RAR compressed archive file

pandabearlove · Mon 14/01/2008 20:35:50

Hello
I would like to know how to open any game that downloads as a RAR compressed archive file
I can open the compressed (zipped) folder just fine
$:-\$

Da_Elf · Mon 14/01/2008 20:50:20

www.winrar.com

Galen · Mon 14/01/2008 20:51:37

Alternatively I would advise 7-Zip (Google it), it's free and opens a hell of a load of compressed formats.

Dualnames · Tue 15/01/2008 12:15:40

Yeah, but more people around here use WinRar since it's easy and handful.

Cloudanger · Tue 15/01/2008 14:32:45

I also recommend 7-zip as it is free. Both programs support extracting .7z and .rar formats.

One of the pros of 7-zip is that it can compress to .7z-format which is usually much smaller than .rar.

OneDollar · Tue 15/01/2008 20:05:32

7-Zip 7-Zip 7-Zip!

Here's that link you were looking for

pandabearlove · Tue 15/01/2008 20:24:12

I downloaded 7-zip but can't get it to work

OneDollar · Tue 15/01/2008 20:38:48

7-Zip adds stuff to your right-mouse menu, so right click the .rar file, go to 7-zip and choose open archive. Drag the files out into another folder. Alternatively double click the .rar file, choose program from list, find and choose the 7-Zip file manager.

monkey0506 · Wed 16/01/2008 05:09:42

Quote from: Cloudanger on Tue 15/01/2008 14:32:45One of the pros of 7-zip is that it can compress to .7z-format which is usually much smaller than .rar.

Although a 7z archive may be smaller than a RAR archive (I can't testify to this myself as I've never used the 7z-format), it's definitely not as popular (by which I mean it isn't as widely used). The RAR format is becoming an increasingly common alternative to ZIP and if 7z is in fact "much smaller" then it will probably replace the RAR format as well, but these things take time. For now if you're distributing a game or any game development tools, you would be better off using RAR to appeal to a wider audience of users.

Gilbert · Wed 16/01/2008 05:45:38

But still, it's a personal preference to use which programme (I'm not talking abut file type) to extract the file.

IMO 7Zip beats WinRAR in everyway round, I hate WinRAR, it's just personal though.

Alright, actually this thread didn't belong to this subforum in the first place, I think Ashen is AWOL ATM, I'll ask someone else to move this.

Radiant · Wed 16/01/2008 08:24:23

Quote from: monkey_05_06 on Wed 16/01/2008 05:09:42
The RAR format is becoming an increasingly common alternative to ZIP and if 7z is in fact "much smaller" then it will probably replace the RAR format as well,

Er, since when, exactly? RAR has been around for about two decades and has pretty much always been as popular as it is now, which is to say, not very. There is half a dozen other file formats that are even less popular, 7Z included, but ZIP has pretty much "won" that competition by virtue of being easiest to use, and having the most memorable name.

Having slightly better compression doesn't factor into that because people tend not to notice. As I recall, LHA was better than ZIP, but who has even heard of that nowadays? In this day, where hard drives are a dime a dozen, those few percent aren't going to make a difference.

Gilbert · Wed 16/01/2008 10:00:00

Well, LHA is still very popular in some places, especially in Japan. More and more people use ZIP though.

For RAR, as far as I know it's very popular for some specific groups of people (hint hint), granted it may have better compression performance than ZIP in most cases, but I don't think that will make it common for general uses. Instead I see an increasing usage of 7Zip, especially in making solid archives of bulky and scattered files, like for example source codes, as opposed to the classic *nix use of tar.?z methods.

If I have to name one format that is most redundant nowadays I'll mention: ACE
I just don't like to install craps like WinZIP, WinRAR, WinAce/XAce, etc. in my comp, so whenever I need to extract ACE file (rarely) I just install the programme, extract the files and then remove the programme.

Ponch · Wed 16/01/2008 22:14:22

I'm a big fan of rar. On my site, I had 7zip linked so people could unpack my games after they downloaded them. However, I received a couple of e-mails almost every month asking how 7zip worked (apparently, 7zip's right-click trick isn't entirely user friendly).

I'm sticking with rar format for the foreseeable future, but I replaced the 7zip link with a link to a program called ExtractNow. It's a drag and drop unpacker. No one seems to have had a problem figuring it out.

Just my two cents.

- Ponch