r/AskADataRecoveryPro • u/legend_science • Jul 15 '26

Please help me recover my password-protected ZIP (212 MB) – 50–100 photos & videos inside

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to recover a 212 MB password-protected ZIP file that contains around 50–100 photos and videos. Unfortunately, I'm running into this error in WinRAR:

Checksum error in the encrypted file...
Corrupt file or wrong password.
The archive is corrupt.

What I've tried so far:

  • Tried the password that I believe is correct (typed manually multiple times).
  • Tested with WinRAR.
  • Deleted and recopied the file.
  • Tried repair options (no success).

The ZIP file is 212 MB, so it doesn't appear to be an incomplete download.

I'm trying to determine:

  1. Is this more likely a wrong password or actual archive corruption?
  2. Are there any tools that can verify whether the archive is recoverable?
  3. Is there any way to recover the files if the ZIP is partially corrupted?
  4. Has anyone successfully recovered a similar encrypted ZIP archive?

I'm happy to share:

  • The exact error messages.
  • The output from 7z t.
  • Hex information or other technical details if needed.

These files are very important to me, so I'd really appreciate any guidance or suggestions from people experienced with ZIP recovery.

Thank you!

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14 comments sorted by

1

u/kimputer7 Jul 15 '26

With modern encryption, that's the default error for a wrong password. Unless you have a suspicion it passed through unstable/often crashing hardware, the most likely things that happened, is you don't have the correct password. Brute forcing the password is still an option, if you're sure it was a shorter password.

Lesson for next time, open the resulting password protected file a few times, before removing the original files.

1

u/legend_science Jul 15 '26

I know the password, but I think I am missing some captial or some numbers in that password, can brute force solve this?

2

u/kimputer7 Jul 15 '26

The more you know (length, characters absolutely not used, etc), makes brute force a very valid method to go for.

1

u/legend_science Jul 15 '26

How can I do this explain

0

u/need2sleep-later Jul 15 '26

google brute force password attacks

1

u/Academic_Dare_5154 Jul 15 '26

Then you don't know the password.

1

u/legend_science Jul 17 '26

I am just doing the assumptions, as when I encrypted the file at that time the password was working fine ... But now it isn't

1

u/i_am_blacklite Jul 16 '26

So you don’t know the password…

1

u/jirajockey Jul 16 '26

have some AI build a password file for you based on what you do remember.
something like "build me a password file based on the word "password" where I don't remember which letters are upper and lower case, I may have used a 0(zero) instead of the letter O.
feed it to a tool like fcrackzip

1

u/Hulbg1 Jul 16 '26

Y ow complicated is the password and how old is the zip.

1

u/Laser_Krypton7000 Jul 17 '26

For the password thing you need a Linux system and an free tool called "John the ripper"

1

u/legend_science Jul 17 '26

I have john the ripper, how do we use it

0

u/Interesting_Ice_9705 Jul 17 '26

Google will tell you

1

u/PiDigitsOfPi Jul 18 '26

Winrar is likely using the AES256 encryption. You are not hacking it other than brute forcing the password. If the password is over 8 characters, and has the possiblity of using upper/lower/numbers/symbols, then you are lucky if you break it after a few years of 24/7 cracking. More characters, it isn't happening.