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Blog entry by Danny Gresswell

Simplify A01 File Handling – FileMagic

Simplify A01 File Handling – FileMagic

boxshot-filemagic-combo.pngAn A01 file typically works as the second segment in a divided archive where a larger file was broken into numbered chunks, and the easiest way to identify it is by checking for sibling files with the same base name—if you see a .ARJ plus .A00, .A01, .A02, etc., it’s almost certainly an ARJ multi-volume set where .ARJ is the main index and the numbered files store the data, meaning extraction should start from the .ARJ, not A01; if no .ARJ exists but .A00 and higher numbers are present, it still points to a split set where .A00 is the first volume, and tools like 7-Zip or WinRAR can confirm by opening the starter file, with failures often caused by missing parts or gaps in the sequence, which indicates A01 is just a fragment, not a standalone file.

A "split" or "multi-volume" archive is an archive intentionally cut into sequential pieces to meet size restrictions, generating files like `backup.a00`, `backup.a01`, `backup.a02` where each volume carries a portion of the data; A01 in that context is simply the second volume and won’t open alone because the initial structure and index reside in the first chunk or a main file like `.ARJ`, so extraction tools begin with `.ARJ` or `.A00` and fetch volumes in order, failing with errors such as "unexpected end of archive" if any segment is missing or damaged.

You often see an A01 because many archival tools historically used a volume-based naming scheme where the letters/numbers indicate the sequence—A00 as the opener, A01 as the next—making reassembly straightforward for extraction software; ARJ archives exemplify this, with .ARJ as the main index and A00/A01 storing most data, and other splitters follow the same pattern, which is why A01 shows up any time an archive spans multiple parts and often confuses users when the first piece isn’t present.

For those who have any issues about where by along with the way to work with A01 file support, it is possible to e mail us from the page. To open or extract an A01 set correctly, remember A01 relies on the first volume for structure, so check that every numbered volume is present (`backup.a00`, `backup.a01`, `backup.a02`) and shares the base name; if a `.ARJ` exists, open that as the main index, otherwise open `.A00` in 7-Zip/WinRAR, allowing the tool to follow the sequence automatically, and if errors like CRC failures occur, they typically stem from missing or corrupted parts.

To confirm what your A01 belongs to almost instantly, group files by filename and inspect whether you have a .ARJ plus A00/A01/A02—clear evidence of an ARJ multi-volume archive needing .ARJ as the opener; if .ARJ is absent but .A00 exists, start with .A00 and test it via 7-Zip/WinRAR → Open archive, then ensure no numbers in the sequence are missing and that file sizes look consistent, because missing or corrupted volumes are the top reasons extraction won’t succeed.

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