Compressed archives are a quick and easy way of both storing and sharing large files and directories over the internet without straining internet connections or network bandwidth. However, since most compressed archives require specialised software to open, they might not instantly work on any PC you transfer them to for extraction.
In this article, we’re talking about the 7zip header error, its causes and what you can do to fix the problem.
What causes this error?
The error can actually be triggered by a number of different reasons. Some of the most common causes include:
- Corrupt ZIP archive.
- Malware or virus infection.
- 7zip or other compatible ZIP extraction programs aren’t installed.
- Incomplete or corrupt installation.
- Storage issues.
Also read: What to do when main SSD is full?
How to fix this?
Here are six fixes you can try out.
Restart your PC
The first thing you should do in such situations is to try and restart your PC. Restarting your PC can fix a bunch of seemingly random issues that occur without any explanation whatsoever.
Check the file
Next up, check to see if the file was downloaded (or transferred) properly. Compare the file size to another reference file to see if it’s complete. It’s recommended that you scrap the erroneous file and transfer it again from the source, whether it’s the internet or a local storage medium to ensure file integrity before trying to extract it again.
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Use Command Prompt to repair the file
You can also use the Windows Command Prompt to quickly repair corrupted or invalid ZIP files. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for Command Prompt. Click Run as administrator from the search results.
Step 2: Run the following command. Make sure to replace filename.zip with your actual ZIP file name.
"C:\Program Files\WinZip\wzzip" –yf filename.zip
Once the command has successfully run, try extracting your file again and it should work just fine.
Use another extraction tool
The issue can also arise from problems within the default Windows unzipping program or 7zip itself. A third-party extraction tool such as WinRAR can help resolve the problem as they’re often better at properly reading and extracting compressed archives.
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Run the Check Disk utility
The error can very well be a sign of your boot drive failing to perform as it should. Try running the check disk utility to check whether or not your storage drives are, in fact, functional.
You can refer to our detailed guide here on how to run the check disk utility
Scan for malware
The issue can also arise from malware infections. Run an antivirus or antimalware scan using the security program of your choice to see if that helps fix the problem. Here’s how you can run a full scan on your PC using Windows Security.
Step 1: Press the Windows key and search for Windows Security. Click the corresponding search result.
Step 2: Click Virus & threat protection.
Step 3: Click Scan options.
Step 4: Select Full scan and click Scan now to start scanning your PC for malware.
Restart your PC and try again.
Also read: How to zip and unzip files in Windows 10?
