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Archives & Compression

Compressed containers and disk images used to package files for transfer, backup, software distribution, encryption, and long-term storage.

Popular Archives & Compression Extensions

.ZIPArchives

ZIP Compressed Archive

Universal lossless data compression and file container archive format.

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.RARArchives

Roshal Archive Compressed File

Proprietary compressed archive format created by Eugene Roshal with recovery records.

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.7ZArchives

7-Zip Compressed Archive

Open-source compressed archive format with ultra-high LZMA/LZMA2 compression ratio.

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.AD1Archives

AD1 File Format

AD1 is AccessData/Exterro's logical evidence image format, created by FTK Imager to preserve selected files and folders for digital forensics. Learn how to identify, open, and handle AD1 files safely.

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.TARArchives

TAR File Format

TAR (Tape Archive) is a UNIX standard archive format that consolidates multiple files, file metadata, and directory trees into a single uncompressed stream.

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.GZArchives

GZ File Format

GZ is a single-file compression format created by Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler for the GNU project using the DEFLATE algorithm as a free replacement for compress.

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.TGZArchives

TGZ File Format

TGZ (short for .tar.gz) is a TAR directory archive compressed with GNU Gzip software, serving as the standard Linux software distribution format.

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.ISOArchives

ISO File Format

ISO is an uncompressed sector-by-sector disk image archive of an optical media disc (CD, DVD, or Blu-ray) following the ISO 9660 or UDF filesystem standard.

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.DMGArchives

DMG File Format

DMG is a mountable Apple Disk Image file format used on macOS to package installer applications, software updates, and encrypted volume disk structures.

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.BZ2Archives

BZ2 File Format

BZ2 is a data compression format developed by Julian Seward using the Burrows-Wheeler block-sorting algorithm to achieve high compression rates.

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.XZArchives

XZ File Format

XZ is a single-file compression container using the LZMA2 algorithm, offering high compression efficiency for open source software source tarballs.

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.CABArchives

CAB File Format

CAB (Cabinet) is an archiving and compression file format developed by Microsoft for packaging system setup files, device drivers, and Windows updates.

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.WIMArchives

WIM File Format

WIM is a file-based disk image format introduced by Microsoft in Windows Vista for deploying operating system installation images.

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.UUArchives

UU File Format

UU is the filename extension commonly used for uuencoded data. A UU file stores binary content as printable ASCII text for transfer through older mail, Usenet, or 7-bit systems; decoding it restores the original file, which may be a ZIP, RAR, PDF, image, audio file, or executable.

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.IFUArchives

IFU File Format

IFU is primarily the uncompressed image format created by All Image from Towodo Software. It can represent a USB flash drive, floppy disk, hard drive, or other storage image; the extension may also appear in device-specific or firmware workflows, so confirm the source before opening it.

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.HOTArchives

HOT File Format

HOT is primarily a game-data extension used for The Sims sound resources and 4x4 Evolution hot-lap records. These files are normally referenced by the game rather than opened as standalone documents.

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.TIBArchives

TIB File Format

TIB is the Acronis True Image backup format used for disk images, system recovery, and file-level backup versions. Open it with compatible Acronis recovery software rather than a general archive utility.

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.TIBXArchives

TIBX File Format

TIBX is Acronis' newer backup format used for backup chains and cloud or local protection workflows. It is not interchangeable with every legacy TIB archive, so restore it with the Acronis product and version that created it.

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.IPKArchives

IPK File Format

IPK is the package format used by opkg on embedded Linux systems such as OpenWrt. It is an ar archive containing package metadata and compressed control and data payloads for installation on a target device.

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.XCIArchives

XCI File Format

XCI is a Nintendo Switch gamecard image format containing a gamecard filesystem and application data. It is used for lawful archival and system workflows, not as a general-purpose document.

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.GHOArchives

GHO File Format

GHO is the native Norton Ghost image extension for sector-level copies of disks or partitions. A GHO image can contain an entire file system and may be accompanied by split segments such as .GHS files.

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.NSPArchives

NSP File Format

NSP is a Nintendo Switch submission-package container used for packaged eShop software, updates, downloadable content, and system components. It is not a general-purpose archive and should only be handled with authorized software and lawfully obtained content.

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.RPAArchives

RPA File Format

RPA is the archive format used by the Ren'Py visual novel engine to package game assets such as images, audio, scripts, and other resources. The archive is normally read by the Ren'Py runtime or compatible extraction tools rather than opened as a standalone document.

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If extraction fails with CRC errors, the archive may be partially downloaded or corrupted.

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