Camouflage FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Attention:

This site is a mirror of the original that was designed and hosted by the (now defunct) Twisted Pear Productions, which produced the Camouflage steganography software. That software is available here for download as freeware according to the original publisher's licensing terms. No support is available for the freeware and Unfiction Inc. makes no claim as to its suitability for any purpose or use.

This site and the steganography software contained herein are not affiliated with and should not be confused for the data-masking products produced by Camouflage Software Inc., based in Newfoundland, Canada.

Find out more about Camouflage Software's data-masking products by clicking here.


These are the questions most frequently asked about Camouflage. Please have a read through them before emailing us - your question may be answered here. Instructions on using Camouflage can be found in the Readme.txt file included with the Camouflage download.

1. Does the recipient of a camouflaged file needs to have Camouflage installed on their PC?
2. But could you make the camouflaged file self-extracting?
3. Is there a way to hide the file size of a camouflaged file, or make it look as if it is the same size as the original file?
4. Can I distribute Camouflage on my Freeware CD / web site?
5. Can I link the Camouflage web site from my site? Can I use graphics from the Camouflage web site?
6. Can you release camouflage in my native language?
7. Can you release camouflage for other platforms, e.g. UNIX, Apple Mac, etc?
8. My web server does not allow a certain type of file. Could I camouflage these files and allow people to download them from my site?
9. I'm having problems opening camouflaged text files after uploading them to an FTP site.
10. I've forgotten my password and can't uncamouflage a file. What can I do?
11. What happens if a file containing a virus is camouflaged inside a seemingly harmless file?
12. When I try to run camouflage it tells me a DLL file was not found.
13. I'm getting a run-time error '-2147221504 (80040000)' when attempting to camouflage or uncamouflage files.
14. I'm getting a run-time error - and I installed Camouflage v1.1.1.
15. Where can I get technical support, or contact the authors of Camouflage software?


1. Does the recipient of a camouflaged file needs to have Camouflage installed on their PC?

Yes. Users without Camouflage installed cannot extract from camouflaged files.
Go back to the top of this page

2. But could you make the camouflaged file self-extracting?

It would not be possible to make the camouflaged file self-extracting because it has to look and act like a normal file and not give the game away. When you double-click it, it must behave exactly as it appears. In order to do something special (for example when right-clicking it or holding down a key when clicking it) you would still have to have something installed on your system that would handle this.
Go back to the top of this page

3. Is there a way to hide the file size of a camouflaged file, or make it look as if it is the same size as the original file?

It's the operating system itself that reports the sizes of files. In order to fool it into thinking that the files are smaller, there would have to be a process running in memory all the time that would intercept the operating system's reporting methods. This would likely be regarded by virus-checkers as stealth virus activity and would be undesirable.
Go back to the top of this page

4. Can I distribute Camouflage on my Freeware CD / magazine / web site, etc?

Provided that it is not tampered with (and you don't charge for Camouflage itself), Camouflage can be distributed on any media you like. Please read the license agreement first.
Go back to the top of this page

5. Can I link the Camouflage web site from my site? Can I use graphics from the Camouflage web site?

We would be honoured if you would link Camouflage web site from your own site. Provided that you put a link to us, feel free to use our graphics. We can supply the Flash files on request. Just don't mirror this site.
Go back to the top of this page

6. Can you release camouflage in my native language?

A multiple-language version of Camouflage is in development. However, we need translators for this to succeed. If you can read and write in another language as well as in English, and would be prepared to translate a list of phrases Camouflage uses (from English), then email us. Unfortunately we can't pay you because Camouflage is Freeware, but we can give you (and your web site if you wish) a mention in the Camouflage release. Mentioning your web site will, of course, increase traffic to your site.
Go back to the top of this page

7. Can you release camouflage for other platforms, e.g. UNIX, Apple Mac, etc?

As much as we'd love to distribute Camouflage on other platforms, unfortunately due to lack of resources and technical issues there are no current plans for this.
Go back to the top of this page

8. My web server does not allow a certain type of file. Could I camouflage these files and allow people to download them from my site?

Using Camouflage you can prevent any kind of file from being discovered by hiding them inside other types of files accepted by your web server. No one would be the wiser, although the Camouflage licence agreement prohibits unlawful activities such as pirate software or pornography.
Go back to the top of this page

9. I'm having problems opening camouflaged text files after uploading them to an FTP site.

A camouflaged text file looks and behaves like a normal text file (that's what Camouflage was designed to do), so your FTP software probably thinks it's just a standard text file and uploads it as ASCII by default. For normal text files, this is fine, but what you actually have is a file containing binary data, and by uploading it as ASCII you are corrupting the binary section of the file. You need to make sure you're uploading these files in BINARY format.
Go back to the top of this page

10. I've forgotten my password and can't uncamouflage a file. What can I do?

Camouflage always asks you for a password whether the file is camouflaged or not, or whether it is a camouflaged file with a password or not. This is because Camouflage doesn't give the game away that a file may be camouflaged. For security reasons we cannot release a program to reveal passwords in camouflaged files. If you forget your password we can't usually help you.
Be careful when typing in passwords - check your CAPS LOCK because Camouflage passwords are case-sensitive.
Go back to the top of this page

11. What happens if a file containing a virus is camouflaged inside a seemingly harmless file?

Although camouflaged files containing encrypted 'virused' files would pass through a virus-checker, as the virus itself would be encrypted (and therefore scrambled), it could not possibly be triggered or cause any harm. Opening a camouflaged file simply reads the archive information, which would again not trigger any hidden viruses. The only way a virus could be triggered would be to extract a file from the Camouflaged file and then run that file (which would have to be capable of containing a virus, for example, an .exe, .com, script file or Word document) without first checking it.
If you're concerned about viruses, simply extract the files from the camouflaged file and scan them using your virus checker.
Go back to the top of this page

12. When I try to run camouflage it tells me a DLL file was not found.

There are two types of Camouflage installations available on the Internet. One of them has the runtime files inside the installation, the other does not (due to disk space on the web site).
The version of Camouflage on the Download page at this site has the entire installation, including all the runtime files.
Go back to the top of this page

13. I'm getting a run-time error '-2147221504 (80040000)' when attempting to camouflage or uncamouflage files.

This is a known problem on certain operating system configurations.
This problem often occurs due to the way Microsoft Internet Explorer is configured for your system. Try installing Internet Explorer again (maybe try a later version than the one you're using). This should allow Camouflage to operate correctly.
Go back to the top of this page

14. I'm getting a run-time error - and I installed Camouflage v1.1.1.

Users in certain countries experienced problems with Camouflage v1.1.1. This was to do with the computer's Regional Settings. You can run this Registry fix when upgrading to a later version of Camouflage to fix the problem.
Go back to the top of this page

15. Where can I get technical support, or contact the authors of Camouflage software?

Unfortunately you can't. We regret that Camouflage is no longer supported or developed. The decision to abandon the project came after much debate, but we can no longer spare the resources needed to continue to provide quality service and support.

We hope that you will continue to use 'Camouflage', and although we will ensure that this site remains on-line for as long as possible, we encourage you to distribute Camouflage from your own 'unofficial' web site. Feel free to mirror these pages and to include the FAQ.

Please be aware that Unfiction.com is in no way affiliated with Camouflage software or it's developers.

The owners of the site have mirrored our site on their server, but any emails sent to them regarding Camouflage software will be deleted without being read.
Go back to the top of this page


Overview - Download - FAQ - Contact Us -