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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 -
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.
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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.
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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 errorsIs 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.
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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. -
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 :)
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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
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For some reason, the PowerArchiver functions in the Windows 11 context menu no longer work after the last Windows Update. Only the functions in the classic context menu function as they should.
I’ve tried uninstalling PowerArchiver and using RevoUninstaller to remove all bits and pieces that were left behind and did a clean install of PowerArchiver, it didn’t fix the issue. Other items in the Windows 11 context menu work.
.psf files, and the software that can edit them
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I’ve been editing the look and feel of my OS since I got my first copy of 98, still am with XP Pro. I decided early this week I wanted to make something more, and went looking at what other people had done. I was amazed that so much could be changed, and so artfully in some cases.
In one of the many tutorials I read, the author talked a bit about the classic Colony skin by Mike Bryant. I went to look for a copy of it, and grabbed it. I’d already downloaded Skin Studio, and had been playing with it, and of course, for that to work, I also had to have WindowBlinds. So far, so good, I thought.
Well, it turns out that Colony is a .psf file which needs yet another software package to open and install it. So, I downloaded PowerArchiver, and indeed the .psf file did open. I still couldn’t install it on the whole OS, only on PA. That confused me because I read on a PA tute that touted the achievements of WB, SS, and Theme Manager, the latter of which I didn’t have yet, as though they could all work together along with the PS CS3 I already own.
So, I have a bunch of questions, the first being, is there a tute that will teach me how these software packages relate, specifically 1. how I can see Colony applied to all of my apps, not just PA and 2. how can I open that .psf file using SS? :eek: I’m kinda stuck, and don’t know where to look for answers at this point. If you can give me some directions or links to tutorials, I’d be much obliged.
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I think you have confused an O.S. skin with a PA skin.
.psf is a PowerArchiver skin file format see http://www.powerarchiver.com/skins/create.htmlI don’t believe it has anything to do with O.S. skin (or WindowBlinds).
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You will find WB skin inside PSF file, so extract it and use it in WB?
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Thanks to both of you for having taken the time to respond. Really!
@TBGBe I bet you’re right, that I am confused. But the page you sent me to, one that I have open in a tab already, is likely the source of my confusion. Near the top of the page:
1. DirectSkin skin file (.uis)
PowerArchiver uses Stardock’s DirectSkin engine to modify the look and feel of PowerArchiver’s Windows controls, such as buttons, borders, tabs, scrollbars and more. PowerArchiver can be completely skinned using a UIS skin.
These skins are same as those in Stradock’s popular WindowBlinds application, and WindowBlinds skins can be used in PowerArchiver as well. You can use Stardock’s excellent SkinStudio to create skins.
Just above that, it says:
A PSF file may contain several items:
DirectSkin skin file (.uis)
toolbar.bmp <- mandatory name
.ICO icon files
settings.ini <- mandatory nameI used WinZip to look inside Colony.psf, and copied it’s contents to a folder. There’s no .uis file, toolbar.bmp (but there is a ToolLeft.bmp and a ToolRight.bmp), no .ICO files, nor settings.ini file. Did I download an incomplete skin? It’s at least partially working, or maybe it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to when it only skins PA, but no other apps are affected by it. Am I expecting it to do something it’s not intended to do?
@spwolf I also searched that folder for “wb”, and turned up no results for that, either.
I’m going to go look for another copy of Colony.psf, and if I can find one, will look at it’s contents, too. I’ll post here immediately as soon as I find a more complete .psf file. What should I do next if what I have is all I can get?
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You need to extract the skin and then use Windows Blinds to open it, not PA, if you want it to be used by complete Windows. PowerArchiver will obviously skin only our own Window.
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Excellent response, spwolf; thanks so much.
In one of my posts above, I said that I had extracted the .psf file with WinZip to another folder. At another point, I said that certain files or file extensions couldn’t be found in that folder. Well, by extracting that same file with PA as you suggested, I got the list of it’s contents in the left screen of PA.
In case anyone else reads this who is having the same trouble, there is a tutorial at PowerAchiever > Help > Brief Tutorial > Getting Started > Brief Tutorial > Extracting Files From an Archive. It demonstrates 3 ways of extracting the file. None of those worked for me. I got 2 little dialogs instead, asking me if I wanted to install, the second if I wanted to use the skin. For each of them, I pressed yes (which skinned only my PA as spwolf said would be the case). I tried right clicking on the file in Explorer, and clicking “Open”. That did it. And some of the files mentioned in a previous post were listed here.
I haven’t figured out what to do, or where to go after I make a whole bunch of new bitmaps for my new skin. That’ll take a good while, I’m thinking. If someone hasn’t answered how to get my files converted into a format that SkinStudio and/or WindowBlinds can use, I’ll come back and do it. I just haven’t been able to find these kinds of details anywhere, and I’m hoping they help someone else.
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You should have just pressed No when it asked you to install Skin, it would have opened archive instead.
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Thanks to both of you for having taken the time to respond. Really!
@TBGBe I bet you’re right, that I am confused. But the page you sent me to, one that I have open in a tab already, is likely the source of my confusion. Near the top of the page:
1. DirectSkin skin file (.uis)
PowerArchiver uses Stardock’s DirectSkin engine to modify the look and feel of PowerArchiver’s Windows controls, such as buttons, borders, tabs, scrollbars and more. PowerArchiver can be completely skinned using a UIS skin.
These skins are same as those in Stradock’s popular WindowBlinds application, and WindowBlinds skins can be used in PowerArchiver as well. You can use Stardock’s excellent SkinStudio to create skins.
Just above that, it says:
A PSF file may contain several items:
DirectSkin skin file (.uis)
toolbar.bmp <- mandatory name
.ICO icon files
settings.ini <- mandatory nameI used WinZip to look inside Colony.psf, and copied it’s contents to a folder. There’s no .uis file, toolbar.bmp (but there is a ToolLeft.bmp and a ToolRight.bmp), no .ICO files, nor settings.ini file. Did I download an incomplete skin? It’s at least partially working, or maybe it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to when it only skins PA, but no other apps are affected by it. Am I expecting it to do something it’s not intended to do?
@spwolf I also searched that folder for “wb”, and turned up no results for that, either.
I’m going to go look for another copy of Colony.psf, and if I can find one, will look at it’s contents, too. I’ll post here immediately as soon as I find a more complete .psf file. What should I do next if what I have is all I can get?
I just checked http://www.powerarchiver.com/skins/download.php/15/Colony.psf
I found
DirectSkin skin file (.uis)
settings.iniThere is also
Colony.uis_Toolbars.WB4
Colony.uis_ToolBarBackground.WB4
toolbar_bg.bmp
toolbutton.tga
(No ToolLeft or ToolRight)A lot of other uis and .WB4 files - I guess these are for Windows Blind?
But no .ICO icon files!?Not sure if that is helpful though.
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some skins do not have icons or settings.ini but all have Windows Blind files.
