How to handle old school RAR files

[Quade]

Sometimes you run into old school RAR files.

<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [14/38] - "crap.012" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [18/38] - "crap.016" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [20/38] - "crap.018" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [08/38] - "crap.006" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [15/38] - "crap.013" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [23/38] - "crap.021" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [19/38] - "crap.017" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [21/38] - "crap.019" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [17/38] - "crap.015" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [24/38] - "crap.022" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [26/38] - "crap.024" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [16/38] - "crap.014" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [05/38] - "crap.003" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [31/38] - "crap.029" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [13/38] - "crap.011" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [10/38] - "crap.008" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [22/38] - "crap.020" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [09/38] - "crap.007" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [30/38] - "crap.028" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [07/38] - "crap.005" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [25/38] - "crap.023" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [29/38] - "crap.027" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [27/38] - "crap.025" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [04/38] - "crap.002" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [28/38] - "crap.026" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [11/38] - "crap.009" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [03/38] - "crap.001" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [12/38] - "crap.010" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [06/38] - "crap.004" yEnc
<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [32/38] - "crap.030" yEnc

Basically they look like master splitter files to Newsbin so, it repairs and combines them into a single file. In this case the file would be called "crap".

If you download a single PAR file, open QuickPar with it and then feed the "crap" file into it. It'll split these old schools files back apart. The user who reported this too me says winrar want them named ".rar" and ".r01".... but, because the PAR files listed them as ".001" MS files, that's how Newsbin treated them. If the PAR file had listed the real names, Newsbin would have renamed them automatically.

Thankfully, these stupid file posts are rare but, they do happen.

[tl]

<Some shit.Update.1.03-ViTALiTY> [14/38] - "crap.012" yEnc
Basically they look like master splitter files to Newsbin so, it repairs and combines them into a single file. In this case the file would be called "crap".

It wouldn't solve all cases but perhaps you could add a heuristic that if it would result in file name without dots, it's RAR and not MasterSplitter?

It's extremely rare to have a file without extension on Windows so if it sees that it's almost guaranteed to be a WinRAR .001 file.

The user who reported this too me says winrar want them named ".rar" and ".r01".... but, because the PAR files listed them as ".001" MS files, that's how Newsbin treated them.

Both WinRAR and 7zip works fine with .001 type rar files and handles them correctly.

IIRC WinRAR used to have the 001 extension in the list of possible extensions it can register itself as handler but it's now been removed because it's pretty rare (and they needed the space for other extensions). It can still be registered as "User defined archive extension" or by using the second mouse button on a .001 file, then selecting "Open with", WinRAR and "Set as default". I don't think 7zip ever had .001 on their list (it's newer) and it doesn't have a field for "User defined", but the Open With method do work.

Even without WinRAR or 7zip set to handle .001 files, both do handle them rar files from inside the program. You probably already know all this but not everyone might and it's good to have as part of the documentation.

[Quade]

Both WinRAR and 7zip works fine with .001 type rar files and handles them correctly.

If you say so. User fed in the first file and then said that WinRAR wanted a ".r01" file. So, that suggests, they weren't really old school RAR files in the first place, just mis-named.

It wouldn't solve all cases but perhaps you could add a heuristic that if it would result in file name without dots, it's RAR and not MasterSplitter?

So, essentially if it has no extension, don't assemble it, is what you're suggesting? That sounds like a good idea.

[tl]

Both WinRAR and 7zip works fine with .001 type rar files and handles them correctly.

If you say so. User fed in the first file and then said that WinRAR wanted a ".r01" file. So, that suggests, they weren't really old school RAR files in the first place, just mis-named.

I think the .rar/.r00/.s00/.t00/.u00 style multi-rar files are actually the oldest and that the .000 type is a less common intermediate form (.partX.rar is what modern RAR uses).

On a related not I see that NewsBin Pro compacts .rar/.r00 files, but IIRC don't include the additional extensions used when there's more than 100 parts, this has bitten me a few times in fact since multi-rar's going up into at least the low .s00 range is posted regularly in several groups,. EasyNews has "extension search, using that I found an examples going all the way up to {66 (via r/s/t/u/v/w/x/y/z/{). I can send you the search string or a nzb for that or some more sane (say going to .t00 or .u00) example if you want to try to compact them.

However, when the extension hits .z00 it collides with a rare form of multi-zip and I have to question the sanity of anyone who split into that many parts anyway so I don't suggest actually handling these abominations, but it may make sense to compact at least .s00 series (it's not common, but not really rare either) and possibly .t00 type extensions (rare, but not quite insane) too.

It wouldn't solve all cases but perhaps you could add a heuristic that if it would result in file name without dots, it's RAR and not MasterSplitter?

So, essentially if it has no extension, don't assemble it, is what you're suggesting? That sounds like a good idea.

It seems a reasonable and quick guess that should be fairly safe, files without extensions are rare.

Thinking it through it probably wouldn't be that hard to actually check it instead! RAR files have a specific signature in the beginning (first four bytes is always Rar! ) and since the multi-rar files are valid RAR files they too have that same signature while a MasterSplitter file is highly unlikely to have that.

So, if first and second file both have Rar! signature in the front it's a multi-rar set, don't assemble it, any other case behave as before and assemble (if it's not a MasterSplitter file it's corrupt and need a PAR2 file anyway). If you want to be really paranoid check the first X files for Rar! signature instead (tune X based on paranoia level).

[Quade]

There's 3 generations of RARs

Old Old school - File.001
Old school - .r01
Current - partXX.rar.

On a related not I see that NewsBin Pro compacts .rar/.r00 files, but IIRC don't include the additional extensions used when there's more than 100 parts, this has bitten me a few times in fact since multi-rar's going up into at least the low .s00 range is posted regularly in several groups,. EasyNews has "extension search, using that I found an examples going all the way up to {66 (via r/s/t/u/v/w/x/y/z/{). I can send you the search string or a nzb for that or some more sane (say going to .t00 or .u00) example if you want to try to compact them.

PM me an example. 6 compacts through the other letters too.

[tl]

PM me an example. 6 compacts through the other letters too.

Indeed, I just checked on example (which had up to t51). Now I'm suddenly not sure if I'm wrong and this was from v5, I'll keep an eye out and report it if I find examples.