The file extension RAR,
or WinRAR Compressed
Archive, is an archive
file developed by RARLab.
RAR is actually an
acronym for "Roshal
Archive" which is named
after Eugene Roshal, the
original developer of
the RAR compression
algorithm.
Whenever you receive a
file using the file
extension RAR, you will
need to unzip the
archive in order to get
to the files inside.
RAR archives use a much
higher compression ratio
than similar archives
such as those created
with WinZIP. Your
received file with the .RAR
file extension will be
either a file or several
files that have been
compressed with RAR
compression.
In addition, the RAR
compression utilities
can also create a set of
spanned archive files
which are split into
multiple files. Spanned
RAR archives usually
drop the file extension
RAR in favor of
consecutively numbered
extensions like .R00 to
.R99 though some may
have the typical RAR
extension.
In many cases, when you
receive an e-mail or
download a file with the
file extension RAR,
Windows doesn't know how
to open the .RAR files.
In fact, you may not
have a utility installed
on your system capable
of uncompressing the
archives. When this
occurs, first download
an unzip utility capable
of unzipping RAR files.
If you have a utility
capable of doing this
but Windows doesn’t know
what to do when you
click the file extension
RAR file in Windows
Explorer, you will need
to establish a file
association. Sometimes,
even if you have
previously opened RAR
files successful, the
file association has
become unlinked. This
can happen for numerous
reasons ranging from
unexpected system
shutdowns, file
corruption, and power
surges to damage done by
malware including
viruses and spyware.
You can re-establish
broken or missing file
associations easily
enough if you want.
Simply right-click the
file extension RAR that
you need to link with an
unzip application. Next,
a small menu shows
itself. Choose "Open
with." Now, scroll
through the list of
displayed programs until
you find the desired
unzip application.
A small box at the
bottom says, "Always use
the selected program to
open this type of file."
If you want this
specific utility to open
the file extension RAR
all the time, place a
check mark in the box.
Corruption can happen to
all kinds of files
including file extension
RAR. When .RAR files
become damaged, they
generally can't be used.
A problem with file
extension RAR can also
cause the program used
to open the file to
crash too. Further
crashes can cause even
more errors. Corrupt
files create an endless
cycle of damage - with
each new crash, further
file corruption occurs.
Another problem you may
encounter with RAR files
is that the contents
themselves may be
corrupt – or worse yet
infected with spyware or
viruses. No matter what
type of file you
download from the
Internet or e-mail
attachment you receive,
it’s critical that you
have the necessary
precautions in place to
protect your computer
from threats from
malicious programs.
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