Input file
TAR
- Full Name: Unix Standard Archive Format, Tape Archive
- Developer: Jean-loup Gailly
Output file
PAK
- Full Name: Game Resource Package Format
- Developer: N/A
What is TAR file?
The TAR file extension (derived from the word ‘Tape Archive’) is a popular file format used by Consolidated Unix, most versions of Linux, and other distributions. It is used to package multiple files into a single archive, which can then be compressed or uncompressed, usually in the form of a .GZ, .TGZ, or .BZ2 file. TAR files are typically used for transferring large sets of data between networks, and for backing up important data that needs to be preserved over long periods of time. [ ⏩ ] TAR file extension
What is PAK file?
The .PAK file extension is a packed file created by Valve Corporation and used in the development of computer video-games. It is usually associated with the Quake engine and typically contains graphics, levels, music, and other game-related data. The Quake engine is an open source gaming platform used to create many popular and user-friendly video-games. It is one of the most commonly used game engines and has been adopted for use in various popular gaming titles. [ ⏩ ] PAK file extension
Software, that you can use to convert
How to convert the file from TAR to PAK?
To successfully convert the TAR file to PAK, you should install one of the applications from the list. After installing the software, open the program and select the file you want to convert (file-name.TAR). The next step is to select the target format from the list, in this case PAK (usually converters allow you to convert to several different formats, so check out their features - maybe one of the available formats will suit you more than PAK).
What is a file conversion?
A data conversion is normally an automated process to some extent. The effect of the operation of one program is automatically the input product of another application. If that does not happen we need to help the process a little bit and convert the file on our own, e.g. TAR to PAK. To obtain a matched structure of the data, it is necessary to use an appropriate converter.
Program for converting TAR files to PAK files is a kind of a "binary code translator" compensating for the differences in the code or translating it in such a way so that another application could use it. For us, as users, the visible change will be only another file extension. (After converting the file, it will be the extension PAK, while before this step we had the TAR file). For the programs, the difference is on a much higher level – either the application will be able to open a new PAK file, or not.