need help with SPB MS3 dat files

[ikediggety]

apologize if it's already been covered, i did search.

been having trouble zipping up qa_layouts.dat in a format that MS3 will use.

i've taken the original qa_layouts, unzipped it, CHANGED NOTHING, and re-zipped it right away using both winzip and winrar. after unzipping and rezipping, the file is always at least 200 bytes bigger, sometimes more. and the file will not work with MS3. and yes, i remembered to zip it back up with the same password.

so - anybody who's successfully modified qa_layouts and the xml files within - what zipping program did you use to zip it back up?

thanks in advance for any help.