.rra extension?

[twichell]

Found the following in my temp folder: "227.rra" along with 2/3 others.
Cannot find the meaning of the extension. Can you explain? Be deleted? Each file has 4768 kbs.

Laura Twichell

[Sylvander]

See extensions here
http://www.uni-koeln.de/themen/Graphik/ImageProcessing/fileext.html

Could it be related to ".ra" perhaps?
This is a "RealAudio" music file format and the file size is about right for that.

[twichell]

Think these files have been generated by my husband, who does a lot of audio work. Wondering why there are 3 files the same size, same date, same size. Can they be deleted? Also, am unable to open them to see contents? Why is that? Will talk to him per your explanation. Thanks.

Laura

[Sylvander]

I've just noticed you said these are in your temp folder, so yes, you should be able to delete them.

Go to:
"Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup"
then select "C:" in the "Select Drive" dialog and OK it.

Tick the box to delete the "Temporary Files" [and anything else you want rid of] and OK it.

[twichell]

OK, but why can't I open them to see what they are?

Laura

[Sylvander]

You don't know that you as a user cannot open these files until you check to see if files with that extension are provided for in your registry.

To check:
Run “Regedit”, open “HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT” and scroll down to look for “.rra” [or failing that “.ra”].

I have “.ra” [not “.rra”].
When I open the key the data reads:
“ramFile”.
When I scroll down to “ramFile” and open the key, the default data reads:
“RealMedia file”.
When I go to “ramFile\Shell\Open\Command”, the default data reads:
"C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\mplayer2.exe" /Play "%L"
Which is the program used to open files with the extension “.ra”.

I can only guess that “mplayer2.exe” creates temporary files [with the extension “.rra”] when doing its work, and that these files should be deleted when the track has finished playing or as “mplayer2.exe” is closed, but your PC crashed and these were not cleaned away as they should be.

It is probably not intended that the user should ever open or view the contents of these files, which only “mplayer2.exe” can read and use.

[twichell]

Thank you for the lengthy explanation. Did as you stated, however, there is no key for either 'rra' or ra'. Have a brand new system...XP. However, these files had to have been on a backup disk from the old 98SE, which crashed numerous times. Thus were copied onto the new XP OS when we copied over files. Have I got this right? Turns out there were 4 files, same size(4768 kb) and same date and time. I have deleted them(after talking to my husband and showing him what you said). Thanks again for the speedy explanation.

Laura Twichell

[Sylvander]

The business of copying files from one system of hardware to another has its dangers.

The secret of success is to copy only [data] files that are not pointed to or addressed in the registry [or any other configuration file]. Such files can be moved around or deleted with no adverse consequences [at least I cannot think of any]. If a file is pointed to and you delete or move it then something is going to fail to work.

I like to make a couple of backups of the whole C: drive and leapfrog them over each other.
Then if a software problem is introduced [and perhaps Windows will not boot] I re-format the C: drive and restore the backup using a floppy “Disaster Recovery Diskette”. That gives me back a working system.
You have “System Restore” in WinXP, but you cannot use it if Windows will not boot!

[twichell]

OK. Because I'm not very computer knowledgeable I don't quite understand what you mean by:

copy only [data] files that are not pointed to or addressed in the registry [or any other configuration file]. Such files can be moved around or deleted with no adverse consequences [at least I cannot think of any]. If a file is pointed to and you delete or move it then something is going to fail to work.

Likewise, what do you mean by 'leapfrog' one C drive backup over another? How does that work? Can you give me an easy example?

Will make a second backup of C: drive, per your suggestion.

Thanks again for all the help. Have a good 'bowl' New Year!

Laura

[twichell]

Sylvander: Without going into detail, suffice it to say, we used 'system restore' once...and that will be the last time! Instead, use GoBack, which we've found to be vastly superior.

Laura

[Sylvander]

My apologies for the failure to reply promptly, I’ve been away on a New-Year jaunt down to Selkirk, Scotland.

To explain:
1. In the process of normal operation, programs are constantly going to the registry [or some other similar files] to look for information. Programs need this information or they do not know what to do next. Each program is pre-programmed to look in a specific location for the information it needs. Often the information tells of the location of a file to be used. If you move that file then it becomes what is usually known as an “orphaned” file. [It is no longer linked to its “parent” program and the program no longer works because when it goes to find the file it needs it cannot find it.]
In the example I quoted for “.ra” files:
If I was to move “mplayer2.exe” from its home at “C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\”:
When I right-click on an “ra” file and select “Open”, the operation would fail because the program designated to open files of that type would not be found [by Windows Explorer in this case].

LEAPFROGGING
Let’s say you made 3 backups named 1, 2 & 3 at weekly intervals.
In week 1 you make backup 1.
In week 2 you make backup 2.
In week 3 you make backup 3.
In week 4 you update backup 1.
In week 5 you update backup 2.
In week 6 you update backup 3.
Repeat as necessary.

To update backup 1 in week 4 and put it at the head of the set of backups:
[I physically do this with CD-RW disks]
It jumps over 2 & 3 like in a game of “leap-frog”.
Then 2 jumps over 3 & 4; 3 jumps over 4 & 5, etc, etc.

The game of leap-frog is where a number of persons [children] crouch one behind the other supporting themselves by placing their palms on their knees and the person at the rear leaps over each in turn by supporting himself on each persons back. When he reaches the front, the person at the rear jumps over all the others until he reaches the front etc, etc.

From what I’ve heard I think you are right in saying “Go Back” is superior.

[twichell]

Thank you for the explanation. Also, have read many comments regarding GoBack to be superior.
Hope you had a good holiday in Selkirk. BTW, my mother's people are from Edinburgh. She came to the US at age 5. My grandfather, like many other men, had come ahead to get a job(Packard's), then sending money home for she and my grandmother to cross over.

Laura

[Sylvander]

I'm also into Genealogy.

Did you know you can search the Scottish Birth [to 1901], Marriage [to 1926] & Death [to 1951] records online at http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ ?
You can do more than that at the site.
They have the 1901, 1891, 1881 Census info online.
It costs £6 for 30 credits which must be used within 48 hours.
I recommend it.
You can download ".tif" files which show photographic images of the original BMD register entries, and these can be magnified, manipulated, sent to others, printed.
You might see your [g,g,]Grand/father/mother's signature[s] for example.
You can send for Certified Copies of the original BMD register entries by letter or phone.

Using "UK-Info Disk" [year 2000] I can find all persons using a surname [with 1st name initial] in Edinburgh [or the whole of the UK].

Just recently I found [in Aberdeen, Scotland] the father of a Swedish woman. She had never met, known, or communicated with her father. I put them in touch by e-mail and they are now corresponding regularly [by letter, e-mail & perhaps phone] I believe.

I found the family burial plot [and his grave] [in Edinburgh] of [Mrs B] an 85 year-old woman's [she lives in Oregon] husband's father [her children's grandfather whom I shall call "Mr C"] together with 2 of his children by his first marriage [they didn't know he had a 1st wife and 4 sons whom he left behind when he went to the USA (did he desert them?)]. His marriage in the USA broke up and when aging and ill he went home to die in Scotland and was buried by the 1st son of his 1st marriage.
My trip down to Selkirk was to stay as the guest of Mr C's wife's Nephew who I managed to trace also. I keep them in regular contact with each other by phoning Selkirk after recieving e-mails from Oregon and vice-versa. We drove out into the hills to see the farm [and take photographs] where the mother of MR C died aged aged 53 in 1881. The photo's will be sent to Oregon.
The third wife [Mrs K who lives in Massachusetts] of Mrs B's husband's brother [Mr J] made contact and so did Mr J's daughter [Mrs BD in New York]. She is going to visit her father's brother's wife [Mrs B in Oregon] in January for the first time ever.

Interesting or what?

[twichell]

Thanks for the geneology info. Want to get with my mom to confirm dates before registering at the site. Should be interesting. Your discoveries are really something.

Laura