PA 9.5.20 (beta) - CD image BIN files

[TBGBe]

Powerarchiver is VERY slow when working with BIN files - is this “normal”?

Opening a BIN - 736 MB (772,697,856 bytes) can take two minutes or more (empty window with “reading folder” in status line) before the contents are displayed.
Whereas, if the same BIN is converted to an ISO - PA displays the ISO contents in a “reasonable” time <= 30 seconds.

Once BIN file is finally opened, press EXTRACT (toolbar button) and select destination, again PA takes minutes before extraction process even starts.

Note: This is my first time working with BIN/CUE files so it may be that this is normal. It is just that I was expecting similar response times to working with ISO files. I have tried this with three different BIN files - all same slow working in PA.

PC - Windows XP SP2
Pentium 4 (3.3GHz)
1 GB ram
80 GB HD (50GB free)
BIN files on seperate HD (180GB total / 30GB partition with >10 GB free).

[TBGBe]

In windows explorer, right click on BIN file

1. select “Extract here”.
   PA window opens and immediately closes again
   No files extracted.

2. select “Extract To” (filename as folder)
   PA window opens and immediately closes again
   No files extracted, but destination folder is created.

[spwolf]

@TBGBe:

Powerarchiver is VERY slow when working with BIN files - is this “normal”?

Opening a BIN - 736 MB (772,697,856 bytes) can take two minutes or more (empty window with “reading folder” in status line) before the contents are displayed.
Whereas, if the same BIN is converted to an ISO - PA displays the ISO contents in a “reasonable” time <= 30 seconds.

Once BIN file is finally opened, press EXTRACT (toolbar button) and select destination, again PA takes minutes before extraction process even starts.

Note: This is my first time working with BIN/CUE files so it may be that this is normal. It is just that I was expecting similar response times to working with ISO files. I have tried this with three different BIN files - all same slow working in PA.

PC - Windows XP SP2
Pentium 4 (3.3GHz)
1 GB ram
80 GB HD (50GB free)
BIN files on seperate HD (180GB total / 30GB partition with >10 GB free).

PA opens up BIN files, which means it needs to extract the file first and then show the contents. Another way could be to open CUE files, which is what CD burning tools do, but then you only see track info and not actual contents.

This is why most people use cd emulators such as Virtual Daemon to open up and use BIN/CUE files.

[TBGBe]

@spwolf:

PA opens up BIN files, which means it needs to extract the file first and then show the contents. …

I was just curious why this takes so long compared with an ISO file or a TAR.gz or TAR.bz2 file (which also need extracting first).

If this is a limitation of BIN “format” then OK.

P.S. I think explorer shell should still work though.

[spwolf]

@TBGBe:

I was just curious why this takes so long compared with an ISO file or a TAR.gz or TAR.bz2 file (which also need extracting first).

If this is a limitation of BIN “format” then OK.

P.S. I think explorer shell should still work though.

hi,

smaller bin files are ok - keep in mind that with tar, you dont have unpack whole tar file, just gz archive, then you read off tar header (like iso). With bin, i think you do. Thats why most programs dont open bin files and you never open them from cd burning software either - just cue file which is track info only.

explorer thing is an bug, we will check it out.

[TBGBe]

@spwolf:

… keep in mind that with tar, you dont have unpack whole tar file, just gz archive, then you read off tar header (like iso). With bin, i think you do…

So BIN files do not have a “header”/“contents” index, OK, I guess that is basically what I was asking. This is a format limitation and therefore the delay is understandable and not a problem.
Does the same limitation apply to IMG and NRG files or do they have a “header” like ISO?
(Just to pre-empt further “bug reports”… ).

This is the type of information I think should be addressed in the Help file (format/archive specific limitations).
@spwolf:

explorer thing is an bug, we will check it out.

Ok.

[spwolf]

@TBGBe:

So BIN files do not have a “header”/“contents” index, OK, I guess that is basically what I was asking. This is a format limitation and therefore the delay is understandable and not a problem.
Does the same limitation apply to IMG and NRG files or do they have a “header” like ISO?
(Just to pre-empt further “bug reports”… ).

This is the type of information I think should be addressed in the Help file (format/archive specific limitations).

Ok.

maybe. Let me check and I will get back to you. Maybe it can be done better, it seems to work nicer with smaller bin files.

regards,