce shell extension" is activated as well because it is a part of it. If selected WinAce will add two entries to the Windows context menu. With the help of them the archive can be extracted by WinAce.

1. Extract to...

If you choose it a dialog will be displayed to enter the destination folder. This process can be canceled.

2. Extract to "Archive name extension"

This is only displayed if a single file is selected. Then the destination folder is proposed by taking the file name of the archive. If entered the directory is created automatically and all files will be extracted there.


Show contents in properties

That option is only available for ACE and ZIP files and assumes the activated Shell extension, too. If activated at every Windows properties dialog a additional tab is added named "Archive". This site includes the listed content of the archive as well as buttons for the most important functions. If several files are selected a each archive is selectable by using a drop-down list. This option is useful because you can get a survey over the archive without starting WinAce.


Activate WinAce Shell Extension

Here you can switch on/off the Shell extension completey. The capitalization is the condition for every other option referring to the Shell Extension. This extension is a from WinAce independent module which hooks in the Window system and becomes activated if needed. Despite that it either reserves no or only a little memory. So it is worth activating it.

Moreover this option adds the entries "Add to..." to the Windows context menu. By using these entries you can create archives from the Explorer, for instance. When clicking on "Add to..." the "Add files" dialog from WinAce is started in which the selected files are selected as well. You have the possibility to modify options before creating an archive.

The second entry in the context menu even suggests an archive name. If a single file is selected it is the file name, otherwise the name of the folder. If using this entry the archive is created with the default settings.


External viewer (F3)

If you want to run WinAce without the internal viewer and use another instead select the program here. Furthermore the option "Use Win Quickview if possible" is available. If activated WinAce will find out if that file type is linked with the Windows Quickview and starts it if possible. Otherwise the internal or selected viewer is started.


Editor

WinAce does not offer an own editor but a command to edit. Select your Editor here. By using "Use associated Editor if possible" the linked program can be started possibly.


Optional Virus scanner

Select your virus scanner here. It will be started if you select "Virusscan archive" at the "Tools" menu. Choose your scanner from the list and enter its directory. At "Parameters" enter the necessary parameters so that the scanner runs properly. You can use wildcards.

•	%d - Folder the is extracted to temporarily. It should be reportet to the scanner if it needs it not to scan the whole harddisk.

•	%r - The name of the report file is added here automatically

If you want the scanner to run minimized, activate the corresponding option.


Archive type

WinAce assumes that you want to create an ACE archive by default. That is why it is default. But if you create ZIP archives in most cases you can set it to ZIP. Then WinAce always creates ZIP archives if you do not enter another file extension. Furthermore it has effects on the Shell Extension. The context menu command "Add to..." will have ZIP as default archive type.


Compression

The default setting for the compression level


Dictionary

Default setting for the ACE compression memory.


Create Solid-archives

Select if ACE archives shall be created as solid as default.


Protect archive from damage

Check this option if you want to add recovery data to the archive by default, increasing the safety level for your compressed data.


Put authenticity verification

Registered version only. If activated, the AV-signature will be added automatically to the archive.


Archive type

Please select the type of the archive to create here. The file extension is changed automatically. Note that the destination file changes as well. For instance if you want to add to a ZIP archive and you select the type ACE, a new file will be created which will contain only the new files. The ZIP file remains unchanged.


Action

WinAce offers three kinds of storing files to archives:

Add

The selected files are added (default)

Move

The selected files will be deleted after compression.

Refresh

Only files which are already included in the archive will be added. This option works with ZIP and ACE only.

Attention: Adding to existing archives is not possible. CAB archives can only be created newly. If trying anyway the existing archive will be erased!


Compression

Select the compression level here. The dictionary size influences the time of compression. The default setting is a compromise between compression rate and time. For a better compression set it to "Good" or "Maximum".


Volumes

Select the Volume size by using the drop-down list or simply enter a user-defined value. Note that the minimum size is 65kB. Values entered manually need to be stated in kiloByte (Byte divided by 1024). You will find a description of Multi-Volumes here.


Include subfolders

If activated subdirectories of the selected folder will be included, too. Moreover the file selection is extended to the subfolders.


Store full path

Select if the directory structure is kept in the archive. The path of each file is saved referring to the current directory. If all files are in the current folder this option will have no effect, otherwise it is important.

Example:

Current dir.: C:\WINDOWS

selected files: "C:\WINDOWS\DESKTOP.INI", "C:\WINDOWS\SYTEM\DESKTOP.INI" "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\COMCTL32.DLL"

with this option activated the file would be stored that way

DESKTOP.INI

SYSTEM\DESKTOP.INI

SYSTEM\COMCTL32.DLL

if deactivated an error message would appear (ACE) or the second file would replace the first one (ZIP).

DESKTOP.INI

DESKTOP.INI

COMCTL32.DLL


Use password encryption

To encrypt files with a password activated this option and enter your password twice. Due to reasons of security the password is displayed as stars (*). Please note that ACE distinguishes between capital and small letters. Pay attention the keyboard settings (CAPS lock) so that you type capital instead of small letters by mistake.

It will be impossible to restore files if you forget your password.


SFX-Module

If selected the archive will be self extracting. For ACE archives you have the choice between two several module types. For the Windows 32-Bit Module WinAce also offers the languages English and German. Furthermore you can adapt the modules fulfilling your desires using the "Options" button.


Make Solid archive

If activated the solid mode for compression will be used.


Protect archives from damage

Select it if damages might hit the archive (corrupt floppies, etc.). WinAce will add recovery data to the archive.


AV-signature

If you work with the registered version you will have got an special key. That switch allows you to add your AV-Signature. These archives are only modifyable by you. It is like they contain a Copyright information from you which is displayed at extracting of with the properties information. By that option the addressee of your archive can be sure having received an original.


Dictionary

Enter the compression memory WinAce shall use.


Archive date

Select which date the resulting archive should have. There are three possibilities:

•	Set archive time to last changing - the archive gets the current date

•	Keep archive time - if the archive already existed before the date remains.

•	Set archive time to last file - the archive gets the date of the most current file included.


Additional headline for SFX module

Enter a headline which is added to the title "WinAce SFX".


Target directory

You can select any destination folder for the SFX module. It will appear as default when extracting and can be changed then anyway. The target directory does not have to exist on the destination computer (from where the SFX module is started). If necessary it will be created automatically.

You find a list with varibles in the drop-down window which can be used as wildcards for the target folder.

•	<WINDIR> - Is replaced by the Windows directory of the system (e.g. "C:\Windows")

•	<WINDISK> - Is replaced by the drive Windows is installed on (e.g. "C:")

•	<WINSYSDIR> - Is replaced by the Windows System directory (Win95/98: "C:\Windows\System"; WinNT: "C:\WinNT\System32")

·

The wildcards can be extended like "<WINDISK>\My Data" which will lead to "C:\My Data" at extracting.


Run program (if decompressed successfully)

Enter a program that will be started automatically after successful extracting. Possible are files from the archive (without path - it will be extended by the module automatically) or files not included as well. Moreover you can use the wildcards, too. For instance if you want the program "REGEDIT.EXE" to start from the Windows directory enter "<WINDIR>\REGEDIT.EXE". Even parameters can be added.

Due to reasons of security the user will be prompted to confirm the program start.


Information

You can type any text with a maximum length of 32kB. It will be displayed on the startup of the module. This is a good opportunity to show information about the archive or the conditions of license before extracting.


File list

The most important part of the WinAce window is the file list. It displays both the entries of directories and the content of archives. Additionally the WinAce window includes a menu as well as a status bar. All other elements can be switched on/off.


Button bar (Ctrl+B)

The most important functions are available directly by clicking buttons. Optionally they can be displayed with or without text. That bar is moveable by the mouse and can be positioned at any border and even out of the WinAce window. The position will be saved if you select "Save window position". By clicking the right mouse button you will get a context menu.


Input bar

If you want to load an archive or directory you will be able to enter it directly here. You can even use UNC names (\\Server\Share\...). Additionally commands and programs can be entered. Beside this line there is a button with a drive icon. Click it to change the current drive. That button also reacts on pressing ALT+F1. The input line can be positioned everywhere.


Extra information (Ctrl+L)

This window contains information about the current directory or archive. You can switch it off or change its width. Dragging is not possible.

In the upper part a bar chart is displayed which graphs the relation between disk size and free disk space or the compression rate.


Folder view

The folder view is switchable in the menu "View". Displaying folders as well as moving/copying files by using Drag&Drop is possible. Also this directory tree is not moveable and is always displayed left to the file list.


Quickview (CTRL+Q)

The quickview offers a preview to many file formats. It always displayes the selected file. Following formats are recognized and shown correctly:

•	Text files

•	Picture files (BMP, GIF, animated GIF, JPG, ICO, TIF, PCX, PNG)

•	HTML files (completely with included frames and animated GIF)

•	RTF files

•	WinWord, Excel and Write documents (assumes installed Wordpad or WinWord)

If WinAce does not recognize the format the file is displayed as ASCII. It can be switched to Hex-view. By a dubbleclick pictures will grow to full screen. Furthermore a context menu is offered by clicking the right mouse button. The quickview window can be placed everywhere and set to any size.


Control bar (Ctrl+K)

The control bar is similar to the button bar and contains several buttons. The difference to it is the hierarchic structure. Functions can be selected by choosing categories.


Beep when done

When checked, this option will cause WinAce to emit a short beep when an archiving task has been completed. This is useful when you are running WinAce minimized and want to be informed when the extraction or compression process is finished.


Default archive directory

This is the default target directory for archives. If set, all archives will be created and stored in this folder. If left blank, archives will be created in the current directory.


Default extract directory

The directory path entered here will be used as the default "extract to" path. If left blank, files will be extracted to the current directory.


Default startup directory

Allows you to set up the default directory you want WinAce to start in. If left blank, WinAce will display the current directory, unless "start-up in last folder" is activated. If you keep most of your archives or downloaded files in one specific folder, you should enter this path here.


start-up in last open folder

Checking this option makes WinAce open the last used directory on startup.


CPU time/priority for WinAce

With Windows being a multitask operating system, multiple applications can be launched and need to share the cpu time allocated by Windows.

This section sets the priority level/CPU time that you would like to assign to WinAce. The higher the setting the more time will Windows allot to WinAce, speeding up the compression process. Please note that other applications may become sluggish when WinAce is running with a "high" priority setting. By using "low" priority, other applications will run as usual, but the time WinAce needs to compress your files will increase.

The compression ratio will not be affected by this setting. Switching to "Minimize" in the compression progress window will automatically set the priority to "low".


Display menus with icons

Adds little icons next to the menu entries.


Select font

Allows you to adjust the font face and size in WinAce. Please do not use fonts or font sizes that are extemely deviating from the default settings - this could distort some text areas of the WinAce GUI.


background graphic

Allows to select a background image (*.bmp format) for the file list viewpane. The image will be tiled to fit the the size of the window. Please note that using high-contrast or too coloful bitmaps will affect readabilty!


Display color for directory view

This option sets the background color for the file list viewpane when viewing an archive (in contrast to viewing a directory). By selecting different color schemes for directory and archive view you can easily determine wether you're watching a directory or the contents of an archive


Display color for archive view

This option sets the background color for the file list viewpane when viewing an archive (in contrast to viewing a directory). By selecting different color schemes for directory and archive view you can easily determine wether you're watching a directory or the contents of an archive


Cascaded context menu items

Checking this option joins all context menu entries related to Windows in a single, cascading entry in the Windows context menu. If your context menu is populated by a lot of shell extension entries, you may want to use this sub menu option to tidy up your WinAce commands. The downside is the additional click that is required to access the commands related to WinAce.


"email archive" context menu item

This item adds the "compress and eMail" feature to the Windows context menu. Selected files can be compressed and sent to your eMail client via the shell extension ("right click menu"). Requires a MAPI compliant email client. If your email client does support MAPI or you do not want to use this feature, you should uncheck this box to keep your shell extension neat an clean.


Folders

This section determines the default setting for compressing multiple folders and sub-directories. The following options are available:

•	keep directory structure - all files will be stored with their relative paths (from the source directory downwards).

•	discard directory structure - all files will be stored with their filename only, regardless of the directory level they reside in. All directory level information will be discarded.

•	store full path - all files will be stored with their full path from the root directory, excluding the drive letter).

•	store full path (incl. drive letter)  - same as store full path, but including the drive letter.

These default settings can be changed manually before every archiving process, if necessary.


Check CRC after compressing files

The optional "Check CRC after compressing files" feature is available for ACE archives only and makes sure that the archive has been stored correctly. After compression, the files in the archive will be compared to the source files by performing a CRC (checksum) test.


Use Ace 2.0 compression

WinAce 2.0 features the new and more powerful Ace 2.0 compression, which in most cases will significantly improve the achieved compression ratio. When activated, the new ACE 2.0 algorithm will analyze the data during the compression process in order to determine the best compression approach for that particular data part. If favourable, one single file may be compressed using several techniques:

Delta compression

Optimized exe compression

Optimized graphic compression

Optimized sound compression


Delta compression

A preprocessor is used to rearrange chunks of data and to calculate the differences (delta) between single byte values, resulting in data which can be compressed and stored more efficiently. Before uncompressing the files, the process will be reversed in order to restore the data properly.


Optimized exe compression

When compression exe files or other files containing Intel 80x86 code (*.dll;*.vxd;*.com;*.lib;*.obj;*.ocx etc.), a preprocessor will be linked before the actual compression algorithm. The preprocessor handles address information within the code in order to achive a better compression ratio.


Optimized graphic compression

Compression of graphic files with ACE 2.0 is totally lossless (lossy compression, as it may be used with JPEG or similar formats always results in a lower image quality). By using a high-quality two-dimensional predictor, which has been adapted to high color counts, both high compression ratio and speed can be achieved.


Optimized sound compression

For compression of mono-/stereo 8-/16-bit sound files a predictor is used in order to improve compression results.


Large icons

List of icons used for displaying the icon bar with "large icons".


Small icons

List of icons used for displaying the icon bar with "small icons".


Change icon

Select and replace single icons from each icon bar. The newly assignes icons will stored and loaded when running WinAce. The button "Reset" loads the default WinAce icon set. Various graphic formats are supported. Files not matching the default sizes (32x32 pixels for "large icons", 16x16 for "small icons") will be scaled automatically to fit. The color of the pixel in the bottom left of the icon file sets the transparency color for the icon.


Load complete icon list

Allows to load a complete icon set from file. This set is required to contain a single bitmap file (*.bmp) consisting of the icons directly placed in line next to each other. Currently a maximum number of 71 icons is supported. If the loaded set does contain less than 71 icons, the remaining slots will be left blank.


Reset

Resets the both icon bars (small and large) to the WinAce default set. All icons will be reset - it's not possible to reset single icons.