Solid Archive is useful all the time unless you plan to extract only specific files from the archive (ie when you work with them manually and save a picture collection or such).
If you use SA and extract a single file, it will have to extract the whole archive to retrieve this file, this can take a while on a large one and also consumes more memory.
Since the BASE works with the whole archives anyway (no selective extractions) we can completely ignore this only downside (ok, maybe it also prevents a successfull restoration of the archive should it get corrupted, but in our case that means we can forget the whole archive anyway) and live with the big size reduction.
Especially so since there are a lot of files of the same type (eg, INI, SYS, INF).

BTW: 4.45beta is the latest z-Zip version (as of yesterday).
Some speed improvements are what the changelog tells...

Did you chose solid archive?

Ahh, you are a lifesaver! I guess I missed that option... I checked it, with my settings above... and resulting file was half the size of my packed file

Thanks!

P.S.
Someone has to enlighten me on the inner workings of 7zip files.... I removed and re-added the same amount of data... however the resulting file was more that double the size... even on Max settings.
Format: 7z
Compression Level: Ultra
Compression Method: LZMA
Dictionary Size: 128MB
Word Size: 273

Whats the deal?

Did you chose solid archive?
Also, if it was packed on a system with lots of RAM, the dict. size may have been higher than yours, which, theoretically, could result in a smaller file, but ususally only when the files packed exceed that size.

I've never done this re-adding within an archive before, I always fully extracted them then completely re-packed, so I don't know for sure.

Which version are you using anyway?
Maybe this is a bug of some sorts, best is to check with the peeps over at www.7-zip.org

...So, I re-ordered the drivers to be the same DIR structure as listed above. (current driver is already the latest).
Maybe the DIR structure change will resolve it for you, however the driver does not say that it is for Win2k3... but why would we let that stop us for making it use it anyways?! 

Link: http://3rdpartydriverpacks.thesneaky.co … 2_70416.7z

~Dave

P.S.
Someone has to enlighten me on the inner workings of 7zip files.... I removed and re-added the same amount of data... however the resulting file was more that double the size... even on Max settings.
Format: 7z
Compression Level: Ultra
Compression Method: LZMA
Dictionary Size: 128MB
Word Size: 273

Whats the deal?

The problem with this modem is, it always was a horrible modem,
with buggy drivers. Even though the latest drivers do have CAT files
with them, I still get it asking "Are you sure you want to continue"
because the files are not signed, hmmmm...

I have deleted the drivers I had, I have re-installed Windows again
without those drivers, sorry. (blush.gif)

So, this modem... it has drivers then it has the "driver update patch" too
and that patch does not have any INF files with it, or SYS files either, so
it doesn't replace anything, I am not sure what it even does, this modem
just stinks!

Maybe its just because I am doing all this on Server 2003 and not XP.

If the one found on the website turns out to be newer than the included one, feel free to replace it, repack the archive and upload it so everyone gains from it!

You could/should do the same if it turns out the INf may be broken somehow.

Oh, and please test your self-created file so we can be sure it has to work

DP_Broadband_wnt5_x86-32_60831.7z

I have an Alcatel Modem, the drivers for this are here:

C:\D\3\B\T\A\

The files for this device are:

alca98ln.sys
alcacr95.sys
alcacrnt.sys
alcalan.cat
alcan5ln.sys
alcan5wn.sys
alcandis.inf
alcastw.inf
alcaudsl.sys
alcawan.cat
alcawh95.sys
alcawhnt.sys
alcstusb.cat
dragdiag.exe
phonebook.ini
stci.dll
stdialup.exe
valcacr.vxd

But I am getting a message popping up that says:

"Windows could not load the installer for SpeedTouchUSBModem.
Contact your hardware vendor for assistance."

Here is the failure in my C:\WINDOWS\SetupLog.log - this is all on one line not three lines! -->

04/13/2007 02:44:05,d:\nt\base\ntsetup\syssetup\syspnp.c,5070,,SETUP:
SetupCommitFileQueue(c:\d\3\b\t\a\alcastw.inf) failed while installing Class.
Error = 1223, Device = SpeedTouch ADSL Modem

As you can see there, the problem is with the file alcastw.inf

What should I do just completely leave that "A" folder out of the Broadband pack?

Then of course the drivers wouldn't install but lol, they arn't anyway.

If I click OK to the message "Windows could not load the installer for SpeedTouchUSBModem."
it instantly brings up the found new hardware wizard saying there is a problem with the device
and I have to then install the drivers the normal way, when doing this, it pops up the message
"Windows could not load the installer for SpeedTouchUSBModem." about three times but the
drivers do install eventually.