The Zip file format (Zip Archive) is a compressed or archived form of file that is significantly smaller than the original file. Zip file corruption primarily occurs due to CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) errors, application incompatibility, file version mismatch, software bugs and more. Once the Zip file is corrupted, an error message gets displayed which makes the data stored in the Zip file inaccessible. To reclaim your lost data contained in the Zip file, you need to restore the Zip file from a recent data backup. However, in case of no backup availability, you need to repair the file by using advanced Zip Repair tool.
As a practical scenario, you might encounter the below error message when you use WinZip to extract a Zip file on your Windows Vista based computer:
“This file was compressed using an unknown compression method. Please visit www.winzip.com/wz54.htm for more information. The compression method used for this file is 98. error: no files were found – nothing to do”
Cause
The main causes for the occurrence of the above error message are:
• You are attempting to extract a compressed file that was created by using WinZip 10.
• The system on which you are attempting to extract the compressed file has a previous version of WinZip installed.
• The compressed file is damaged or corrupted
WinZip 10 application employs a compression technique that is incompatible with some versions of Windows and with previous versions of WinZip tools.
Resolution
To resolve the above issue and access the Zip file data, you will need to select the Maximum (portable) compression technique in WinZip 10. To do so, you need to follow these steps:
• Firstly click File, and then click New Archive.
• Type the name that you want to use for the compressed file in the File Name box and then press OK.
• Select the files in the Add dialog box that you want to add to the archive.
• Select Maximum (portable) in the Compression box, and then click Add.
In case of Zip file corruption, you need to completely and systematically repair the corrupted Zip file by using powerful zip repair application. Such Zip Recovery tools incorporate effective scanning methods to absolutely repair and restore the Zip archives. These recovery tools provide highly graphical user interface that makes them self-explanatory without sound and prior technical skills.
Stellar Phoenix Zip Recovery is the most powerful zip recovery tool, which provides complete repair and restoration of corrupted Zip files. This read only tool repairs all sub-types of password protected zip files till Win Zip 8.0. It supports Zip Repair for Zip files created with WinZip 5.0 to WinZip 11.1. It supports Windows Vista, XP, 2003, NT and ME.