Rar is gibberish

[Stephen R]

Dear PowerArchivers,

I selected PowerArchiver in large part because I needed to open not only zip files but also rar files. It has always done a fine job; but suddenly when I try to open an rar I get gibberish.

I have not yet done anything about this, such as uninstalling and reinstalling PowerArchiver. I did check to make sure that rar files were still associated, and as far as I can see everything that can be associated is associated, including rar.

What should I do?

Stephen R

[TBGBe]

@Stephen:

It has always done a fine job; but suddenly when I try to open an rar I get gibberish. …

So, other RAR files are uncompressed OK, it is only this particular one that is a problem - is that correct?
Where is the “gibberish”? In the PowerArchiver window (filenames/folders) or in the resulting uncompressed files?

Is it a single RAR or a split archive (how big is the archive)?
What does “Test” report?
How was it created - by you or downloaded from somewhere?
Try to download it again - the download may be incomplete. Could you provide a link so that others can check it?

Also, which version of PA and which OS are you using?

[Stephen R]

Hello Terry

So, other RAR files are uncompressed OK, it is only this particular one that is a problem - is that correct?

**Not exactly. It depends on what kind of file it is. A TIF file, for example, is uncompressed as a TIF and there is no problem. It seems that it is files that should be uncompressed as PDFs that are getting buggered up, and it’s not just one, it’s all of them.

Where is the “gibberish”? In the PowerArchiver window (filenames/folders) or in the resulting uncompressed files?

**Both. What happens is that instead of uncompressing the file as a PDF, PA is not uncompressing it as a HIP file, and the resulting uncompressed file opens in a word processor and looks like any PDF opened in a word processor–gibberish. I have not encountered HIP files before. Maybe I can fix it by just changing the file type designation? But why has PA gone over to opening them as HIPs?

Is it a single RAR or a split archive (how big is the archive)?

**Makes no difference

What does “Test” report?

“No error”; Test regards it as a compressed PDF

How was it created - by you or downloaded from somewhere?

**Downloaded. I have never compressed a file as an RAR, because most people in the West don’t have a program to open RARs (bless PA!). These are mostly from Russia, where RAR is apparently the standard type of compression, but almost everyone can also open PDFs. I suppose PA can make RAR files, but so far I have not needed to do this.

Try to download it again - the download may be incomplete. Could you provide a link so that others can check it?

**Yes, but the problem really is not with a particular file but with a class of them. As far as I know now, it is only files that are intended to be PDFs.

Also, which version of PA

**PA 2004

and which OS

**Windows ME

are you using?

Stephen

[TBGBe]

@Stephen:

PA is not uncompressing it as a HIP file, and the resulting uncompressed file opens in a word processor … Maybe I can fix it by just changing the file type designation?

I agree, obviously trying to open a pdf file in a word processor won’t work.
@Stephen:

Test regards it as a compressed PDF

So the filename part is correct - only the HIP extension is wrong?
The first thing to check is to rename and see if the contents of the pdf file is OK.
@Stephen:

**PA 2004

OK (could be PA.9 through PA9.11) so an upgrade to PA 2006 would be worth trying.
Currently 9.5 beta 7 is available. Also, as the PDF is Russian, there may be a Unicode problem.

@Stephen:

Downloaded

Well, a link to a particular file (or site) that you are having the problem with would help. It is fairly difficult to “google” for a russian pdf file compressed in rar format :D

I have tried compessing a PDF (english) with WinRAR 3.50 - PA 9.5 extracts it with no problem. :p
(Note: PDF does not compress enough with RAR to make it worthwhile - I guess they do this “just because they can” :rolleyes: .)

[OffTopic] PowerArchiver will NOT produce RAR files. Only WinRAR (or the commandline version can do this). You will always need one of these to produce RAR files.
[/OffTopic]

[mwb1100]

Can you post the file that has problems?

Have you tried it with WinRAR itself?

[Stephen R]

---

I agree, obviously trying to a pdf file in a word
processor won’t work.

So the filename part is correct - only the HIP
extension is wrong?
The first thing to check is to rename and see if the
contents of the pdf file is OK.

OK (could be PA.9 through PA9.11) so an upgrade to
PA 2006 would be worth trying.
Currently 9.5 beta 7 is available. Also, as the PDF
is Russian, there may be a Unicode problem.

**I upgraded to 9.5 Beta 7, and the problem
disappeared. PDFs compressed to RAR are once again
uncompressed to PDFs, not to HIP files.

Well, a link to a particular file (or site) that you
are having the problem with would help. It is failry
difficult to “google” for a russian pdf file
compressed in rar format :D

I have tried compessing a PDF (english) with WinRAR
3.50 - PA 9.5 extracts it with no problem. :p
(Note: PDF does not compress enough with RAR to make
it worthwhile - I guess they do this “just because
they can” :rolleyes: .)

Once I received microfilm from Russia that was folded
rather than rolled. I don’t even try to figure it out.

PowerArchiver will NOT produce RAR files. Only
WinRAR (or the commandline version can do this). You
will always need one of these to produce RAR files.

---

**I should have known that. After all, I can’t distill
PDFs on PowerArchiver. Anyhow, so far I have never
needed to produce RAR files, and I don’t see why that
should change in the foreseeable future (if there is
such a thing), so I’ll worry about that when it
becomes a worry–then I will have to get WinRAR, which I don’t have now.

**Thanks for your help. Seems to be back to normal
now, and I have the latest version. I have, by the
way, recommended PowerArchiver–someone who was also
getting RARs from Russian & couldn’t open them asked
me, and I told her that for about $20 PowerArchiver
would solve that problem and open ZIPs too. She
immediately bought PowerArchiver and was quite pleased
with it.

Stephen

[TBGBe]

@Stephen:

I upgraded to 9.5 Beta 7, and the problem
disappeared. PDFs compressed to RAR are once again
uncompressed to PDFs, not to HIP files.

:D

@Stephen:

Once I received microfilm from Russia that was folded
rather than rolled. I don’t even try to figure it out.

:eek: :cool:
@Stephen:

then I will have to get WinRAR, which I don’t have now.

Or just stick with PA - try 7z format for better compression ;)

@Stephen:

Thanks for your help. Seems to be back to normal
now, and I have the latest version. I have, by the
way, recommended PowerArchiver–someone who was also
getting RARs from Russian & couldn’t open them asked
me, and I told her that for about $20 PowerArchiver
would solve that problem and open ZIPs too. She
immediately bought PowerArchiver and was quite pleased
with it.

Stephen

:) Don’t forget to update from the beta to the full 9.5 release when it is available.

P.S. I like these smilies :o

[Stephen R]

Or just stick with PA - try 7z format for better compression :)

Don’t forget to update from the beta to the full 9.5 release when it is available. :D

Right! I’ll watch for it! And thanks!

Stephen