This is a known problem with running console applications within Java. Actually, this is a feature that allows Java Applications to read the output of any program run from it. This has the unfortunate side-effect of not displaying the output to the user. To fix this problem, you will have to change how the program is run. I get different results from Windows 95 and Windows NT, so experimentation is the key.
For Windows 95, run command.com
with the /c
parameter. This should cause the window to be displayed for most
programs. For example, if the Program File field contained
d:\windows\command\edit.com
change it to
d:\windows\command.com d:\windows\command\edit.com
and it should work! You don't have to specify the full path to
command.com.
For Windows NT, run the program cmd
with the
/c
parameter. Follow the instructions above except
use cmd
instead of command
.
I've come across one or two programs that still don't work despite the additions in Windows 95, yet they seemed to work perfectly in Windows NT.
To put the files in order, use the Rewrite command on the Tools menu
and select to sort by file name in ascending order.
Most versions of Java have two different programs for executing class
files. When you start up Packafied (from a shortcut or batch file or
whatever) you will see a program such as
If you understand some of those messages, they can help when you send
me a bug report! For instance, when an association doesn't get
executed properly, the console will happily print out a page worth of
(mostly useless :-}) debug information.
Rewrite command and Microsoft's JVM
My current version of Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine (version
5.00.3158
) does not sort the list in the Rewrite dialog.
It works in Sun's Java version 1.1.3 and version 1.2, so my guess it
is a bug in Microsoft's JVM.
Other
Restoring Configuration and Associations
If your configuration or associations ever become corrupted, you
can delete the files packafied.cfg
and
associations.dat
in your Packafied directory.
When Packafied is next run, you will get some error messages, and
your configuration and associations will be reset. This is extremely
useful if you have turned down the resolution of your screen and
Packafied remembers its position right off the screen.packafied.cfg
is a simple text file so before you wipe
your configuration, try to edit a few settings with your favourite
text editor first.
Cursor Problems
During many operations, the mouse pointer will not change to an
hourglass. This seems to be a problem with some versions of the
Java AWT. The problem is much larger in version Java 1.1.3 than
Java 1.1.6, so get the latest version. At time of writing, Java
1.1.7 is available for Windows 95/NT and Solaris.
Descent 3 HOG files
If you modify or create a HOG file for Descent 3, you must make sure
that all file names are in alphabetical order. Otherwise, they will
not be loaded properly in the game.Funny messages in the console window
I use those messages for debugging purposes! If you don't want to see
the console window every time you start Packafied, there is something
you can do.jre.exe
or java.exe
executing PackafiedApp.class
. On most platforms, you can
add a 'w' to the end of the program executing the class and
this will hide the console window. So, if you are using jre.exe
try jrew.exe
instead.