subject: What are RAR Files and How to Extract : RAR Files Explained [print this page] What are RAR Files and How to Extract : RAR Files Explained
There are several different types of compression technologies on today's market. One of the most popular is the .RAR file. A RAR is basically a compressed file or a larger file broken up into smaller parts. The term RAR also refers to the method of compression like how Zip or 7Z formats are other types of methods of compression. WinRAR is a popular program that helps create or extract RAR files.
How does the RAR file relate to Usenet? There are a few ways. When Usenet users upload certain types of files, they can compress several smaller files into one larger archive. For example a user decides to upload 50 of his fractals artwork into a newsgroup. Instead of uploading 50 individual files, that user can use WINRAR to create a file archive in the RAR format. This way the user can just load the file archive once. This is generally the preferred way as all of the files are related to each other as it makes for better organization. Another way that newsgroup users make use of the RAR format has to do with larger binary files. When uploading a large file set to Usenet, it is better to upload in smaller parts. This is because when folks download the file, they can download it part by part which allows them to download it faster. It also adds to the reliability of the download because if you have an error while trying to download a large file, it could reset the download. Downloading each part allows you to start where you left off in case the connection is interrupted.
When a user downloads the RAR's, they can open the file with WinRAR. In order to extract or put them back together, you need to make sure you have all the RAR parts and that they are not damaged. You can usually check the integrity of the RAR file by downloading a Par2 file that is associated with the file. Once you UnRAR the file, the end result will be what the file originally was before it was uploaded or split into several RAR parts.
The RAR compression method was invented by Eugene Roshal. A Russian programmer who named the method after himself- RAR stands for Roshal Archive hence RAR.
RAR files also allow you to secure the file archive with a 128 bit encryption key or password. This way, other folks cannot access your archive unless you give them the password first. This is a handy security feature to have to protect your data.
If you don't want to trouble yourself to unRAR or extract a file after you download it, make sure you have a newsreader that will do the unRAR or extract feature for you. You can generally find a list of newsreaders on many review sites - hopefully they will feature the ones that have this function built in.
