ZIP files are a great way to bundle together groups of related files while cutting down on storage space. That said, they also introduce a single point of failure. If that ZIP file is damaged or corrupted, all of a sudden you can’t access your files. Whether you’re dealing with files on a hard drive or stored on another sort of media, this can be a big problem. Fortunately, thanks to Recovery ToolBox for ZIP, a damaged ZIP file doesn’t mean that your files are gone for good.
System Requirements
Another bit of good news is that you don’t need a supercomputer in order to use this software to recover your data. The Recovery Toolbox for ZIP website doesn’t mention any hardware requirements for running the software. As long as your computer supports one of the required operating system versions, you should be fine. Any modern version of Windows can run Recovery Toolbox for ZIP. For home versions, this means Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and Windows 10. For server versions, Windows Server 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, and above are supported.
Features
Recovery Toolbox for ZIP can recover both standard generic ZIP files as well as WinZip archives. That said, it is limited to this sort of file. If you need to recover RAR files, Recovery Toolbox has a different tool available for that purpose. The software uses several different recovery algorithms, all aimed at minimizing potential data loss. In addition to checking for recoverable data, it can check the integrity of this data. After the program completes its analysis, you’ll get a report of what data it is able to recover. The software can repair ZIP archives above 4GB in size, which is good for large photo or video archives. It can also work with files with CRC errors. Recovery Toolbox for ZIP is even able to recover files over LAN or password-protected files, though in the latter case you’ll need to know the password.
Using Recovery Toolbox for ZIP
Recovery Toolbox for ZIP works in a wizard-style presentation. You launch the app, and it walks you through all the required steps. This makes it fairly easy to use. First, launch the app and select the ZIP file with files you want to recover. Then hit Next and the software will begin scanning the archive to see what data it can recover. How long this takes varies based on how large the file is and how fast your computer is. Once the analysis is complete, you’ll see a view of the data the software was able to recover. You get a tree-style folder hierarchy on the left and a closer look at the data on the right. Here you can also select the exact files you wish to recover, assuming you don’t need to recover every single file. Now, hit the Next button again, and the app will ask you where you want to save the recovered files. Once you’ve chosen, it will go through and recover the files you requested. After this has finished, you can safely close the app.
Pricing
There are different pricing tiers for Recovery Toolbox for ZIP, but none of them are prohibitively expensive. A personal license to use the software on a single computer will cost you just $27. If you’re using the software for your business or in a corporate setting, you’ll need a Business License, which costs $45. That covers a single license, but if you need to run the software on multiple computers, you can opt for a Site License. A Site License costs $60 and enables you to run the software on up to 100 different devices. This even allows for installing the software across different buildings, so it’s ideal for larger companies.
Conclusion
Like the other tools from Recovery Toolbox, this is something you probably hope you never need. In a perfect world, our files would never need the type of rescue this app promises. That said, when you suddenly need to retrieve a file from an old ZIP archive that no longer opens, you’ll be glad Recovery Toolbox for ZIP exists. Whether you should buy the app now or wait until you’re sure you need it is another matter. If you work frequently with ZIP files, the price is low enough that you should buy the software to have handy. If you’re not sure, you can always opt for the free trial, which lets you see if your data is recoverable before you pay for the software.
