.Rar files and .iso files

[nate42nd]

Tell me if I have this strait. Let's say I wanted to download an .iso but it was archived into .rar format. The whole image comes in 10 .rar files. I would download all 10 .rar files, open 7zip (or whatever program) and ONLY EXTRACT THE 1ST .RAR. The program extracts the other .rar files and gets the iso. Then I could burn that .iso and it should work. Is this right? Am I way off?

 

[swarfega]

yup thats exactly correct. open first one and itl process the whole lot in one go. But that is only correct with winrar itself. With other programs you may have to extract every one. Some other programs may have multiple rar support. Best to check the programs features.

 

[nate42nd]

Thanks you swarfega. I have been trying to figure it out for a while. I found the rar files (I wish I knew where now) for 7077 but didn't know what to do. I had to wait 14 hours to get it another way. Next time that situation comes up.....I will know what to do. Thanks again.

 

[weh]

There are three different variations of .RAR files: self-contained, encapsulated and serial. Self-contained is obvious -- there is only one file and it ends in .rar. Encapsulated is the most secure, consisting of a series of numbered files, a CRC file, a description file, and the .rar trigger file. You often find this in torrent downloads of movies and television shows. The last, serial, is simply a series of files in the format of filename.part1.rar, filename.part2.rar, etc.

With the first two, you simply start the decompression process on the .rar file. With the third, you choose the filename.part1.rar file. Regardless, as long as all the various sub-files are in the same folder, both WinRAR and 7-zip will restore the original properly.

 

[Digger]

But that is only correct with winrar itself. With other programs you may have to extract every one.

7zip, gzip, izarc, file splitter do the same.... then even if you did run into a problem/program that does 1 at a time, aka winzip for multiple zip files, just highlight all, then extract to each folder or one folder.

but yea, usually the .rar or the .001 ... but most times it really doesnt matter where you start, you could theorectically start in the middle (given association with the right app ie; winrar) and it will continue to extract all the way thru. grab an sfv checker while you are at it, but be cautious as some do report false .bad files on win7... not sure if due to 7 or the sfv checker itself.

 

[swarfega]

yeah if your new to that aspect Id suggest using winrar to make life easier.

 

[nate42nd]

Do you guys find it faster or easier this way or using torrent to get large files?

What usually comes out first for a "desirable" file?

 

[nate42nd]

yeah if your new to that aspect Id suggest using winrar to make life easier.

WinRar is not a free program. I would be looking for open source. Am I wrong?

 

[DiamondNRG]

Winrar is worth it though, it is better than anything else.

And personally when making rar files, I like to number them backwards just to piss people off

 

[nate42nd]

Winrar is worth it though, it is better than anything else.

And personally when making rar files, I like to number them backwards just to piss people off

Haha don't be doing that stuff man.....some of us are still learning. haha

I have heard WinRar is the best although I have heard a lot of good about 7zip too. I don't want something that's going to take over my system. I'm sure there are file associations you can set in any of them. Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[swarfega]

yeah the download of winrar is a trial version. I wouldn't myself restrict my choice to just open source but include freeware as well.

 

[nate42nd]

Yes....you're right. I have heard of another that is supposed to handle more file types than WinRar that IS freeware. I just can't remember the name right now.

 

[swarfega]

IZArc - The Best Freeware Archive Utility - ZIP RAR 7-ZIP UNZIP UNRAR ENCRYPTION ISO BIN is another one ive used in the past. It has an impressive list of supported formats and is free but hasnt been updated since 2007.

 

[weh]

I think I have five different utilities that handle .rar files, including WinRAR; however, the one I use 99.44% of the time is 7-zip. And, it's freeware.

 

[nate42nd]

IZArc - The Best Freeware Archive Utility - ZIP RAR 7-ZIP UNZIP UNRAR ENCRYPTION ISO BIN is another one ive used in the past. It has an impressive list of supported formats and is free but hasnt been updated since 2007.

This is the one I was thinking. Maybe I will try it out.

Everybody seems to like 7zip.....maybe try 2 to see for myself.

 

[swarfega]

Since theyre both free, doesnt hurt to try them

 

[nate42nd]

Do you use this method to get large files? Is torrent better? It takes FOREVER on torrent. However, I just (about 2 hours ago) increased my internet speed by 4X so I suspect it will be quite a bit faster next time I try a torrent.

 

[Digger]

winrar for speed
7zip/gzip for compression
IZarc decent speed and better than average compression

then there is winace best compression of jpg/doc files i have EVER seen... lacks the same compression results when dealing with exe, avi, mpg/mp3

just opinion after much use of all....

 

[ikilledkenny]

I've never purchased WinRAR and I am waaaaaaaaaaay past the date it expires, yet it still works for me? Should I be concerned?

 

[Digger]

I've never purchased WinRAR and I am waaaaaaaaaaay past the date it expires, yet it still works for me? Should I be concerned?

no. you will just have the little nag box that pops up with it when you DOUBLE click the rar file rather than right clicking.

This was going to be a point... its not free technically... but most functionality, even repair is available thru the neverending trial version.