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    • PA 21.00.18 Action / Test behaves oddly for me on .PA files

      Brian Gregory

      PA 21.00.18 running on Windows 7 64 bit.
      I made a big .PA file and thought I’d check it was made correctly with Menu / Actions / Test.
      Discovered:
      a) PA always issues a UAC prompt to do this!
      b) PA always says there are many errors in PA files.

      Tech Support
    • File Explorer Shell Extension crash on Junction

      W

      Re: Explorer.exe Crash on right click

      This appears to be happening again with the Power Archiver 2022 shell extensions.

      When I have Use Explorer Shell Extensions enabled in Power Archiver Configuration and right-click on c:\Users\username\Start Menu, (hidden Junction file), File Explorer crashes.

      I have version 21.00.15 (03/2022) 64-bit installed in Windows 10 Version 21H2 (Build 19044.1826).

      Tech Support
    • Functions in Windows 11 Context Menu don't work in some directories

      P

      In the latest version of PA, on W11 (latest build/SP) when you try to use the first level context menu - NOTHING HAPPENS (particularly when you do this from Downloads or Documents folders) - however I noticed that it DOES WORK when you use the context menu from the Desktop. Going to the second level context menu does work however.

      Tech Support
    • Missing virtual driver in Patchbeam

      pirrbe

      PA 2023 22.00.08
      Long time no seeing. So I start up the new year with a first problem : the virtual driver cannot be installed. Reason : it is missing in the Fast Ring PatchBeam Update Service…
      Virtual driver PA 2023-01-28 152607.png
      It seems a standard problem with new releases :-)
      Can I have a link or can it be fixed. Thank you. CU later

      Tech Support
    • PA 21.00.18 testing via context menu causes extraction of files

      D

      When the function for testing archives is invoked via the shell context menu (PowerArchiver > Test) then all the files in the archive get extracted to the current folder.

      The test dialog reports as many errors as there are files in the archive but it fails to give any hint as to which files are supposed to be erroneous or what the nature of the problem might be. Comparing the extracted files to the originals shows no differences at all.

      The .7z in question was produced with maximised compression settings in 7zip (taking forever but resulting in smaller archives than .7z produced by PowerArchiver with maximised settings). Therefore I wanted to see whether PowerArchiver can at least test .7z that it produced itself. Hence I had PowerArchiver convert a .pa with the same contents to .7z. There weren’t any errors reported but the resulting .7z contained fewer than half of the files contained in the .pa (137 of 366), so I scratched that test.

      Performance is abysmal when testing via the context menu (e.g. almost 2 minutes for testing a .7z that 7zip tests in 4 seconds), but that is most likely due to the fact that the extracted files are written to disk. Testing the same .7z in the PowerArchiver GUI takes only 8 seconds but causes the mysterious appearance of a UAC dialog, as reported elsewhere.

      The testing function is vital because PowerArchiver has a history of producing archives that it cannot unpack without errors or that do not conform to the respective file format standards (e.g. ZIP) so that other programs report them as erroneous.

      The point of creating archives is that the files in them will most likely have to be extracted at some point. If the extraction cannot be guaranteed to produce correct results then the whole program is absolutely pointless. Actually, worse than pointless - it causes data loss and hence damage.

      Tech Support
    • Start PowerArchiver 2023 Starter when my computer starts

      Brian Gregory

      In PowerArchiver 2023 22.00.06 configuration, the option labelled “Start PowerArchiver 2023 Starter when my computer starts” seems to be redundant.

      I am only allowed to change this option when PA Starter is disabled, and then it seems to be ignored.

      When I enable PA Starter this option is forced to the enabled state.

      I think it’d be good to remove “Start PowerArchiver 2023 Starter when my computer starts” completely. I’ve always found it confusing having both options.

      Added later: However i don’t particularly want to use queue but I do like having the PAStarter icon in my tray area.

      Tech Support
    • Testing .pa archives

      PA_Fan

      W10 Pro 22H2 - 64 -bit

      PA 22.00.06 (PA 2023)

      It has been the case with previous versions of PowerArchiver, but I had hoped that the latest might behave differently. Not so, I’m afraid.

      I have, for various obscure reasons, created a few .pa archives, mainly in the hope that they will save me some more space. From time to time, I use the “Test” option to check that important archives are OK and uncorrupted.

      With every .pa archive I’ve tested, the process runs through OK but then reports that there are errors. This is always the number of files in the archive e.g. if 11 files, then 11 errors reported.

      In the .pa, I can:-

      preview the files (usually PDF) extract some or all files and look at or use them convert the .pa to a .zip or .zipx archive, which then works fine and tests without errors

      Is it the case that the Test routine isn’t designed for .pa archives, or is there another reason? Although the .pa seems to function properly, despite the test reporting errors, I would like to be sure that every .pa is OK and not “broken”.

      Some of the .pas are quite old and produced with earlier PA versions (they are truly “archives”). If I extract all the files in the old .pa, create a new, fresh .pa and add back the files to that, then test the new, no errors (at least in the .pa I’ve tried this on) are reported. This would suggest a mismatch between old .pas and newer versions of PA itself.

      Tech Support
    • Small UI / Theme bug in 2023

      Z

      Clipboard02.jpg

      See the, supposedly, blank space where the green box is? It’s like that in Modern Light theme too. I can toggle it, but it’s missing text or shouldn’t be there I guess?

      Thanks :)

      Tech Support
    • PowerArchiver and PACL for macOS

      spwolf

      Dear @Alpha-Testers and all of our users,

      time has come for testing of PowerArchiver and PACL for macOS.
      Please let us know here if you have Mac and can test latest builds.

      Features implemented:
      PowerArchiver 2020 - tabbing, opening, extracting, adding, testing, favorite folders, support for multiple languages, opening via Finder, explorer mode, installer.
      PACL 10 - support for most formats and features in Windows version.

      Upcoming: Tools such as archive converter, batch zip, multi-extract.

      To start testing, please sign up here in this thread, and we will send you latest build.

      thank you!

      Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h54m56s_008_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h55m05s_009_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h55m14s_010_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h55m30s_011_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h55m39s_012_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h55m49s_013_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h56m00s_014_.png Ashampoo_Snap_Wednesday, November 20, 2019_12h54m43s_007_.png

      76e97ab9-8d75-4175-9ce8-446500031f38-image.png

      Tech Support

    More PowerArchiver-bungled file association fun

    Tech Support
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    • N
      nameless last edited by

      A long time ago, I suggested that PowerArchiver back up master file type information when taking over file associations, so it can restore them later, if need be. It still doesn’t do that.

      But in PowerArchiver 9.11.01, I’ve found another problem, under WinXP at least, and this one is worse. I’m not sure if it’s a bug or just a really, really bad design, but it’s definitely one of the two.

      The problem is that PowerArchiver obliterates existing file associations, even when it’s not taking them over. And the “Associate Now” button just doesn’t work properly at all. Here’s how to reproduce:

      –------------------------

      1. In Regedit, go to “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes.001”, or create that key if it doesn’t exst already.

      2. Double click the (Default) value of “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes.001”, and set it to something–anything–such as “TestAssociation”. Just so long as it isn’t associated with PowerArchiver. (Since the whole point is to show how PowerArchiver will screw it up.)

      3. Open PowerArchiver 9.11.01, and go to the “File Formats” tab of the Configuration dialog.

      4. Now, the file type that applies to “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes.001” is “RAR spanned archives (*.001, *.01)”, but leave that selection unchecked.

      5. Click the “Associate Now” button, but leave the Configuration dialog open. Do not click OK yet.

      6. Flip back over to Regedit, and hit F5 to refresh. Notice how the (Default) value of “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes.001” has now changed to PARAR, even though the “RAR spanned archives (*.001, *.01)” file type was deselected? Not good.

      7. Flip back over to PowerArchiver and its Configuration dialog. Without changing anything, and with “RAR spanned archives (*.001, *.01)” still deselected, click OK.

      8. Flip back over to Regedit, and hit F5 to refresh. Notice how the (Default) value of “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes.001” is gone completely now? Yes, this means that even though you didn’t ever mean to associate PowerArchiver with .001 files, that file association is broken now.

      On another note, but not nearly as important, notice how PowerArchiver creates empty, totally useless keys for file extensions, even if you don’t associate them at all. For example, you’ll see “HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes.01” (notice the single “0”) get created, even though it’s a dead association. More poor design.

      –------------------------

      Can anyone reproduce this? I’ve been around long enough to know this isn’t the type of problem that is likely to be peculiar to my system. Which leads me to wonder how–I mean really, how–does a problem like this go unnoticed, by so many users? I installed PowerArchiver 9.11.01 a matter of minutes before discovering this.

      I know I sound negative here, but someone needs to be honest and point out these things. I don’t see anyone else doing it.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • spwolf
        spwolf conexware last edited by

        @nameless:

        I know I sound negative here, but someone needs to be honest and point out these things. I don’t see anyone else doing it.

        there is nothing negative about a valid bug report. I personally did not notice this one before, but people usually dont report things that are not show stoppers, and I have noticed that valid report time for these kind of bugs is around 3 months after bug was first detected.

        Reality is that if “you” do not report it, then it will take a while for someone else to do it :-).
        A lot of people just assume that it will be noticed and fixed automatically and dont bother reporting it until annoys them - and you probably get annoyed sooner than average people :D .

        Thanks for the report and we will check it out for 9.2.

        spwolf 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • spwolf
          spwolf conexware @spwolf last edited by

          p.s. “01” association is noted together with “001” in Config screen, it is not “dead” association since there are RAR multivolumes floating around with that association. Just FYI.

          N 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • N
            nameless @spwolf last edited by

            The .01 file type would in fact be dead, in those cases where PA created that key as I described–without the association being set to PA itself. Take my system for example: I have .001 files associated with another application (MasterSplitter). I’ve never had .01 file types defined, and don’t want them associated. But when I configure file types in PA, the key for .001 gets cleared out (i.e. MasterSplitter is deleted), and the key for .01 gets created, even though I’m telling PA not to associate itself to .001/.01 files.

            So basically, PA creates the .01 key with no master file type specified for it. Even though I am not associating .001/.01 files to PA, PA insists on creating the key for .01–and it does so without assigning a master file type. Hence, a dead association.

            The same thing happens for all the others (and that’s quite a few of them). PA creates all the keys, even if they’re dead associations. And it wipes out existing, valid associations, too.

            I know this is terrible writing, but I’m so tired I can barely move my fingers, sorry…

            Sorry, I do get annoyed with this sort of thing… I can’t comprehend how I can discover this sort of thing instantly, but no one else notices or cares. As for why it has annoyed me… Well, I have one particular file type that I’ve had to keep manually resetting, because PA keeps blowing it away without reason. That, and I’m strangely anal retentive about my precious registry. :)

            spwolf 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • spwolf
              spwolf conexware @nameless last edited by

              I know - i do understand it is an bug, I just thought that you thought that 01 does not/should not exist. We will check it out for 9.2.

              thanks,

              Y 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • Y
                yetanotherid @spwolf last edited by

                I’ve noticed problems with PowerArchiver & zip associations in the past. More often than not I’ve had to re-register the association with Explorer in order to view them as folders after installing Power Archiver, even though I’ve not selected zip files as a type to associate with Power Archiver. This didn’t seem to be a problem when installing 9.11 on a fresh XP SP2 install recently, although now for some reason Explorer won’t open zip folders in the same window any more. It will open them in a new Window, but I can’t work out how to change the default action back to ‘Explore’ rather than ‘Open’.
                I can only assume that Power Archiver caused this problem.

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