Zipped important files and now Winzip won't unzip them

[PeterRussell]

I'm having trouble extracting/unzipping an important Winzip file, heres the error messages:
WinZip encountered problems during this operation.
Would you like to view the detailed results of the last operation showing the specific error(s) encountered.?
YES
Extracting to "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Temp\"
Use Path: no   Overlay Files: yes
Extracting UVIDS.zip
I/O error - unable to read from zip file
Unable to authenticate file. Either the Zip file has been damaged or the password is incorrect
Unable to create C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Temp\UVIDS.zip:
The size of the extracted file (1287651328 bytes) does not match the uncompressed size (1987321916 bytes) recorded in the zip file
Additional Notes:
- Im logged on Win XP as the admin
- The password for the file  IS correct.
- I deleted the original folder and files.
- I attempted this extraction umpteen times.
- To create this zip file, I zipped all the original files into one folder, and then zipped that folder again so you could not see the original file names. You cannot see the original files, only the zipped foldercalled UVIDS.
Please help me unzip these important files.

[jaclaz]

There is no way that we can help you , in the sense that for one reason or the other that archive is corrupted and it may be corrupted in a zillion ways.

 

Your decision to first compress everything into an archive (not a folder , as a folder inside an archive is normally readable/accessible ) and then re-compress it in another archive may well have made single files unrecoverable.

 

The password protection (I have to presume in both layers of compression) is an added obstacle.

 

There are tens of "zip recovery" or "zip fixing" tools (both freeware or free software and Commercial) each one of them may be able to recover the particular corruption your archive was subjected to but there is no way to know in advance if program "x" may work on it (while program "y" fails miserably or viceversa), and it has to be seen which ones can deal with password protected .zip files.

 

A few are listed here:

http://www.techradar.com/news/software/how-to-repair-a-broken-zip-file-986146

and here:

https://www.raymond.cc/blog/repair-damaged-or-corrupted-zip-archive/

 

Where it is underlined:

Final Note: The success rate of recovering files from damaged archive files highly depends on the corrupted bit at the affected file. For example, if the corrupted archive file contains only one file, the chances of recovering that single file from the archive is nearly impossible. However if there are a lot of files in a corrupted archive file, you can probably get part of it back if only a small part of the archive file is unreadable.

 

 

 

I would add to the list the -F and -FF options of Infozip's zip:

http://www.info-zip.org/mans/zip.html

 

But really noone can say if the one or the other program can recover that specific archive or if it can be recovered at all.

 

jaclaz

[submix8c]

Google on "UVIDS.ZIP" reveals this -

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:tVXb3eUPvA4J:http://www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/showthread.php?50852-Zipped-important-files-and-now-Winzip-won-t-unzip-them%2B%22uvids.zip%22&hl=en&biw&bih&gbv=2&&ct=clnk

 

And a post to ExpertsExchange going all the way back to 2005. By a different person.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OQagr_TBb8MJ:http://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/21564282/Zipped-important-files-and-now-Winzip-won%27t-unzip-them.html%2B%22uvids.zip%22&hl=en&biw&bih&gbv=2&&ct=clnk

 

Exact same text. What's up with that?
 

[Tripredacus]

Exact same text. What's up with that?

Maybe they're still having the problem?

[Yzöwl]

Also note the similarities here...

 

Somebody wouldn't be setting up Topics for spam replies offering links to some wonder product for fixing these issues, would they?

[submix8c]

Hmmm...

http://serverfault.com/questions/749761/corrupt-excel-xls-file-ole-header-corruption

[Acheron]

I was already suspicious when the original poster did not reply when I provided an easy answer. I did PM him after a day but he did not respond.

 

The pattern is clear as both accounts are new users with the same kind of random generated name. Next time a user comes along with the same kind of username attached with zero post history I will look up if the question has been asked already.

 

It is interesting to see if the answer provided will show up on some other site.

 

And it is a shame this has to be my official 1000th post

Edited January 20, 2016 by Acheron

[jaclaz]

And it is a shame this has to be my official 1000th post 

Look at the bright side , your next one will be the 1001st (which sounds better ):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1001_(number)

 

jaclaz

[Tripredacus]

We had changed our spam filter some months ago, and 1 result (strangely) is that the first part of the tandem spam teams make it through registration, but not the one that would reply with links. Once in a while the 2nd one gets in.

[dencorso]

Well, I can see the 1st poster doesn't actually spam at all, he/she/it is more of a setter, so there's no reason to ban him/her/it... now, no ban == no blacklist so, they get through, all right...

[prochazka]

Get winrar as that seems to be better www.winrar.com

Also with regards to recovering the data either use runtime recovery tools which you can use for free, but make sure to write the recovered data to a different partition or to different media so you don’t over write the data you are attempting to recover.

This site should give some options

http://www.youtube.com

Edited January 28, 2016 by Tripredacus

[submix8c]

@prochazka - WTH, dude? That's to do a WinZip Repair Install. Indeed, the *only* comment links to a yet another Commercial Product?

 

Hey, guys, is this spam?

[Tripredacus]

Yeah, the "youtube" link did go to an actual video, which seemed fine by itself. There was only 1 comment, one that went to one of those paid file repair programs.

[RJARRRPCGP]

I/O error=Looks like a failing drive, a SATA cable problem or a SATA port problem.

[PeterRussell]

Thank you guys for your feedback and help. Sorry, that long time did not respond. This is because the issue was solved and I forgot to tell.) Thank you!