HOW TO EXTRACT/DECOMPRESS COMPRESSED FILES

HOW TO EXTRACT/DECOMPRESS COMPRESSED FILES

 

It is not uncommon for you to be searching the internet for a file of a particular format / extension… and all you get is either .7z, .zip or .rar. In 99% or the cases, you already got what you want, just that, the real file has been archive / compressed  or let me call it protected or hidden. archived files contain other files of which what is inside can be exactly what you need.

For example, Windows Os directly uses .exe and .msi; if you search for a windows computer file on the net and you see something like “mozilla firefox browser for pc.zip” you may wonder that why .zip since you need .exe. Similarly, Mac Os uses .dmg or .pkg, Android Os uses .apk, windows mobile .xap, iOS uses .app or .ipa(jailbroken iOs uses .deb).. Nokia java phones like asha uses .jar, nokia symabian phones uses .sis.

You maybe wondering where i got the above from. Do not forget i used to be a mobile geek before satellite took me away from computer tweaking and mobile phone configuration. I still have the full knowledge just that i now majorly tweak PC / mac or phones for personal use or for friends.

      NEED FOR CAUTION WHEN DEALING WITH COMPRESSED / ARCHIVE FILES

It is also worthy of note that .zip is the most popular and the easiest to decompress while .rar is the most secure.

• If you are downloading a compressed field, please make sure you are downloading it only from a trusted site. compressed files has both its advantages and disadvantages as black hat hackers and white hat hackers make use of them extensively. So please know what you are downloading before you download it. E.g, you are looking for a document that says “how to use Microsoft word.rar” you got to the site where you want to download it, and instead of you to download that and go, another file titled “make money in 5 minutes with MS Word.rar”. If i were you, i will either not download anything from that site(if i stumble on that site for the first time) or simply download one from that site and leave. The bottom line is that you can download a computer virus contained in an archive if you are downloading from untrusted sources. such virus mostly includes: adware, malware and trojan. So please only download files that you need.
• Exercise caution when downloading splitted archive files, please test each part after download and do not wait to download all the parts before attempting to extract. For example if you want to download a file that is 12gb in size, it is most likely it will be split into parts of like 1gb each and format will likely be .rar. once you finish download the first part , try and open it with your file decompressor, once you receive a message like “some volume / parts are missing” it means the first file is healthy you can proceed. but if you receive “archive corrupt or damaged” or “enter password” please do not proceed at all for the former or proceed after you get the password as in the case of the later.
• The above clues are hard and fast rules fail -safe tips that you must apply at all times before downloading any archive files. For example, their is no way you can download a satellite receiver or dongle software that is corrupt from any link.

TYPES OF SOFTWARE THAT CAN OPEN ARCHIVE FILES

I will arrange them in order of competence and versatility. For both mac, mac os, android os and windows.

• For windows computers i strongly recommend Winrar: Winrar can open virtually any file format
• Winzip
• 7-zip(this is good when you want to open some stubborn .7z files

For MAC Os: download from Appstore a file named: The unachiver. But if you want to open a zip file on mac, it can open without the help of any 3rd party software.

For Android, we have many file extractor. In fact Uc browser fro android can extract any zip or rar file. you can also dodnload: ZAchiver, winrar, unrar or some powerful file managers to extract on your android. I will not advice you do extract a b=very large file on your phone

As for iOS: use and application call “phonedrive” for extraction on devices that are not jail broken or use iFile for jail broken devices

STEPS TO BE TAKEN WHEN EXTRACTING AN ARCHIVED FILE

As i was saying, the needed file may have been archived so you will need to extract it. Explaining this further: the major upgrade software from any iks decoder or dongles always ends with the file extension .bin  however, what you will likely see here is a .zip or .rar file. the reason for this is that the real .bin has been archived or compressed so that it can save space and save money while uploading. For example a fie of 8.12mb will be 6.40mb or lesser after compressing it into .rar. For you to get what you want from that archive file, read the followings carefully

• Drag or move or copy the the file to location on your pc of phone that you are familiar with; i recommend your desktop if you are using a computer.

How to use WinRAR for extracting/UnRAR

Like I said earlier, WinRAR is a great tool for extracting files from their compressed formats. One thing that makes WinRAR so popular is the ease of use. There are several ways to open an archive for unzipping one method is just by clicking on the file to open WinRAR and by Drag-and-dropping the file to your destination folder.

First, select a RAR file that is part of the archive then open the file

– Select any RAR part of the archive

After you open the file, it will bring up a window showing you the details of the complete file. You can then highlight the file then drag and drop the file into the desired location.

– Drag the file to from the Win Rar window into the desired location.

After you drag and drop the file into the desired folder, WinRAR will bring up a window showing the UnRAR process.

When the UnRAR/UnZIP process is complete, it will leave the finished file in the destination folder. Now your file is ready to be used.

 

Now you can make use of the file. the above guide is for windows computers and this same simple principle can be employed for Mac or even mobile devices using the appropriate software.