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I have blank lines in my file_id.diz. Why don't they show up in the catalog?
Blank lines in a file_id.diz are ignored by design when cataloging file descriptions. However, they are still in the original file_id.diz, and you can verify this using the description editor or by double-clicking on the file name in the File List Window.

I occasionally get "command line error" messages. What is that all about?
If you are using PKZip Version 2.50 for DOS ZipTrac will monitor the length of the command line that PKZip will use to carry out its operations. DOS has a limit of 128 characters for a command line. Therefore if you have deeply nested folders there is a good chance you will eventually exceed this limitation. Command lines vary in length, depending upon what ZipTrac is asking PKZip to do. This means that you might get the error on some operations, but not on others, even when working with the same file. There are two solutions: you can either move the files to another folder that has a shorter path or you can use PKZip Version 2.50 Command Line 32-bit which does not have the DOS limitations.

When I try to start ZipTrac I get an error message telling me that ZipTrac is already running. It's not, so how can I fix this?
ZipTrac uses something called the global atom table to detect if there is already an instance running. When ZipTrac exits normally entries in this table are removed, allowing it to run again. If a significant system event occurs, and ZipTrac is not shut down via normal means, the table entries will not be removed. The only way to correct the problem is to reboot your system. ZipTrac will then start normally.

When I create an archive it is not named as I had intended. Why?
You may still be using PKZip Version 2.04g for DOS which does not support long file names. In this case the file name will be truncated to conform to the 8.3 DOS file name format. Get the FREE upgrade to PKZip Version 2.50 for DOS and this problem should disappear.

The archive description is not extracted, but the archive contains a file_id.diz file. What's wrong?
This may be caused by a corrupt archive or an archive incompatible with PKZip. It's also possible that you have inadvertently added an empty file_id.diz to the archive.

My drive letters have changed, so now my catalogs have the wrong file paths. How can I fix this?
You can do this from within ZipTrac using the "Utilities|Change drive letter" menu selection. You will have to run the utility for each catalog you wish to change.

Folder colors do not always reflect the presence (or absence) of zip files in a folder.
ZipTrac should accurately color your folders in the directory tree as you move, copy, or delete files. However, if you move files outside of ZipTrac (for example with Explorer) while ZipTrac is open the folder colors will not reflect the changes. You can easily restore proper folder coloring by hitting the F5 key to refresh the directory tree.

Can I add a descriptive file to an archive and call it something besides file_id.diz?
No. The file_id.diz format is widely accepted and is the only description file supported by ZipTrac. Descriptions added to an archive are automatically named file_id.diz.

The font in the Description View Window does not look like the other program fonts and I can't change it. Why?
This is by design. Bulletin board systems were designed to operate using standard ANSI graphics. Believe it or not there is some real artwork in some of the file_id.diz description files, and it's not possible to faithfully reproduce it without using a fixed pitch font. You often find pictures and banners all done with plain ASCII characters, designed by the author to make his file description stand out from the crowd. Also, if you are adding a description to an archive that you later intend to post to a BBS you want to make sure that what you see is what you get when the file is posted.

Some of my file descriptions do not look the same in the editor as they do in the Description View Window or the Catalog Viewer. I
f you have very long lines in a file_id.diz (greater than 256 characters) ZipTrac will attempt to break them up by looking for the last white space before the character limit is reached. This will cause a line to wrap in the Description View Window. However, the archive description editor and viewer will both show the description exactly as it exists in the embedded description file. In the case of a line that is 256 characters and contains no spaces ZipTrac will simply break the line at the limit and continue on the next line.

I have elected to use the Recycle Bin and file deletion confirmation, but the confirmation does not appear. Why is that?
Right click on the Recycle Bin and select Properties. Go to the "Global" tab and make sure the "Display delete confirmation dialog box" checkbox is checked. This will restore the file delete confirmation. However, you will also get the confirmation when you delete files via Windows Explorer. You may need to restart ZipTrac for the new Recycle Bin properties to work properly.

The program freezes when I try to extract or view any archive description. What's wrong?
If you cannot view or extract any archive descriptions or if the program freezes when you attempt this there can be several causes. Verify the following:

Either PKUnzip and PKZip or PKZIP25 is in your path and is properly selected in the Program Preferences Dialog. Both may be installed but only one may be selected at a time.

If using the PKZip Version 2.50 for DOS verify that ZTZIP.PIF and ZTUNZIP.PIF are in your Windows folder and have not been modified. These files are necessary to properly execute these DOS programs.

The program will check for the appropriate PKZip program files in your path each time the program is started. However, if either of these files is moved out of the path while the program is active problems will occur when you attempt any operation that involves extracting, editing, compressing, or decompressing.