Repair & Diagnostics

Three repair modes (test, repair central directory, salvage), diagnostic analysis with header verification, and a visual archive map.

Test Integrity

Verify CRC32 of selected or all entries with per-entry pass/fail reporting. Decompresses data to detect silent corruption that CRC alone might not catch. Run from the menu or CLI: BrutalZip.exe --test archive.zip.

Repair Central Directory

Fix corrupted central directory structure by scanning for local file headers and rebuilding the directory. This fixes the most common corruption type — where the central directory at the end of the archive is damaged but individual file data remains intact.

Salvage to New Archive

Create a new archive from all recoverable entries in a damaged archive. Uses raw binary copy as a fallback for entries that can’t be cleanly decompressed. The original archive is left untouched.

Diagnostic Analysis

Deep inspection of archive structure: local header signature verification, size mismatch detection (local vs. central directory), overlap detection (data extending into the next entry or central directory), data descriptor detection, and encryption type identification (ZipCrypto/AES with strength level).

Visual Archive Map

A colour-coded visual map shows the physical layout of entries within the archive file. Each entry is drawn proportionally, with colour indicating status: green for healthy, yellow for warnings, red for errors. Click any entry to see its details. Helps identify where corruption starts and which entries are affected.