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Unexpected end of archive error. How to unpack a damaged archive? WinRAR Toolkit

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

Causes of failure

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

the user is trying to run the file directly from the archive - it is advisable to extract it;
crash of the PC during data transfer from the Network;
malfunction of the USB connector (when transferring to a USB flash drive);
actually, damage to the archive or an unsupported format for a particular archiver.

Is there any chance to get 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 from the very simple method, especially since the solution helps in most cases. You need to re-download the archive or transfer it to a USB flash drive. If you are transferring the archive to a USB flash drive, and you have the opportunity to additionally check it before copying it to portable media, then be sure to do this. Do not forget that it is desirable to use the function "Safely Remove". In fact, this significantly reduces the likelihood of file corruption on it and extends its lifespan.

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

Connect it to PC.
Wait for it to show up in Explorer.
Right click on removable drive. In the menu that appears, click "Properties" - "Service" and, in the check disk for errors section, click the start button.
Wait for execution.

You can check media with many utilities, for example, Acronis, Aida64, etc. Try to copy the object using another USB port. There is a possibility that with frequent use of the connector, it could become loose, contacts were damaged in it, etc.

Antivirus or virus

Both can damage files or block them. Anti-malware software may see content as a threat and "fix" it by erasing, quarantining, or disinfecting it. If you are sure about the safety of the object, then you need to disable the antivirus for the time of copying and opening.

unknown format

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

By the way, check out this article too: Received SMS from Avito Pay - what is it?

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

Recovery of a broken archive

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

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

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

Using analogues 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 the restoration of archives. We are talking about WinZip and 7-Zip. The first application is used in the CIS, and WinZip is popular in Europe and America. In general, these archivers, like Winrar, do an excellent job with their tasks and have similar algorithms.

Try recovering the problematic file with WinZip 22 or 7-Zip. These archivers use slightly different 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 in terms of compression. So, 7-Zip compresses better, which leads to a reduction in the "weight" of the finished archive. However, it takes much longer to process multimedia files, especially large ones. For these purposes it is better to use WinZip. Its compression is worse, but the speed is higher.

Summing up

So, if you encounter an error in WinRAR “The archive is corrupted or has an unknown format” then the above steps should help you solve it. Pay attention - if given file is really damaged during archiving, or before it, then the probability of recovery is low, but it’s definitely worth trying. In any case, it will be possible to obtain the nested information, at least partially.

Very often, many users encounter a problem that is related to the fact that when trying to unpack a file with packed data in RAR or ZIP format copied from somewhere or downloaded from the Internet, the program gives an error message that an unexpected end of the archive was detected. How to fix this situation, not all ordinary users know. Therefore, we propose to consider several basic methods that will help in solving this issue. If you fail to completely restore the archive, then with a high degree of probability you will be able to extract the files without losing their integrity.

What does "Unexpected end of archive" mean?

First, let's focus on what such an unexpected failure is. In most cases, it, like a similar CRC data error, can be interpreted as a file with broken integrity, for example, due to an interrupted download. That is, if the checksums do not match, it is incomplete, and the program needs the missing components in the archive to continue extracting.

For those who do not know the answer to this question, you can give advice to use either the built-in Windows tool, which is present in all latest versions system, or a third party software WinRAR or 7zip. You can open the archive either in such applications, or simply double-click on the archive in any file manager(in the same "Explorer").

A simple method for resolving the issue

If the error “Unexpected end of archive” suddenly occurred, what is the easiest way to fix the situation? Based on the above interpretation, you can immediately determine for yourself the easiest way out of this situation. You just need to go to the site from which the file was downloaded and download the archive again. It may well be that the file was originally in a damaged state, so you will have to turn to another resource, from where you can download it again. But with a sufficiently large amount of downloaded file and paid traffic, this is not an option. So let's look at other ways.

WinRAR Toolkit

So, the application for unpacking files issued a notification that an unexpected end of the archive was detected. How to fix the packed data file itself? There is nothing easier than using the universal WinRAR archiver. In it, it is advisable to select a file through your own manager, and when using a double click, go up one line so that only the archive itself is selected, and not its contents.

Further, everything is simple. The error in WinRAR is eliminated by selecting the archive restore item in the operations menu or by pressing the restore button, which is located on the right side of the main program panel. Now the most important thing. The application will ask you to specify the type of archived data.

To unzip a ZIP file on your computer, you will need to specify exactly this format, and then confirm the selected action. As practice shows, a positive result (if there are no critical damages in the archive) can be achieved with a very high degree of recovery probability.

How to use per-file data extraction

In some cases, the previous technique does not work, and the packaged data program still notifies you when an unexpected end of archive is detected. How to correct the situation in this case?

Again, you can use the tools of the WinRAR archiver itself, but in the extraction confirmation window, mark the option to save files unzipped with errors on disk.

You can also use the extraction of data one by one. To do this, select the required object from the list, and then use RMB to specify the extraction to a specified location, or in the same menu, select copying the selected file to the clipboard and then pasting it to the desired location. In this case, only the marked object will be unpacked, and all other files in the archive will remain untouched.

Other programs

Finally, if none of the above methods gave a result, you can use recovery utility Toolbox for RAR. However this application is paid. Free trial version can only analyze damaged archives. If a this program you need, but you don’t want to pay, try looking for a portable modification.

What does "Unexpected end of archive" mean?

A simple method for resolving the issue

WinRAR Toolkit

How to use per-file data extraction

In some cases, the previous technique does not work, and the packaged data program still notifies you when an unexpected end of archive is detected. How to correct the situation in this case?

Again, you can use the tools of the WinRAR archiver itself, but in the extraction confirmation window, mark the option to save files unzipped with errors on disk.

Other programs

Finally, if none of the above methods gave any result, you can use the Recovery Toolbox for RAR utility. However, this application is paid. The free trial version can only analyze corrupted archives. If you need this program, but you do not want to pay, try looking for a portable modification.

1. I can't download the file - "Chinese characters" are displayed!

In general, this situation occurs when you try to open a file for which the corresponding program is not installed on the system, for example, you open a PDF file, and the program for viewing this format is not installed on the system.

This situation also occurs if the system directly tries to open an archive file without unpacking, or when an archiver program, for example, WinRar, is not installed on the computer, or when the archiver is installed, but is not called automatically.

To avoid such an unpleasant situation, try to download all files as follows:

Open or unpack the file already after saving to disk.

In this case, the file will be downloaded, and not opened by the system (with subsequent "Chinese characters")!

2. How to unpack a .rar or .zip archive file?

To unpack an archive file in .rar (or .zip) format, you need an archiver program, for example, WinRar, which can be easily downloaded from the official website of the program.

Follow the link (opens in a new window), find the Russian language on the page that opens and click on the link that matches your system (32 or 64 bit) - a window will open that prompts you to either save the installer to your computer, or immediately run the WinRar installer - select the option you need (usually they start the installation right away).

After installing WinRar, you can unpack the necessary archives!

If, when starting the program, a window appears in which it will be offered to pay for the program - just ignore it and close the window, or you can pay, but this is optional :)

After starting WinRar, navigate to where the desired archive is located, select it with the mouse and click "Extract", then specify where you want to extract the files from the archive and click "OK".

3. How to unpack an archive consisting of several parts?

If the archive consists of several parts, then you need to start the WinRar program and go to the place where all the parts of the archive are located (they should be located in the same place, next to each other).

Then select the first archive with the mouse, press the key on the keyboard Shift and, without releasing it, click on the last archive. As a result, all parts of the archive will be selected. A similar effect can be achieved if you hold down the Ctrl key, but in this case you will need to click on each part of the archive (with the Shift key it is much faster).

After selecting all parts of the archive, click the "Extract" button, specify where you want to extract the files from the archive and click the "OK" button.

Then go to the folder with the unpacked files and use them!

4. When unpacking, an error is generated - "Unexpected end of the archive"!

A similar error occurs if the download of the archive file failed or the connection was interrupted and the entire archive was not downloaded.

In this case, the archive must either be downloaded or downloaded again.

Try to download files not through Internet Explorer, but through download programs or through the same Opera - it has the ability to resume downloading files in case of any sudden failure, while there is no such possibility in Internet Explorer - you have to download the entire file again, which in most cases is very inconvenient!

And sometimes, due to constant breaks, the file simply cannot be downloaded!

Also try to download one file at a time - the probability of failure is lower.

5. PDF document won't open!

To view documents PDF format You need to install an appropriate program, such as Adobe Reader.

This is English Adobe version Reader, but if you want to have menu items in Russian, then search the Internet for this program in Russian - you can easily find it using the same Yandex or Google. Look for Adobe Reader not lower than version 7!

After Adobe installations Reader all PDF files will open!

6. Video is not displayed on the page!

If the video located on the web page does not play (sometimes there is just a black square instead of a video) - this means that you need to install a flash player!

After installation Flash Player video on the page will be displayed!

7. Downloaded video won't play!

In this case, you do not have the appropriate video codecs installed that allow you to display a variety of video formats. One of the main codecs is DivX, which can be downloaded.

After installing DivX, the downloaded video should play!

If this does not help, download and install these codecs here.

In addition, the Internet is full of multifunctional video codecs, by installing which, videos of any format will be played! Through any search engine, you can easily find such programs.

What does "Unexpected end of archive" mean?

How to unzip a ZIP file on a computer?

A simple method for resolving the issue

WinRAR Toolkit

How to use per-file data extraction

In some cases, the previous technique does not work, and the packaged data program still notifies you when an unexpected end of archive is detected. How to correct the situation in this case?

Again, you can use the tools of the WinRAR archiver itself, but in the extraction confirmation window, mark the option to save files unzipped with errors on disk.