(BIN) MacBinary Archive Format (8-bit format.) BinHex encoding converts an 8-bit file into a 7-bit format, similar to uuencoding & uses HQX extension.

Thank you Lord, and others for giving it some thought!

In my case, I've solved the Stuffit riddle, and the answer was embarassingly simple.

I had stored all software downloads on a CD, where Stuffit Expander apparently loses it's "access priveleges". -(Why that happens, I have no idea.) When I copied them all back to the internal hard drive, Stuffit opened them, no problem.

I don't know if this made any difference, but I went into Stuffit preferences, and changed the settings so that Stuffit will recognize all available file types. The default setting had a few file types not selected for some reason.

By the way, I used to use that Micromat utility to rebuild the desktop, till it caused a major crash. (I'm pretty sure it was the culprit.) As a result, my 8600 didn't recognize it's own hard drive. I had to wipe the HD and reformat.

Sorry to hear about that. Of course you manually rebuild the desktop nowadays don't you (CMD+OPTION whilst starting up.)

Yes, I rebuild the desktop and zap the PRAM the Mac method. I saw no advantage to using TechTool, and as I said it was screwing things up.

AND I've learned here to delete the LimeWire preferences frequently, whenever LW starts freezing up.

Methinks that the reason it looses its privileges is because it cannot write on that CD anymore: when unstuffing something, a folder is created in the vicinity of the original .sit file, right. That can't be done when unstuffing from a CD.

Good point.

But then when you drag a stuffed file icon from a locked CD onto Stuffit Expander, why does it ask where to store the new file? It should know it's looking at a closed CD, wouldn't you think?

That depends upon your settings within Expander's preferences. eg- location same as original, etc. Obviously you'll get an error if it is set as the previous example & the original is on CD.