Extracting files from a .jar file with the jar command

If you have a JAR ("Java archive") file and wish to extract the files contained within it from a command-line interface (CLI) on a Microsoft Windows system, you can do so by opening a command prompt window and using the jar xf filename.jar command, where filename.jar is the relevant .jar file, if you have the Java Development Kit (JDK) installed on the system — the JDK software can be downloaded for free from Oracle's Java Downloads page.

Minecraft uses .jar files for mods and if you wish to view the models (.json files), textures (.png files) within a JAR file used by Minecraft, you can use the jar xf filename.jar command to see those. If you copy the .jar file to a directory where you wish to extract its contents and then run the command from the directory in which the .jar file is located, you should see a directory named assets appear beneath which you can find blockstates, lang, models, and textures subdirectories. The .json files files, such as those you may see in a models/block subdirectory are JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) files, which you can view or edit in a text editor, such as the Windows Notepad application. The .png files, which you may see in a textures subdirectory are Portable Network Graphics (PNG) files, which you can view or edit in graphics applications such as Microsoft Paint on Microsoft Windows systems. You can also use a tool such as Blockbench to work with the JSON model files and PNG images.

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Minecraft libraries failed to download

When I tried to install Minecraft on a Microsoft Windows system using the Windows Installer file I had downloaded, I saw the error message "These libraries failed to download. Try again. org.ow2.asm:asm-all:5.2."

I then clicked on the link for "Installer" rather than "Windows Installer on the website from which I had downloaded the installation file, which resulted in a .jar file being downloaded. I right-clicked on the .jar file, forge-1.12.2-14.23.5.2768-installer.jar, and chose "Open with" then "Java(TM) Platform SE binary". I was then able to install the Minecraft client. When the client was successfully installed, I saw the message "Successfully installed client profile forger for version forge 1.12.2-14.23.5.2768 into launcher and grabbed 1 required libraries."

Note: These are notes from an October 12, 2019 installation that I hadn't posted, but I am posting now in case I encounter a similar error again.

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Minecraft memory usage

You can control the amount of memory used by Java for the Minecraft sandbox video game by setting parameters in the server_start.bat file located in the directory where the Minecraft software was installed. To reduce the contention of the Minecraft server with other software running on the system for the system's memory, you can specify the maximum memory it will consume with a Xmx parameter. E.g., the following example uses a server_start.bat file where the maximum of memory that Java will use for running the game software is 1 gigabyte (GB)

[ More Info ]

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Using .mse-installer files with Magic Set Editor

A family member wanted to create her own custom playing cards for Magic: The Gathering. She had downloaded a number of .mse-installer files for the game and asked me to help her use them, since there was no application on her system that would open them. I had previously installed a computerized version of Magic called Magic Workstation, an application for Microsoft Windows systems, on her Microsoft Windows 10 system, but it would not open the .mse-installer files. I found that such files are associated with Magic Set Editor (MSE). MSE has the following features:

• Easily create your own cards for Magic: the Gathering, VS System, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and other games
• Create realistic looking images of your cards
• Analyze your set and find ways to improve it
• Play with your own cards in Apprentice and CCG Lackey
• Create professional looking 'spoilers'
• Keep all of your designs in one place
• Templates available up to M15 frame keep your cards up to date

If you have a .mse-installer file, you can use it with Magic Set Editor by double-clicking on the file after Magic Set Editor has been installed If there is an update available in the package, you can click on it to select it.

[ More Info ]

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Updating NVIDIA Driver Fixed GoPets and Second Life Problem

When I updated the driver for the NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE video adapter in a Windows XP PC earlier today from version 8.2.08 (driver date: 5/9/2006) to version 6.14.10.9371 (driver date: 10/22/2006), the update corrected a problem with GoPets and a problem with Second Life.

A family member has many fruit trees on GoPets from which she harvests fruit regularly. However, whenever she put the fruit in her inventory, GoPets would randomly crash. Sometimes it would crash after she put only 1 piece of fruit in her inventory. At other times, she could put 3 or 4 pieces of fruit in her inventory before it crashed. And sometimes even 10 or more pieces of fruit in her inventory. Upgrading the driver for the NVIDIA video card stopped those crashes altogether.

When she was in Second Life, her avatar would continually turn to the right, as if she was clicking the arrow to turn to the right. The only way she could stop the behavior was to switch to full-screen mode, which she preferred not to do. Updating the video driver resolved that problem, also.

For anyone experiencing either problem, you can check the version of the driver for the video adapter in your system by the following steps on a Windows XP system:

1. Click on Start.


2. Click on Settings. If you don't see Settings, look for Control Panel instead.


3. Click on Control Panel.


4. Within the Control Panel, double-click on System.


5. Click on the Hardware tab.


6. Click on the Device Manager button.


7. Double-click on Display Adapters to expand the list of display adapters.


8. Right-click on a display adapter (for most systems there will be only 1) and choose Properties.


9. Click on the Driver tab. You should then see the driver provider, driver date, and driver version listed.


10. You can then click on Cancel and close the window.

If you are experiencing any of the above problems a driver update may help. If your system has an NVIDIA adapter, you can get the latest drvier from the NVIDIA software download webpage.

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GoPets and Second Life Won't Run After Nvidia Hardware Acceleration Turned Off

I turned off hardware acceleration for an Nvidia GeForce 6150 LE video adapter in a Windows XP Media Center PC, but then the family member using the system found that neither GoPets nor Second Life would start. For GoPets, the following window appeared.

Initialize Error

Your video card could not support the requested 3D function. This error may occur if your video card is not supported by GoPets. Please view the Download page at the GoPets website for a list of unsupported video cards. OK

When she clicked on OK, another error window appeared.

Error

Failed to initialize the rendering engine.: 0 OK

Clicking OK on that window closed the application.

When she started Second Life the message "detecting hardware" appeared followed by the error window below.

Error

Second Life is unable to run because your video card drivers are out of date or unsupported. Please make sure you have the latest video card drivers installed. If you continue to receive this message, contact customer service. OK

I had turned video acceleration off for the Nvidia graphics adapter when Paint Shop Pro 9 would not start with it turned on. To turn it back on I tried the following steps.

1. Right-click on desktop.
2. Select Properties.
3. Click on Settings.
4. Click on the Advanced button.

But then the following message appeared.

NVIDIA Display

The NVIDIA Display Panel extension cannot be created. Possible reasons include: Disabled graphics hardware acceleration. To enable Hardware Acceleration: Right click on your desktop, select Properties, the Settings tab, and click Advanced. Click the Troubleshoot tab and move the 'Hardware acceleration' slider all the way to Full. Click OK. If prompted, restart your computer. OK

I clicked on the Troubleshoot tab instead, clicked on the hardware acceleration slider and dragged it down to the "Full" end. GoPets and Second Life then started when I tried to open them. Paint Shop Pro 9 wouldn't start again, though. It hung while starting up (see Paint Shop Pro Hangs at Startup).

I checked the version of the driver installed for the NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE through the device manager. I saw the following.

Driver Provider:	NVIDIA
Driver Date:	5/9/2006
Driver Version:	8.2.0.8
Digital Signer:	Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher

I went to the NVIDIA software download page. I didn't find a driver listed specifically for the NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE adapter, but I found that the GeForce 6 Series driver supports the GeForce 6150 LE adapter.

The "Driver Installation Hints" for the new driver stated the following.

Before installing new drivers make sure you uninstall all NVIDIA display drivers from the Windows Control Panel. Browse to the Start Menu > Windows Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs and search for "NVIDIA Windows Display Drivers" or "NVIDIA Display Drivers" and select remove.

I removed the existing NVIDIA drivers through "Add or Remove Programs". I chose to "Remove all NVIDIA drivers, including Display". I also opted to remove the nView profiles. After rebooting, GoPets, Second Life, and Paint Shop Pro 9 all started without problems.

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No Sound in Petz 5

When starting Ubisoft's Catz 5 or Dogz 5 Petz programs, the following error message may appear under Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4) or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and no sound will be available.

Sound Error
Sorry. The sound system did not initialize. No sounds will be played. Please select Help for more information.

This problem can be resolved by installing a patch for the Petz programs. The patch is available through the following links:

Site	Windows 2000 SP4	Windows XP SP2
Petz
MoonPoint

References:

• System Requirements for Petz
  by Daniel Wright

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