How to fix corrupt self-extracting zip files

Self-extracting files are executable programs which contain a zip file and a small program to extract the contents of a zip file. You can create self-extracting zip files by using WinZip plug-in. A self-extracting zip file can be opened on a computer which doesn't have WinZip or a compatible extracting utility. However, at certain times, when you try and extract information from a self-extracting zip file, you may receive an error. An error signals a possible corruption in the zip file. Therefore, in order to retrieve information from the corrupt self-extracting zip file, you can either download it again or use the valid backup. If nothing works, it would be required of you to look for appropriate zip repair solutions.

Consider a scenario, wherein, you receive a self-extracting zip file via e-mail, and when you try and extract the compressed files, you may receive the following error:

“WinZip Self-Extractor Header Corrupt. Possible Cause: Bad Disk Or File Transfer Error”

A zip file's header contains all the information regarding the file including file creation date, size and more. In event of header corruption, it becomes impossible to retrieve important information stored in the compressed files.

Cause
The above error could erupt in any of the following conditions:

If a file gets damaged during the download process
If your computer is infected by virus like CIH which has several other names including W95.CIH, Chernobyl, Spacefiller

Resolution
In order to fix the above error, you can try the following zip recovery steps:

• Phone line noises and other factors may disrupt file download, making it corrupt. Hence, you can download the file again to resolve the problem
• If repeated attempts do not yield any results, it shows that your computer may be infected. In such situations, you must run a reliable virus scanner with the latest virus updates. It is a good practice to scan all executable files for viruses.
• If you are still not able to retrieve the files, then you must opt for a professional zip repair software. Such third-party tools scan your corrupt zip files by applying improved scanning algorithms and retrieve your data efficiently.