rar files i have recently downloaded some stuff from various sites, and some of them are socalled .rar files. What are they, and how do I make them work? I tried using the TS2 bodeshop installer, but no go
you need a program like winRAR which opens and installs a multitude of downloads... Also filemaid2 installs and places your downloads in the proper places... and it can handle all kinds of files. both can be downloaded from the web; filemaid is free, winRAR is free for 30 days or something like that and then they ask you to pay for it, but you are on the honor system.
MTS2 has the Q-Xpress Installer, too. I use that all the time now, even for downloads from other sites besides MTS2. Very quick and convenient.
I think the deal with WinRAR is that they don't really expect you to pay if you just use the program to decompress RAR files. The decompression algorithm is not exactly a state secret as otherwise 3rd party applications like File Maid and qXpress wouldn't be able to unscramble RAR files. The real element of the honor system comes into play in the area of RAR archive creation. There are plenty of utilities to decompress a RAR archive but there are few that will create one. Technically speaking, I suspect that using an unregistered version of WinRAR to create a RAR archive is illegal ... of course one has to wonder how many of those who only make their downloads available in RAR form have actually paid for the software Meanwhile for those who like their utilities utterly free and utterly legal there is always 7-zip, which is open source software and therefore free to any, and every, one.
