When it comes to sending data files in bulk, most of us prefer to send them in zip archives. Today zip files are commonly uploaded on websites and shared across corporate networks. However this ubiquitous format is prone to errors and it is quite possible that you have already come across a broken zip file.
Zip files may get corrupted owing to a myriad of reasons and these may range from headers inconsistencies to transfer errors. A zip file may simply get corrupted while it gets downloaded from the internet. Often when a trasfer occurs, it is likely that some form of invalid data was introduced into the zip archive. Other causes of zip damage may include exposure of the storage media to varying temperatures and even electromagnetic fields.
A common error that is often noted while you try to extract a zip files is the CRC error. CRC refers to cyclic redundancy check which essentially checks the CRC value generated by the archive application when the zip file was created with the value at the time of extraction. In case of a discrepeancy, a CRC error message is flashed. Now in case you have received a broken zip file, your chances of recovering it without a specialized tool are quite limited. Let’s look at how you can deal with a broken zip file.
To start with before you even think of zip repair, you should aim to get back a good copy of the zip file from the person or source where you have received the file. In case that is not possible you should next try opening the zip file with different archive applications.
Some of common applications you can try include WinZip and WinRAR. In case all such attempts to open the zip file fails you should then try to fix zip file.
Engaging in a zip recovery mandates the need of a specialized tool. One of the free tools that you can look at is the WinZip Command Line Support Add-On which would allow you to repair zip file. The tool will eventually create a new file with the Fixed suffix name.
If the above tool fails to work then you need to go in for a very specialized and powerful zip repair tool. Amongst the several availaible today, the DataNumen Zip Repair can be your preferred choice. The utility has an intuitive interface and boasts of a host of features which few other applications in its class posses. The application can quickly recover the corrupted zip files and it can effectively recover data from spanned or split zip files. Last but not the least the tool can check data integrity issues and even deal with incorrect CRC values.
In a nutshell we can safely say that while corrupted zip files can surely give you a headache, if you have the right set of tools at your disposal, you can definitely look to recover your data with effortless ease.
About the Author:
Alan Chen is President and Chairman of DataNumen, Inc., which is the world leader in data recovery technologies, including word recovery, excel repair, outlook repair and sql recovery software products. For more information visit www.datanumen.com.