How to unzip spanned files on a hard drive?

[kiteflyer]

I'm using some file archive software which has compressed 10GB of files in Zip format spanned files. These files are all on the same hard drive, but this software is DOS software and insists on saving the archive files as spanned files, because of DOS file size limits.

I have used Windows Commander for years and really like the way it works with Zip files. I can't figure, or find in HELP, online FAQs, etc how to use WC to open these spanned files!!

Here's what happens when I attempt to do something with any of the spanned files - I can view and move through the archive directory, no problem, but when I select a file a copy (unarchive) ... these are the error messages...

! Please insert disk number 1! <OK>
! Error in packed file D:\recover2.zip
! File not found

I know there isn't an error in these archived files, because Winzip works OK to uncompress them...(but I don't want to use Winzip- the interface of Winzip flat-out stinks, and it is also changing all the file creation dates!!!)

Any help or suggestion much appreciated.

Ken

[Hacker]

Does Alt-F9 on the archive work?

TIA
Roman

[HerbieH]

! Please insert disk number 1! <OK>
! Error in packed file D:\recover2.zip
! File not found

Sounds like there may be errors in your zip-files.

Try to unpack all the files to a (large) drive.
Select the first file and choose 'unpack files' in the menu.

This is of course inconvenient, but you might consider unpacking all your zip-files the way, I described above, and then repacking them as one big zip-file using 'zip.exe' from 'info-zipo', or perhaps 'Wcmdzip#.exe'. (Search on the net for the files and further info.)
They can easily be integrated with 'Total Commander' (use the help-file.)

This way, you can easily extract single files.

[ghisler(Author)]

Total Commander doesn't support such spanned files. Reason: The ZIP standard defines that spanned files all have the same name (one on each floppy disk). It's planned to add such support to a later version. Winzip spanned archives are already partially supported.

[kiteflyer]

Christian and others who replied, thanks for your suggestions.

Tried alt-F9, same errors, in WC V5.

Christian, here is how the file archiving software names the spanned zip files-

Files.zip
files.z01
files.z02
files.z03 etc

Each zip file can be up to 1GB in size. Winzip has no problem reading these spanned files. I'm hoping that someday I can use Total Commander... I'd uninstall Winzip in a heartbeat, if Total Commander could open these spanned files!

I found out how to preserve all the file dates when I extracted the zipped spanned files with Winzip - don't use drag-and-drop, instead use the Winzip user interface.

Ken

[ghisler(Author)]

I found the problem: Currently TC doesn't support to extract more than 1 file at a time from spanned archives if a file reaches over 2 archive parts. I will try to find a solution for the next version of TC.

[kiteflyer]

Christian,

Thanks for tracking down the cause of WC/ TC's error message when opening spanned zips on the same drive. I'll be pleased to know when you add this spanning capability to a future TC!

Ken