Repairing corrupted ZIP file due to interrupted downloading

I am sure you must have used the file sharing websites some time or the other. You can upload heavy files in these websites, which can be downloaded by you or any of your friends. These websites are very useful, especially in today’s time as these nobody has got enough time to meet friends or relatives. However, sometimes the files uploaded in a ZIP format do not get extracted when you try to do so. One of the causes of such problem is due to ZIP file corruption. In such cases, you should try to repair ZIP file using some appropriate method. If you are not able to repair ZIP file, then you should use third-party ZIP recovery software to do so.

Consider a scenario wherein one of your friends has uploaded few photographs in a file sharing website in the form of ZIP files. You download the ZIP file, and try to extract it. However, it fails to do so. An error message is displayed as a result, that is:

“WinZip Self-Extractor header corrupt. Possible cause: bad disk or file transfer error.”

Cause:

The root cause of this problem is that there may have been interruptions while uploading or downloading the ZIP file. If the problem occurred during downloading, then the ZIP file is corrupt which can be repaired.

Resolution:

To resolve this situation, you should perform the following methods:

  • Open My Computer.
  • Right-click on the drive in which the ZIP file is present and click ‘Properties’ from the menu that appears on the screen.
  • Click Tools tab.
  • Click the ‘Check now…’ option.
  • Select the ’Automatically fix file system errors’ check box.
  • Click the ‘Start’ button to start the scanning.
  • Close the dialog box when the scanning is completed.
  • Download the ZIP file again from the file sharing website.

If you are still not able to extract data from the ZIP file or Internet connection is not available, then you should use third-party ZIP repair software to repair ZIP file. Such ZIP recovery tools are read-only in nature that does not overwrite the existing ZIP file while scanning it.

Stellar Phoenix ZIP Repair is ZIP repair software that is used to repair .ZIP files from all instances of corruption. It repairs ZIP file up to 800 MB created in WinZIP from versions 5.0 to 12.1. In addition, this ZIP recovery utility is able to repair ZIP file from password protected ZIP files created in WinZIP 5.0 to 8.1. It is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000.

Repair your corrupt ZIP file due to improper FTP transfer

A ZIP file is a compressed file that is used to compress various other files and folders in a single file. It is used in reducing the size of the file(s). Also, it is pretty handy when you have to send some data over the Internet as it takes less time to get uploaded and sent to the intended recipient. However, at times the ZIP files get corrupt when you download them over the Internet. There are other reasons of ZIP file corruption as well such as human errors, virus infections, abrupt system shutdown, file media error, etc. It may be noted that there is no in-built utility to repair a corrupted ZIP file. So, in such cases you should use third-party ZIP repair software to repair corrupt ZIP file.

Consider a scenario wherein you have to upload a ZIP file on the website of your organization, which contains the images of an office function. You test the ZIP file before uploading. As it is working fine, you upload it on the FTP server. However, after uploading the file when you download it at your home the ZIP file is found to be corrupt.

Cause:

The root cause of the ZIP file corruption is that it may have got corrupt while uploading it to the FTP server.

Resolution:

First of all, there is a precaution that you must take so that this issue is not raised again. You should always go for the Binary mode for an FTP transfer rather than the Text or ASCII transfer. The reason behind this is that the Binary mode supports the transfer of images, and is the most preferred mode for FTP transfers. Whereas the ASCII mode is used only for the text transfer as it converts the data into 8-bit ASCII codes.

As mentioned, there is no in-built utility to repair a ZIP file. So, in such cases you should use third-party ZIP recovery software to repair the corrupted ZIP file. Such read-only tools are able to repair ZIP file using fast yet sophisticated scanning algorithms.

Stellar Phoenix ZIP Recovery is ZIP repair software that enables you to repair ZIP file that can scale up to 800 MB. It is able to repair the zipped files created in WinZip from 5.0 to 12.1 versions. In addition, this ZIP recovery tool is capable of repairing the password-protected ZIP files created in WinZip from 5.0 to 8.1 versions. It is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, XP, and 2000.

Downloading Zip File With Download Accelerator Can Be Risky

Download Accelerator is a computer program that is used to download files from the Internet. The program enables fast downloading of a file. Talking about the zip file, it a file format used to compress the file size. One can use Download Accelerator to download the zip file quickly. But, sometimes a zip file gets corrupted when downloaded using Download Accelerator. This may happen due conflicts in FTP or incorrect proxy settings. When a zip file gets corrupted, it becomes inaccessible and you fail to access the data stored in the file. In such situations, a valid backup file comes in handy to restore the data. However, if the backup is found to be unavailable or corrupt, then it is recommended to use good-quality zip repair software.

For instance – You downloaded a zip file using Download Accelerator. After downloading, when you attempt to access the zip file, it does not open and you observe that the zip file is corrupt. As a result, you fail to access the data stored in the zip file. At this point, you need to determine the main cause of the problem and a solution for the same.

Cause:

You fail to access the zip file as it got corrupted after downloading it with Download Accelerator. This may happen due to incorrect implementation of authenticated FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and incorrectly configured proxy settings, due to the file could not be downloaded completely.

Resolution:

Consider the following measures to resolve the issue:

Try downloading the zip file again. This may resolve the issue.
In case the corruption caused is due respect to the parity bit and CRC only, then the file can definitely be repaired. To repair the zip file, you will need to use an effective third-party application known as zip repair software. These reliable applications incorporate high-influential scanning mechanisms to repair zip file systematically. Designed by well-qualified and experienced experts, these tools are embedded with interactive graphical user interface that makes them easy to use and understand. Hence, you need not be technical savvy to use these tools.

How to Tackle “Invalid compressed data to inflate.” Zip Error Message

If you are a regular WinZip user, then you must be acquainted with the kind of error messages that appear while you try to extract the zip archive. Sometimes, an error message appears due to file version mismatch, which leads the way to .zip file corruption. In most cases, when the file gets corrupted, the zip archive cannot be extracted and eventually your data stored in the .zip file becomes inaccessible. In order to access the data from the corrupted .zip file, you can use an updated backup file. However, if the backup is not available or corrupt, then you need to use an effective zip repair software to retrieve your data from the corrupted .zip file.

Think of a particular situation where you are trying to extract the files from the zipped or compressed folder, but the process fails and you encounter the below mentioned error message:

“Invalid compressed data to inflate.”

This error message indicates that the .zip file is corrupted or damaged. Consequently, you fail to access the data stored in the zip file. At this point of time, you need to go in depth of the problem to find it’s root cause and resolution for the same.

Cause:

The above mentioned error message is generally caused due to file version mismatch. This happens because of the reason that deflation or the compression algorithms fails to extract the data from the .zip file.

Resolution:

Corruption related issues in .zip files may prove disastrous for you as you may lose your data present in the .zip file. In such cases, recovery of data becomes necessary as the .zip file may contain your important data. Therefore, it is suggested to use an effective third-party application known as zip repair application to repair zip file completely. These applications enable complete repair of the .zip file via highly influential scanning algorithms. These tools are carefully built by well-educated and knowledgeable technicians who furnish these utilities with interactive graphical user interface that makes them easy to use and understand.

What To Do When Zip File Header Gets Corrupted

A zip file header is the location in the Zip file where all the information about the file is stored. The information can be about the file creation date, size of the file, etc. But, when the header gets corrupted, it can cause the whole Zip file to become corrupt. As a result of corruption, the data stored in the Zip file becomes inaccessible. An ideal way to overcome such situations is to restore the data from a recent and valid backup file. But, in case the backup is not available, or also gets corrupted, then a powerful zip repair software will enable you to retrieve your data from the corrupted Zip file.

For instance – Sometimes, while you try to extract the zip archive, the process fails and you encounter the below mentioned error message:

“header corrupt”

You may also encounter this error message due to corruption in self-extractors along with Zip files, provided the error message occurs frequently. After this error message flashes, you fail to access the data stored in the Zip file. At such a point, you need to find out the cause of the problem and resolution for the same.

Cause:

Possible reasons for the above mentioned error message are:

If the file was downloaded, then the errors due to network problems can make the file corrupt.
Virus like CIH can also make the file corrupt.

Resolution:

To resolve the issue, consider the following measures:

Try to download the file again.
If after frequent attempts of downloading the file, the problem persists, then your computer may be infected by virus, which also damages the Zip file. In such case, use an effective virus scanner or anti-virus to rule out the virus completely.
If this does not help and the file gets corrupted, then it is recommended to perform zip recovery using an effective third-party application known as repair zip file software. These are extremely powerful applications that scan the corrupted Zip files via high-end scanning mechanisms to retrieve your data completely. Additionally, these tools provide intuitive graphical user interface that makes them user-friendly and self-explanatory.

“Bad CRC” Error Message While Extracting Zip File

Cyclic Redundancy Check is a method of detecting and correcting errors by adding bits derived from a block or string of bits to the block. Sometimes, you may encounter some errors related to Cycle Redundancy Check while extracting the zip file. This happens due to virus attack, improper or incomplete downloading, network hardware problems, etc. These errors can cause severe damage to your zip file leading to file corruption and inaccessibility of data. In such a situation, you need a valid data backup file to restore your data. However, if the backup is not available, even then you will be able to restore all your data using a powerful repair zip file software.

For instance – After downloading a zip file, when you try to extract it, the process fails and you receive below mentioned error message:

“Corrupt Zip File”

OR

“Bad CRC”

These error messages appear when you try to unzip the zipped archives in your computer system. After this error message flashes, you fail to access any of the files stored in the zipped or compressed folder.

Cause:

The above mentioned error message occurs due to corruption or damage of zip file. In a zip file, when a file is added, WinZip calculates the CRC value and saves it in the zip file. Further, when a zip file is extracted, the value of the extracted file is calculated by WinZip. Then, WinZip compares this value with the previous value. And if the two do not match, then the error message appears.

Resolution:

Consider the following measures to resolve the issue:

Download the Zip file again and then try to extract files. It is possible that files might get extracted without errors.
If not, then the only way out for you would be to repair corrupted Zip file using zip recovery solutions. The advanced zip repair applications employ high-end scanning mechanisms to ensure systematic repair of the Zip file to retrieve your data. Embedded with interactive graphical user interface, these tools are easy to use and understand, hence do not require any prior technical skills.