The file extension R30 is defined as part of a RAR archive which has been created with the WinRAR file compression and archive utility application. WinRAR is used to backup large files which are separated into parts. The files are then compressed in an archive format to help save on disk space and transmission time while providing data protection.
RAR stands for Roshal Archive since the archive file format was created by Eugene Roshal, a Russian software engineer. The WinRAR compression utility application was created and copyrighted by Roshal’s older brother.
WinRAR typically creates compressed archives using the RAR file extension, but because the files are large and divided into parts, the file extension R30 is one in a series of multi-volume compressed archives. When the large files are split into parts, they are commonly referred to as volumes.
The volumes created with older versions of WinRAR begin with RAR for the initial volume and then are created in succession such as R01, R02, R03, R04, etc. By this system, the file extension R30 is part of a large file archive which can potentially range up to R99.
How to Open R30 Files
Since the R30 file extension is one volume of a multi-volume compressed archive, the file must be used with other parts in the volume. Although the WinRAR application only registers file archives up to R29, the R30 file can still be opened along with other volumes in the archive using the WinRAR compression and archive utility program.
The WinRAR utility application is available as a free trial on the WinRAR website and is designed for use with the Windows operating system. If you are using Mac OS X or Linux, you can use RAR for Mac OS X or RAR for Linux both of which are available for download on the RARLab website.
R30 files can also be opened using other compression utility applications. If you are using the Windows operating system, you can open R30 files using WinZip 16.5 which is capable of opening and extracting a broad range of compressed archive files. WinZip 16.5 is developed by Corel and is available in a free trial version on the WinZip website.
You can also opt to use StuffIt Deluxe 2010 or 7-Zip which are alternative compression utility applications capable of handling RAR files. StuffIt Deluxe 2010 is available for download on the Smith Micro website and 7-Zip is open source and available as a free download on the 7-Zip.org website. Both applications work with Windows and the Z-Zip utility will also work with Linux and UNIX using the port of the command line version.
For Mac OS X, other compression utility programs which will open the file extension R30 include Dare to be Creative Archiver which is available in a free trial version on the Archiver App website. StuffIt Deluxe 2011 will also open R30 on a Mac PC. StuffIt Deluxe 2011 is available for download on the Smith Micro website.
Mac OS X users can also opt to open the file extension R30 using Corel WinZip Mac Edition, which is a compression utility application for Mac. WinZip Mac Edition is available in a free trial version on the WinZip website.
