Installing PAI *Flightplans* manually: How do I unzip them?

[Perixon]

Hey everyone,

starting to understand how to work the TTools suite (actually it isn't all that trick once you get the hang out of it), I'd like to know how to extract the flightplans from Project AI auto installer packages manually (for reasons I doubt anyone would be interested in hearing I have no real urge to use the auto installers themselves - I'll do the work myself).

The problem is that the auto installers show up as Windows executables and not zip archives, so can't extract the data from the files - which is why I'd like to know if there's some way around this?

Have a nice weekend,
Peter Eriksson

http://www.acc.umu.se/~petah/fs2002/screenshots/sva-logo.gif Trainee (#SAS612) flying the Fokker-50 for [link:www.scandva.org|Scandinavian Virtual Airlines]

[JSkorna]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-15-02 AT 08:32PM (EST)[p]One work around is when it is time to point to your FS2002 directory, don't do it. Point the installer to a new directory or folder and install there. Then you will have the pieces you want.

One more thing however, you do need to manually stop the TTools compiler from running.

[Perixon]

Thank you,

I found out it myself a few minutes ago the hard way (having to revert the installation process to another directory and then manually stop the compiler tools from executing wasn't really what I was hoping for, but it seems to be the only quick way of resolving all this).

Again, thanks.

Kind regards,
Peter Eriksson

http://www.acc.umu.se/~petah/fs2002/screenshots/sva-logo.gif Trainee (#SAS612) flying the Fokker-50 for [link:www.scandva.org|Scandinavian Virtual Airlines]

[mikeymcc]

Peter,

Are you running WinZip? If not, you should be. If you are, try right-clicking on the (self-extracting) exe -- this should give you the option to unzip the file.

Depending on the operating system flavor you MAY (this is a guess) be able to achieve the same effect by copying the file to a compressed folder and then dragging it out to another folder. Again, this is a guess.

Mike McCarthy

[Perixon]

Mike,

as I'm running WinXP, I've had no need of installing WinZip. I do, however, have the DOS flavored PKUnZip installed. From what I understand, PKUnZip should carry the same compression algorithms as WinZip does, but it doesn't report the PAI executables as valid Zip archives. :(

(Since my first post to this thread I took the decision to reinstall all AI-traffic, so this isn't an issue anymore :))

Kind regards,
Peter Eriksson

http://www.acc.umu.se/~petah/fs2002/screenshots/sva-logo.gif Trainee (#SAS612) flying the Fokker-50 for [link:www.scandva.org|Scandinavian Virtual Airlines]

[mikeymcc]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-16-02 AT 08:48AM (EST)[p]Peter, (Per?)

Trust me, you really do need either WinZip or the Windows version of PKzip, you really do.

If it's not needed today then it will be tomorrow ... or sometime. You might as well get it installed and tweaked now, while the waters are calm, before the next surprise storm hits you.

Mike (you don't have to take my advice but I have to give it) McCarthy

[JSkorna]

You cannot decompile an .exe file with Winzip. The PAI autoinstalled files are downloaded in a compressed form that are zipped, and when you unzip them all you are left with is the .exe file. Peter was looking for a way to now break open the .exe file to pull out the traffic.txt information.


Jim(plenty of zipped files)Skorna

[JetStarSFO]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-16-02 AT 10:02AM (EST)[p]In the autoinstall setup is an option to do-it-yourself. This will create the files needed without installing them.

Michael Lowing
San Francisco Ops
JetStar International
www.jetstarairlines.com
http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3d246d4a0940d2a6.jpg

[H_Kev55]

While all the ideas in this thread are great ones.
You could simply download the flightplan texts by themselves and install them if you wish.
KJ



http://forums.projectai.com/dcboard.cgi?az=view_attachment&file=3d866b9308147336.jpg

[JSkorna]

The new PAI files have this option, the old files do not.

[JSkorna]

Because then he might need to find, download, and install the airplanes that go along with those flightplans. PAI has all these in one package.

[mikeymcc]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-16-02 AT 10:47PM (EST)[p]Which you do by right-clicking on the self-extractor and saying "unzip" just as if it were a conventinal zip instead of a self-extractor.

A self-extractor is simply a zip file with a "portable executable" ("PE") header.

edit: Replace "simply" with "mainly".

Mike
(plenty of Windows API programming experience)
McCarthy

[JSkorna]

Please check your mail.

Jim(trying to learn much)Skorna

[mikeymcc]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-17-02 AT 03:40AM (EST)[p]Jim,

Regrettably I have a policy of deleting bulky unexpected email. But what are you trying to learn, and how can I help?

edit: Or, What is it that you are trying to teach me?

Mike
(because I don't know everything and sometimes I am wrong)
McCarthy

[mikeymcc]

Jim,

I just discovered the "MailWasher" post and have downloaded it. Will install it later today (after doing my weekly software preventive maintenance cycle) and then perhaps we can do a rerun of whatever it was you wanted to do.

Mike McCarthy

[H_Kev55]

While I do understand that PAI has these packaged, see my banner sig?, I believe his initial post was asking how to extracate the flight plans from the autoinstallers.
Even when running the auto-installer and pointing to a different file location, the aircraft will still be inserted into the sim, but everything else will be pointed to the different folder.
By having the flight plans separate, there is no need to go to all the trouble in separating them when using the installer.
But, I do realize that a lot of people prefer this method.
I was simply trying to provide a much easier way of do this.
KJ


http://forums.projectai.com/dcboard.cgi?az=view_attachment&file=3d866b9308147336.jpg

[JSkorna]

What I am tring to learn how to do is how to decompile(break into its component parts)a PAI .exe file using Winzip. It may be my misunderstanding, but in an earlier post (number 11) you explained how it could be done. I tried, but got nowhere. That is why I posted the "check your e-mail" message and sent you a PAI file, for you to try. This whole thing is not a big deal to me because the original poster has been helped, but I am always tring to learn more FS "stuff".

Jim(have learned much from your posts)Skorna

[mikeymcc]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-17-02 AT 01:43PM (EST)[p]How very kind of you. Never stop learning -- never, because if/when you do you will begin to die, and that, by definition, is a living death, the worst kind.

What follows is for the benefit of others as well as yourself.

==================

Let's define and explain some terms.

The term "zip" has a fairly precise meaning in the computer business. It means a file which has been compressed using a specific class of compression algorithm, not invented by but indeed popularized by Phil Katz, who originated the PKzip software that started this all. (Our Original Poster, Per, apparently is still running the tool of that vintage.)

So a "zip file" is one that has been compressed using some variant of the PKzip approach to these matters. WinZip is a shareware utility which competes with PKzip which, today, is also a shareware utility. In other words, WinZip "understands" the PKzip file format, which has been evolving slowly over the years. Windows Explorer also understands that (set of) file format(s). That is why WE is able to extract a zip file via "drag from compressed folder".

Files of this type have the .zip extension and, strictly speaking, only this specific type of file should be referred to as a "zip file".

Now ...

There are several programs which will take a "zip" file and turn it into a "self-extracting exectable" or "self-extractor" for short. (If you want a good free one, try searching for "FreeByte".)

A self-extractor is an exe, but not all exe's are self-extractors. Indeed it is RARE for an exe to be of that type.

When you run a self-extractor it does precisely the same operation as winzip would were you to tell WinZip to extract the original zip from which the self-extractor had been made. That is the reason for the self-extractor term -- the file extracts itself, instead of needing WinZip (or any of the others) to do the extraction.

So, being a propeller-head (another computer industry term, this one referring to someone who supposedly wears a "beanie" cap with the little twirly deal on the top), I naturally assumed that when you used "unzip" and "exe" in the same sentence you were therefore referring to a self-extractor (but I see now that I was wrong, look below).

While a self-extractor WILL unzip itself, WinZip can also be used, just as if the file in question were still the original zip instead of the self-extractor to which the original was converted.

With me so far? If not, read the foregoing again. If still stuck, do a post explaing what your problem is and we'll go from there.

But ...

If you ARE with me, then you're ready for what I will call the Second Stage Of Enlightenment.

==================================

There are exe's around which are "self-installers", and the scenery package you are concerned with is probably one of those.

A self-installer may or may not contain compressed (whatever) but this is not what's important. What's important is the following:

1 - A self-installer is not a zip, and it is not a self-extractor. It therefore CANNOT be processed by any member of the genus PK/Win/zippus. That is why your experiment (good for you!) failed.

2 - A self-extractor will unzip itself, and it can be unzipped as descibed above, but it WILL NOT INSTALL ITSELF, even though people will speak loosely as if it had this capability. (As in "just unzip this thing into (whatever), it will install itself." meaning "it will create some folders".)

3 - So a self-insaller is something altogether differnt from the zip stuff. Indeed, in principle, a self-installer could DO ANYTHING because it is just another computer application, though we confine the term to those computer applications which, as it happens, do end up truly installing something.

edit: There will be no charge for today's lecture.

========================

I hope this helps. Please reply if you need more info.

Mike McCarthy

[JSkorna]

So would you classify the PAI.exe type file as a "self installer" or a "self extractor"? I have it tagged as a "self-installer.

Jim(thanks for the dialog)Skorna

[mikeymcc]

You have it nailed, it's a self-installer, that's why using WinZip didn't work for you.

Mike McCarthy