HELP!! Usenet file advice needed!

CigarJohnny · #1 01-05-2004, 07:17 PM

I am trying to download an item from usenet. However I am faced with a problem. When downloading a binary ".rar" file it comes down with a ".txt" extension. Here is an example:

#cool_thing_johnny_wants.part11.rar (by Impurity Impurtiy@Galaxynet.org).txt

Is this an issue with the knuckle head posting or is an issue with the download process? Most binaries I grab come in perfectly as they should but occasionally I will grab a multipart item from someone and it will come down as a text file. Can anyone suggest a tool that will safely convert these files back into their intended format? Simply renaming them does not work as I have tried that in the past. Manually editing them has never worked either.

Right now I am looking at over half a gig worth of binaries in about 50 parts that all came in as txt files. I hate to delete them all and try to find the same files posted by a different person. What a waste of time. If I can safely restore them to their intended format I would thrilled. There must be some tool created for this as I am surely not the first person to have this happen. Any help or pointers from those on the board that are more savvy than I would be most appreciated.

-Johnny (usenet and IRC impared)

Darksied-X · #2 01-05-2004, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CigarJohnny
...#cool_thing_johnny_wants.part11.rar...

What's with trying to hide the file name, we all know it's porn your after.

The question is, what kind of porn?

immortal_suby · #3 01-05-2004, 08:18 PM

Can you just rename them and drop the txt extension?

<--- also curious what version of photoshop you're leeching

lee · #4 01-05-2004, 08:34 PM

if changing the name doesn't work, i.e., just dropping the txt extension, then it must not be a pure rar file.

in which case, given it's usenet, I'd look for a uuencode/decode program. I haven't been in the newsgroups for years, but in the olden days, only text could be transmitted, and so uuencode programs were born that changed binaries into text.

O/T: for long time internet users (before there was such a thing as http), does the machine name Seismo mean anything to you - my first net account was on that machine.

SubaSteevo · #5 01-05-2004, 09:07 PM

Go into Windows Explorer and pick Tools->Folder Options, then click the view tab. Uncheck the box for "hide file extensions of known file types". Then rename.

Enjoy your porn

CigarJohnny · #6 01-06-2004, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by lee
if changing the name doesn't work, i.e., just dropping the txt extension, then it must not be a pure rar file.

in which case, given it's usenet, I'd look for a uuencode/decode program. I haven't been in the newsgroups for years, but in the olden days, only text could be transmitted, and so uuencode programs were born that changed binaries into text.

O/T: for long time internet users (before there was such a thing as http), does the machine name Seismo mean anything to you - my first net account was on that machine.

Lee, I think you are spot on with your idea. I have downloaded "uudecode" for MS-DOS and will run it against a couple of the files. Thanks for the tip. Now that you mentioned it, the UU encoding does ring a bell but I would never have thought of it on my own. I hope to save over a gig of downloaded data (46 files at 22mb apiece). All hail usenet!!

Any other suggestions or advice confirming, denying, or supplementing Lee's theory would be greatly appreciated in case it does not work as hoped.

As for the other suggestions, one cannot simply rename the extension. These are binary DivX files that have been compressed to rar format and then converted to ASCI text files for posting. Simply renaming them will not make them binary again.

While a few have guesses that it is movie related you are wrong on the porn theory (hard to believe, no?). What I am grabbing does stir up blood lust (a form of lust) but unless you are into elves, hobbits and orcs it cannot be considered porn.

Johnny (Seismo? How about univac?)

lee · #7 01-06-2004, 11:35 AM

Just to confirm, if I'm right, a uudecode run against the file labeled with a text extension should produce a rar file which can be decompressed as usual.

And in the boring, certainly O/T, and maybe true category: Seismo was the first (or one of the first) DARPA machines on the original Arpanet, i.e., before there was an internet. Seismo, shortened from seismological, because an early defense problem needed computer-to-computer links involved the exchange and analysis of earthquake collection data to tell if other countries were secretly exploding nuclear weapons. Triangulation to find the source, etc.

Never used a UNIVAC machine, but my first post high school full time job (1969) was an OJT thing for COBOL programming on a Burroughs B-3000.

CigarJohnny · #8 01-06-2004, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lee
Just to confirm, if I'm right, a uudecode run against the file labeled with a text extension should produce a rar file which can be decompressed as usual.

And in the boring, certainly O/T, and maybe true category: Seismo was the first (or one of the first) DARPA machines on the original Arpanet, i.e., before there was an internet. Seismo, shortened from seismological, because an early defense problem needed computer-to-computer links involved the exchange and analysis of earthquake collection data to tell if other countries were secretly exploding nuclear weapons. Triangulation to find the source, etc.

Never used a UNIVAC machine, but my first post high school full time job (1969) was an OJT thing for COBOL programming on a Burroughs B-3000.

Thanks, Lee! I will try it tonight. I'll let you know if it works.

Earthworm · #9 01-07-2004, 08:34 PM

You really need to use a newsgroup client that does all that stuff for you automatically!

Hopefully the files decode into complete RAR's because I hope you don't have to combine the individual files to put everything back together.

With my experience with newsgroups I always end up downloading files with missing parts.

A friend of mine uses www.easynews.com for his newsgroup binary collecting.

I just use eMule, Direct Connect and BitTorrents.

CigarJohnny · #10 01-08-2004, 05:54 AM

I have a good news reader that does all that stuff automatically, combines threads, decodes, all that stuff. I ran a uudecoder against one of the files and they are not encoded. The monkey uploading it simply did not do it correctly. I managed to find a copy elsewhere (same version of movie) and it is not that impressive anyway. I will simply have to keep my eye out for the DVD screener when it hits the streets. Shouldn't take too long for that to happen.

I know people that use EasyNews also. Great retention and complete posts. The 6gb dl limit is a bit depressing though as it does not take too long to add up to 6gb in dl's. My provider has a great news server and I get unlimited dl's and they have 30 day retention on even binary image groups and such. Heck, I dl my stuff from them at 2mbps lately. They must have opened up the pipes a bit.

Johnny (needs more hdd space)