Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL

LAST EDITED ON Mar-22-04 AT 07:18 PM (EST) by ssw (moderator)

Lots of new folks joining the Fora...
An occasional brushup on the methods should help.The following three installation methods will produce a successful install with every single route utilizing spanned zip files produced by RouteRiter now in the file library. Please note that WinZip 8.0 or earlier or the Win XP Wizard are too antiquated to handle the spanned files. Won't work ever...Installation Method: Spanned zip files prepared with Route-Riter. Collect all pieces into a temporary folder, so that the folder contents are:<filename>.zip
<filename>.z01
<filename>.z02
<
<filename>.z0X (last file)
Extracting With WinZip: Use Version 8.1 or later. Select "<filename>.zip" then un-zip into your MSTS \Routes folder. The other files, "<filename>.z01" through "filename>.z0X", are automatically handled if present in the same location as "filename>.zip"; don't touch them.Extracting With Winrar: Use Winrar 3.10 or later. Select "<filename>.zip" then extract into your MSTS \Routes folder. The other files, "<filename>.z01" through "filename>.z0X", are automatically handled if present in the same location as "filename>.zip"; don't touch them.Extracting With Route-Riter: Use Version 4.2.36 or later. Use the MyZipp option under General Utils, tick the Fullpath option, then choose Open Archive in the files menu and select "<filename>.zip" - This will then list all the files in the grid. Then from the Extract menu, select Extract All and choose your MSTS "\Routes" folder as the destination. The other files, "<filename>.z01" through filename>.z0X", are automatically handled if present in the same location as "filename>.zip"; don't touch them.All three methods work flawlessly every time, and one is Freeware. There are sufficient other good reasons to have RouteRiter that all serious MSTS users should now have it.regards,
charlie

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RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, jdtrainman, Mar-22-04, 06:48 PM, (1) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, ace6879, Mar-22-04, 06:51 PM, (2) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, stryder47, Mar-23-04, 01:15 AM, (3) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, charlie, Mar-23-04, 10:06 AM, (4) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, stryder47, Mar-23-04, 10:57 PM, (5) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, charlie, Mar-24-04, 07:02 AM, (6) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, sinclair97, Mar-24-04, 06:23 PM, (7) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, jdtrainman, Mar-24-04, 09:16 PM, (8) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, stryder47, Mar-25-04, 01:45 AM, (9) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, jdtrainman, Mar-25-04, 02:04 AM, (10) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, buzzbenz, Mar-25-04, 01:46 PM, (11) RE: Spanned Zip Files, HOW TO INSTALL, jdtrainman, Mar-25-04, 03:49 PM, (12)

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Thank you, Charlie!I hope that everyone that has problems installing GM&O Northern Lines will read this post before they email me. At least now I can do a quick reply with the URL of this message thread!You da man!JBD

Jim Duncan
Midwest Rail Group

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LAST EDITED ON Mar-22-04 AT 06:59 PM (EST)

Unfortunately guys, I am following the instructions to the LETTER!
STILL having trouble!Shall we go back to the orignal way? At least that worked! It might be my fault, but i don't know what else to do.
EDIT: OK< something finally worked. I dont know if it is right or not...BUT....it did unzip. Now, one other thing you might mention: IF for some reason yo must re-download the original file, and if you use a download accelerator, make sure you delete the previous download name so it does not call it something like V012, vo13, etc. It seemed to help me. Now off to see if it all got in there. DONE EDIT

Kelley D. Ellison
CSX A-Line Chief lighting engineer
NALW Lighting engineer

Dekosoft Lighting engineer

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Kelley, get Winrar and you will never have another problem with these spanned files again. Trust me on this one. Been using it for years and it is the easiest one to use for these type of files or for any zip, rar or ace file.Tim
Western Maryland
"Gone but never forgotten"

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LAST EDITED ON Mar-23-04 AT 10:12 AM (EST)

Folks,Another small problem to be aware of. Jim Duncan advises that sometimes MS Internet Explorer adds the superfluous file extension ".zip" to downloaded file elements, as in "gmnonlv10.z07.zip".http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/DCForumID6/11646.html#7The problem with IE occurs when elements of the spanned file are uploaded naked or "in the clear"; IE really thinks they need that ".zip". The problem is reconfirmed this morning after checking my PM inbox. Just rename any such affected files to get rid of the unwanted ".zip", and you should be OK, as in "gmnonlv10.z07.zip" back to "gmnonlv10.z07". Don't rename the archive master ".zip", just any affected ".z0X" file.Two solutions immediately come to mind. Route developers could encase the ".z0X" files in their own zip files (as some have done), but that might cause more confusion and increase the burden on the user. We already know that readme files sometimes don't work.The other simple, elegant solution it to stop using MS Internet Explorer as a download engine, which might solve several other problems as well. regards,
charlie

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Well, I certainly don't want to disagree with Jim Duncan but that has never happened to me before using IE....ever! Maybe he has had that problem but I certainly haven't. And even if that should occur, if you use Winrar it won't matter because it doesn't care what the three letter extension is, as long as it is recognized internally as a zip file (which it almost always does) then it will treat it as such. Well, you all can stop using IE, but I have no intention of doing any such thing. I have never had a problem with it. And what other problems are you talking about Charlie? I have had more troubles using Netscape, Opera, Mozilla and all the rest than I have with IE. And yes I have used them all at one time or another. Nothing elegant in it either. I think you just don't like Microsoft which is ok with me. I will continue to use it. Funny, we are all using a Microsoft game too! TimWestern Maryland
"Gone but never forgotten"

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Tim,It seems that I've irritated you a bit. I didn't recommend that you stop using IE, but that "Internet Explorer as a download engine" is a poor choice. Nope, I'm not a inveterate MS basher, but now that you've brought up the subject, I think that you should immediately stop using the evil Outlook. Maybe you're not having any problems, but others currently are, hence the reference to new messages reporting the problem to me in my PM inbox. Jim didn't say that he had the problem, but that others had reported it to him previous route releases. What he recommended works. Consider that it's possible that your use of Winrar may have led you to not notice that renaming occurs, but it really is happening.The reason for my post was that folks just need to know what's wrong and then how to recover. It's great that Winrar recognizes the renamed files for what they are, but many don't have it. Perhaps folks are reluctant to register Winrar or WinZip, so the renaming convention that I outlined will make the files ready for RouteRiter unzip (and WinZip as well).To this point in time, I have never been under the illusion that we're yet playing with a Microsoft game. In my view, this one's still on Kuju...regards,
charlie

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Hi Charlie,I reckon in spite of what has been said there are still going to be a lot of folks out there who are gonna be screwed by the spanned files that route creators are using now, so here is a reliable way that works for me.1. Download Winrar--the demo version costs nothing! No, no! Don't argue: just download it.Depending on the route you can have anything up to ten or more downloads to make.2. When you have downloaded them all (presumably in the download folder) create another folder called...new folder which presumably will be on your desktop.3. Now using your default zip opener, Yes! The one that came with windows unzip each zipped folder from zip file2 onwards.4. Copy and paste each one of those extracted files into the new folder.If you unzip a zipped folder that happens to have another zip file in it, then DO NOT TRY to unzip it instead:4. Copy and paste this unopened zip file to the new folder.However, if you have not come across a zip folder contained within another zip folder do the following:5.Go back to the unzipped downloaded folder1 and continuing to use the default zip extractor just extract to leave the remaining UNOPENED zip file.6. Now copy and paste this UNOPENED zip file into the new folder along with the already extracted files.At long last we are ready to use Winrar;7. Double click on its (Winrar)icon, and a window opens that is not dissimilar to Windows Explorer in structure. 8. Underneath the Add icon is another little icon (a black up-pointed arrow against a gold background, now keep clicking on this until you have the basic structure of drives and folders.
9. Click on the Local disc (C drive) until you have located the new folder (presumably on your Desktop).10. Click on the new folder.11. Click on the UNOPENED zip folder so as to highlight it.12. Now click on the wizard and follow the instructions or prompts13. A box, which can be edited, displays the path in which the zip
folder is located (Desktop).14. This box entitled Archive should have C:\Documents & Settings\Your name\Desktop\ the name of the file.15.Click "Next"16. This box is now entitled "Destination folder" which defaults to the Desktop.17. click "Finish"Winrar now extracts the zip and its files to a folder which is the name of the route.The folder which is now a name of a route appears in its own window.18. Copy and paste this folder into the Routes folder of MSTS.19 open this new route folder and click on the batch or installme file.This concludes the "SAFE" method of installing spanned files.Mike <>Michael Sinclair

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Slow down guys.... I didn't slam IE....I don't use it (or Outlook Express!) because of the vulnerabilities to virii and attacks.I only reported what SEVERAL people reported to me with the ATSF spanned zip set. IE5 was DEFINITELY adding the extra .zip for those people. Renaming fixed their problem.This is not necessarily IE's fault but probably the fault of someone who answered an IE "help me figger this type of file out" question by telling it to open it with WinZip. Hence, IE now assumes that such files are all SUPPOSED to be zip files and appends the suffix.It's a helper application setup problem most likely the result of an uninformed decision of the operator.This thread (as others before it) has presented the methodology for dealing with spanned files and with more and more people going to this form (due to using RouteRiter to prepare routes for release) it's probably time for everyone to remember to RTFM (read the forums messages <G> so they're up on the process....Now, if we could just get a self-installer that would deal with the spanned files without the intervention of the user that would probably solve about 95% of the problems...JBD

Jim Duncan
Midwest Rail Group

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Sorry my earlier reply sounded so harsh and after rereading it I guess it did. I apologize for that. But it seemed as though you were suggesting to not use IE, which I don't think is the problem here.
I am not sure why the route riters are suddenly using spanned zips but in my opinion this is a bad idea for all of the reasons sited above. Now, if we had a specific program for dealing with these spanned file then I would say, this is a great idea, but since we don't it just causes a lot of confusion for some people who do not understand zip files. I suggested as did Mike that winrar is easier to use on spanned files and I think it is. Although I use a slightly different method than Mike does when dealing with them. I never put anything on my desktop. What I do is put all of the spanned files into the same folder, a new folder in my downloads folder. Then I run the installer zip file, which is easily recognizable and it will normally run the entire program and put things where they are supposed to be. Granted I have not run into these spanned zip downloads of a route yet, but it has always worked with other spanned zip files that I have run across. And as Mike points out, there is a free version of the program. I just think it works better and easier than winzip.
Now as to IE, I certainly agree with you on your point of not using Outlook Express. I would never use that program for the reasons you cited. Just too many chances of something going wrong with it. I use Incredimail and have had none of these problems. Besides my virus programs scans every piece of mail I get or send out.
I don't use the regular version of IE either but use Avant Browser which is a multitabbed browser using IE as it's base. There are others that do the same thing and most of them are free.Anyway, as far as spanned zip files and their usage by the route writers, I don't like the idea without a specific program to open them, but I know winrar very well and it will handle these much easier than any other program I have run across. There are several methods, like Mike's above which work, but I think mine is easier and works for me. As for the renaming by IE of zips to another zip, I have seen this now that I think upon it, but it is no problem because all you have to do is rename the file, or use winrar to extract the original zip file and then go from there.Again, sorry, didn't mean to come on like gangbusters. Yesterday was not a particularly good day for me so my apologies to you.Have a good one and hope everyone out there has learned a little bit about solving this new problem of spanned zip files.TimWestern Maryland
"Gone but never forgotten"

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The reason that we're now using spanned files is so dial-up users can still get the big routes easily. Even so the GM&O Route is 355 MB ZIPPED!! It unzips to over 2 GB.....The other reason for spanned zip files is the change in RouteRiter which goes back several months now. Originally the file splitter produced plain old zip files.To address the repeating concern you have regarding software to take care of this, you DO have it....PKZIP (not sure of current version), WinZIP (8.1 or later) and WinRAR ALL handle this type of spanning.I'd LOVE to use an auto-installer unfortunately if I did that there would be ONE massive 355MB file that NOBODY would be downloading. Ultimately it would save the problems generated by the < 5% (+ or -) of the users that don't bother to read the installation directions even when they're posted on the message forums and having to explain the required add-ons, procedures to install, etc. etc.JBD

Jim Duncan
Midwest Rail Group

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> I'd LOVE to use an auto-installer unfortunately if I did that there
> would be ONE massive 355MB file that NOBODY would be downloading.I would!! ----------- BUZZ -----------

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<BIG GRIN>Thanks, Buzz! Nice vote of confidence!JBD

Jim Duncan
Midwest Rail Group

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