How to extract files from a damaged winrar archive. How to recover a damaged archive

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If using an online recovery service is not possible, you can download one of the following utilities:

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Video guide to using the OfficeRecovery Online service

About OfficeRecovery for Zip Online

OfficeRecovery for Zip Online recovers damaged Zip (zip) archives.

Supported Zip versions:
WinZip, RAR, 7-Zip, InfoZip, PKWARE Zip, etc.

The recovered data is saved in a hierarchical structure of files and folders.

After the file recovery is complete, you can evaluate the demo results and register to receive the results for free or purchase them immediately. If the file could not be recovered, you can order its analysis by our experienced team of specialists.

Examples of using

The corrupted Zip file repair service can be used when the zip file does not open in Zip and you see errors or warnings while opening.

To quickly recover a damaged zip file, upload the zip archive to our cloud recovery service using the form on this page.

It is important to note that if the recovery process is successful, you will end up with a ready-to-use zip file. You can get a fully recovered zip archive by choosing paid or free options.

Standard features:

• Supports all types of Zip compression
• Supports archives up to 300MB
• Recovering files from damaged ZIP archives
• Easy to use, does not require special skills

Description of file recovery using OfficeRecovery for Zip Online

Corrupt zip archives are files that have suddenly become unusable and cannot be opened using Zip. There are a number of reasons why a zip file can become corrupted. And in some cases it is possible to fix and restore a damaged zip (WinZip, RAR, 7-Zip, InfoZip, PKWARE Zip etc.) file.

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OfficeRecovery Online for Zip supports WinZip, RAR, 7-Zip, InfoZip, PKWARE Zip etc. The recovered data is saved in a hierarchical structure of files and folders.

OfficeRecovery for Zip Online offers free and paid options to get complete recovery results. The free option means that full results can be obtained absolutely free within 14-28 days. All you need to do is simply subscribe for free results after the zip file recovery process is completed. If you need to get the recovered zip file right away, instantly, you need to choose the paid option instead of the free one.

What to do if there is no recovery data identified in your zip file? You can request a non-refundable analysis of your file by our experienced technical team. In some cases, data recovery is only possible manually.

Using archivers is a useful feature and a necessary option, which allows you not only to combine a certain list of files, but also to save space. Files archived in WinRAR are actively used for transfer via the Internet and removable media, which reduces the duration of transfer and downloading. But if the diagnostic message “The archive is damaged or has an unknown format” appears, what should you do in this case? This is especially true when the information in the archive is very important. Let's figure out the solution.

Reasons for failure

An archive error in WinRAR can be caused by incomplete downloading and transfer of a file from the Internet, the action of anti-virus software and a virus, or damaged media - a flash drive or hard drive. In addition, the following situations can cause a failure:

• the user tries to run the file directly from the archive - it is advisable to extract it;
• PC crash during data transfer from the Internet;
• USB connector malfunction (when transferring to a flash drive);
• in fact, the archive is damaged or the format is not supported for a particular archiver.

Is there any chance of getting the contents of the archive? Of course, such methods exist, and we will study them further.

The archive is damaged or has an unknown format – what should I do?

So, let's start with the simplest method, especially since the solution helps in most cases. You need to download the archive again or transfer it to a flash drive. If you are transferring the archive to a flash drive, and you have the opportunity to additionally check it before copying it to portable media, then be sure to do so. Don't forget that it is advisable to use the function "Safely Remove". In fact, this significantly reduces the likelihood of damage to files on it and extends its service life.

If an archive transferred to a flash drive is opened on a computer, and the problem occurs when working with removable media, then we recommend checking its functionality, formatting it and running a scan using at least Windows tools. How to check the functionality of a flash drive:

1. Connect it to your PC.
2. Wait until it appears in Explorer.
3. Right-click on the removable disk. In the menu that appears, click “Properties” - “Service” and, in the section for checking the disk for errors, click the start button.
4. Wait for completion.

You can check media using many utilities, for example, Acronis, Aida64, etc. Try copying the object using a different USB port. There is a possibility that if the connector is used frequently, it could become loose, its contacts damaged, etc.

Antivirus or virus

Both of these can damage files or block them. Security software can detect a threat in the content and “eliminate” it by erasing, quarantining, or disinfecting it. If you are confident in the security of the object, then you need to disable the antivirus while copying and opening it.

Unknown format

Archivers support a specific list of formats. It often happens that archives are deliberately renamed, indicating an unknown extension. Forced opening in the archiver will allow you to access the content.

It will be impossible to open a format that is not supported by the program. Many advanced archivers, in addition to standard options, use their own extensions. It is simply impossible to open such an archive with any other program. The most popular formats are .ZIP, .RAR, .7z. As a rule, there are no problems opening them.

Restoring a broken archive

If it is impossible to download again or repeat the copying, then you should try the recovery procedure. How to do this through the Winrar archiver:

Even if you can't completely solve the problem, you can try to extract at least something:

There are special utilities for restoring archives, for example, RAR Recovery Toolbox. Here it is enough to indicate the path to the desired object and the place where the recovered data will be sent. Such software is often paid, and its effectiveness is not much higher, but, nevertheless, better.

Using analogs of 7-Zip and WinZip

WinRar is the undisputed leader among software of this kind. But there are other utilities that can do a good job with archive recovery. We are talking about WinZip and 7-Zip. The first application is used throughout the CIS, and WinZip is popular in Europe and America. In general, these archivers, like Vinrar, cope well with the assigned tasks and have similar algorithms.

Try recovering the problematic file using WinZip 22 or 7-Zip. These archivers use slightly different operating algorithms, which can help fix and restore a damaged archive.

Despite the great similarity and undeniable quality of these programs, there are differences between them when it comes to compression. Thus, 7-Zip compresses better, which leads to a reduction in the “weight” of the finished archive. However, it takes significantly longer to process multimedia files, especially large ones. For these purposes it is better to use WinZip. Its compression is worse, but its speed is higher.

Let's sum it up

So, if you encounter an error in WinRAR “The archive is damaged or has an unknown format,” then the above steps should help in resolving it. Please note that if this file is truly damaged during or before archiving, then the probability of recovery is low, but it’s definitely worth a try. In any case, it will be possible to obtain the enclosed information, at least partially.

You may have already encountered a situation where something downloaded from the Internet or recorded on CD-disk or flash drive ZIP - the archive did not want to open, displaying a message about some kind of damage. Damage to archives is not such a rarity; they all have a clear sequential structure, so even the smallest change can lead to the fact that the archive will not be opened by the built-in ZIP -Windows archiver, not third party .

The reasons for archive damage can be different. If you downloaded it from the Internet, there could have been a banal connection failure, as a result of which the archive turned out to be under-downloaded; damage to the archive can occur when it is written to damaged media, disks with file system errors. A sudden shutdown of the computer can also cause damage, especially if the archive was currently open in some program.

Agree, it will be very annoying and insulting if an archive with important data suddenly turns out to be damaged. However, you shouldn’t despair, because it can be restored. For these purposes there is a special program -. This tool allows you to repackage broken archives so that they can be opened by a regular or third-party archiver. The procedure for restoring archives in is fully automated and does not require any user skills.

It consists of three stages.

First you need to press the button "Next" in the window of the running utility, on the second - indicate the path to the damaged archive, as well as the path to the directory in which it will be restored, on the third - click again "Next" And "Finish". The program will view the contents of the archive, extract it, immediately repack it and save it with the same name and prefix "recovered" , so all you have to do is unpack it in the usual way.

So, the archive itself has been restored, but what about the files it contains? Unfortunately, if the archive did not contain redundant information, it will not be possible to restore all the files, since they simply will not be extracted. If the damaged file still needs to be extracted, you can try restoring the archive with the program Recovery Toolbox for ZIP. Unlike , this tool performs a deeper scan of the contents of archives, allowing you to extract files with minor damage.

However, you need to understand that even if extracted, the damaged file will remain damaged, since the program simply has nowhere to take the lost sequence of bytes from. Therefore, there is no guarantee that it will be correctly processed by the application for viewing it. Besides Recovery Toolbox for ZIP costs $27 , and this is too expensive for a one-time use, unless you have to deal with damaged archives constantly.

Note: file extraction will be complete if only the header and service information of the archive are damaged, and not the packed data itself.

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