COMPACT.EXE, Techmine Ltd, 1993-1994.	CIS: 100101,1234. 
(Maximise NOTEPAD and turn word wrap on.)
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*     WARNING - MAKE SURE THAT YOU READ THIS ...     *
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If you do not have Microsoft Access version 2.0 or do not plan to get it this program is of no use to you. Further, if you do install it and then compact any Microsoft Access version 1.0 or 1.1 databases they will be compacted to version 2.0 format. Also, If you already use any utilities constructed in Microsoft Visual Basic that manipulate Access databases they may not work properly after you install COMPACT.EXE. (e.g. The previous version of COMPACT.EXE will still work but will only compact to Version 2.0!) This is because of a known bug(?) associated with the Visual Basic Compatibility Layer - regardless of what the manuals say it is impossible to compact in anything other than version 2.00 if you use the VBCL - which, by the way, you have to! The main culprit is probably VBDB300.DLL - this (other than MSAJT200.DLL and MSAJT112.DLL) is really the only file that appears to undergo a change when you install the VBCL. The other 2 files mentioned are the Jet 2 database engine and a DLL that drives the VBCL. (If anyone knows any different please let me know!) Anyway, be bloody careful - COMPACT.EXE works superbly with Access 2.0 and I have not had any problems with it. If you do still use Access 1.1 or 1.0 databases compact them from within Access (The appropriate version) or continue to use other VB. compacting utilities PROVIDED that you have not installed THIS version! COMPACT.EXE will only run under at least Windows 3.1x and will only run a single instance at any time. In other words you can only have one COMPACT.EXE on screen at a time - if you open one instance and then attempt to open another only the first will stay on screen! (Like File Manager!)

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! I DO NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MISUSE OF COMPACT.EXE IN RESPECT OF THE ABOVE WARNING OR IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. IF COMPACT.EXE SHOULD CAUSE ANY PROBLEMS - TOUGH!
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL TRADEMARKS, ETC., ACKNOWLEDGED. YOU MAY DISTRIBUTE THIS PROGRAM AS YOU WISH - IT IS FREE, ALTHOUGH I RETAIN THE COPYRIGHT. IF YOU DO PASS IT ON PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT THIS FILE GOES WITH IT AND THAT YOU ACKNOWLEDGE MY COPYRIGHT. YOU MAY NOT MAKE ANY CHARGE FOR THIS PROGRAM OTHER THAN A REASONABLE COPYING OR POSTAGE FEE.

***** USING COMPACT.EXE *****
Okay, that's the bad stuff outta the way. COMPACT.EXE is ridiculously easy to use - double click on its icon and either select a new database to compact or compact the database whose path and name may appear in the upper window. If it's the first time that you use COMPACT.EXE then no database will appear in the upper window. You must select one. Once compacting has successfully completed the name of the database you just compacted is stored in WIN.INI as:

[Compact]
File=C:\ACCESS2\MYAPP\MYFILE.MDB

Also, you can elect to backup the database or not by clicking in the Backup check box. By default it will back up. Once you uncheck this box and compact the next time you start it will be unchecked. This is also stored in WIN.INI as Backup=True/False. COMPACT.EXE will make a backup of the file you're about to compact as MYFILE.BAK before it attempts to compact. If anything does go wrong delete MYFILE.MDB and rename MYFILE.BAK as MYFILE.MDB. This will put you back to where you were before you started. Make sure that there is always at least 3 times the size of MYFILE.MDB available on the drive. This is because of the space required to make the back up and to compact when yet another, temporary, copy of MYFILE.MDB is created. Otherwise, if you don't backup, only twice the space is required. (You should, whenever possible, always backup!) Note: any values are only written back to WIN.INI if you actually compact a database.

***** FILES REQUIRED *****
FILENAME	SUGGESTED LOCATION
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COMPACT.EXE	\ACCESS(2)
CMDIALOG.VBX	\WINDOWS\SYSTEM		 					
README.TXT	\ACCESS(2)
THREED.VBX	\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
MSAJT112.DLL	\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
VBDB300.DLL	\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
For the sake of space (etc. ...) the following files are not supplied:
COMMDLG.DLL	\WINDOWS\SYSTEM		(You should have this!)
MSAJT200.DLL	\WINDOWS\SYSTEM		(If you have Access 2.0 you have this!)
VBRUN300.DLL	\WINDOWS\SYSTEM		(Can be obtained from the VB. forum on CompuServe)
CTL3D.DLL	\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
You may have CTL3D.DLL - if not, don't start COMPACT.EXE till you get it! (It will work - but not very well!) I'm not allowed to distribute this <!>, but, if you have Word 2.x or Excel 4.x or other, similar apps you probably have this - if not, call Microsoft! If you do not wish to do it this way and would prefer a proper install disk that handles things like version checking then contact me through CompuServe, 100101,1234 and I will send you a proper install disk. For this, however, I do charge. 5.00 within the UK, 8.00 rest of Europe, 10.00 rest of world. (Sterling or US Dollars only!) Remember, other than the preceding paragraph, COMPACT.EXE is free! The only fee I would appreciate is feedback. Let me know if you think this is good, bad, indifferent or what?

If I have forgotten or misspelled anything - c'est la vie!
London, 27th May, 1994. (v2.0b)