Reading Large .Tar File...

[Lie-in King]

I'm hoping someone here can help when the Skype Forum has (so far) failed. This was my question to them - https://tinyurl.com/a5z7485h

Can anyone think of a way around this?

I know it's daft, but Lynne & I were on Skype every day & to be able to keep & read our messages would mean a great deal to me.

Thank you for your time & attention :-)

[barry1010]

Sorry, LIK, but my browser won't open that link - unsafe. Can you copy and paste your question?

[Lie-in King]

Odd, it's only a Q on the Skype forum, Barry & all my browsers are happy with it. If no-one can access it, I'll try but it'll mean faffing about with inserting imgbb pics in my post.

[Buenchico]

I know what I'd try but I haven't got the slightest idea about whether it would actually work or not:

Install 7-Zip.
https://www.7-zip.org/

Create an otherwise empty folder and put the .tar file inside it.

Go to that location and right-click on the file.

Select 7-Zip > Extract here.

If 7-Zip can successfully unpack the .tar file, all of its component parts will then be inside the folder you created. (I'm unsure as to whether further work might be needed with those files to make them readable though).

[Buenchico]

Here's Lie-in King's link without the Tinyurl redirection (which, I think, is causing the problem), Barry:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/skype/forum/all/opening-tar-file-of-downloaded-msgs/70e6a727-5b0c-4f0c-a428-298a3bedf286

[THECORBYLOON]

This link indicates WinZip can be used to open a .tar file.

https://www.winzip.com/en/learn/file-formats/tar/

[Lie-in King]

^ Ta for that, Chris. I've done the 7-Zip stuff & the folder is on my desktop, but as you can see from my Q, I appear to run out memory in the browser (I think?). Is there a way to increase a browser's memory so I can access this huge file?

[barry1010]

Thanks, Buen

[Buenchico]

I'm getting confused, Lie-in King.

If I've read it right, you started with a file with a .tar extension, that you've already decompressed. So what are you left with now? (It should be a different file, or collection of files, that you now need to work with).

[Gromit]

Whatever you do, duplicate the file and save a couple of copies to a memory stick.

It is an archive format so Zip might open it. But the files within might not be readable, or may be full of extraneous code and gobbldy gook.

Good luck.

[THECORBYLOON]

CHRIS, would something like this be able to extract the relevant message content from the .tar file?

https://peazip.github.io/tar-windows.html

[Buenchico]

Is this what you're already done, Lie-in King?
https://i.postimg.cc/gjszN4Pq/Tar.jpg
. . . and have you downloaded the file viewer?
https://go.skype.com/skype-parser

[Buenchico]

TCL: As this thread develops, it's beginning to seem to me that Lie-in King has got past the stage of actually extracting the .tar file and is now trying to make use of its contents. So neither 7-Zip (as suggested by me above) or the software in your link will now help, as LiK has already done that bit. (I might be wrong though!)

[Lie-in King]

Chris @ 16:19 - yes, that's what I've done. I have the "messages.json" file but everything I've tried to open it with gives the "out of memory" fail.

[Buenchico]

>>> "everything I've tried to open it"

Does that include the viewer from my second link at 1619?

[Lie-in King]

Yes, as in my Q on Skype, was the first one I tried.

[barry1010]

I have no sensible suggestions, sorry

[Buenchico]

Try downloading and installing WebbIE. It's a simple text-based browser that's designed for use by visually-handicapped people in conjunction with their screen readers. It might be capable of opening the HTML file:
https://www.webbie.org.uk/webbrowser/index.htm
(Note: Windows might try to block the installation of what it sees as unknown software but you can safely override the block and proceed anyway).

[Radagast]

How big is messages.json?

[Lie-in King]

Tried WebbIE, it didn't recognise the json file at all.

Radagast - it's 97.3 Mb.

[Lie-in King]

I'm perplexed as to why Skype's own viewer won't work, surely I can't be the first person to want to access a large file of messages? I'll leave this until Monday & then try to find someone to talk to at Microsoft.

Thank you all for your input & I'll post here if I make make any progress after a phone call...