Why do compression and decompression tools change the file order?

Have you ever encountered such trouble: you worked hard to compress files, only to find that the order of the files was completely out of order after decompression? In fact, it's not your fault, but the compression and decompression tool may not keep the original file order when processing files. So, why is this happening? Let's explore the reasons behind it!

Working principle of compression tool

The main task of compression tool is to compress files or folders into a single file to save storage space or facilitate transmission. In this process, the compression tool will analyze the structure of files and folders and adopt specific algorithms to determine how to compress data most effectively. However, these algorithms sometimes change the original order of files and folders.

Processing mode of decompression tool

The decompression tool will attempt to restore the original file and folder structure. However, because different decompression tools may adopt different algorithms and strategies, they may not be able to completely restore the original file order. In addition, if the compressed file itself contains multiple files and folders, the decompression tool may sort the files according to the file type, name or other factors, resulting in a change in the order.

Differences in file systems

Different file systems (such as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, etc. ) Different rules may also be adopted when storing and managing files. Therefore, when files are decompressed on different file systems, the file order may change.

solution

You can use the same decompression tool as the original compression tool, check the settings of the decompression tool, manually sort files and folders in the desired order, and then compress them, or use a third-party tool or script to restore the original file order.

explain

If you create RAR files with WinRAR compression tools on Windows and decompress them with different decompression tools on Linux, the file order may change. To solve this problem, you can use WinRAR-compatible decompression tools (such as 7-Zip) on Linux, or manually adjust the order of files and folders before decompression.