What is PAK file?

[HiddenStupid]

What is PAK and DAT file?

I use win dir stat program which allocate all files for me to be neat and easy to delete stuff.... I delete most my movie file and game files and exe... ect... but it shows that PAK and DAT file is taking more space in my hard drive.

What is those file? what is it?

 

[Namslas90]

PAK-Compressed Archive File
DAT- data files (ie; ASCII files)

 

[DRDNA]

HiddenStupid you can sometimes open dats with notepad ...I use the extention dat in order to get exicutables past firewalls .....P2P uses them for the building of incomin files ..renaming a .exe to a .dat will normally work as long as the server doesnt strip the header.

 

[hat]

.pak files were used by id for games like Quake. .pak files were simply folders with an extention designed to be used for the games that used the .pak files. .pk3 and .pk4 are .pak files with compression, .pk4 bieng more efficent of course.

 

[HiddenStupid]

Is PAK and DAT file safe to delete? Is it like an EXE file? analogy like gun shells? you shoot and the shell squirt out and it is worthless.... something like that?

or PAK and DAT file is like perminent file? we delete and dont make our game work?

 

[Frick]

Is PAK and DAT file safe to delete? Is it like an EXE file? analogy like gun shells? you shoot and the shell squirt out and it is worthless.... something like that?

or PAK and DAT file is like perminent file? we delete and dont make our game work?

I probably will make the game unusable. As said, .pak-files are simply folder with textures and sounds etc.. If you delete it, this game won't have anything to go on.

 

[W1zzard]

there is no standardized PAK format. It usually employs manufacturer specific compression or just putting all files into one file for easier organization

 

[Deleted member 3]

Most files of a game are required, you can't just delete files based on extension either. What are you trying to accomplish?

 

[newconroer]

You ask if they are safe to delete, yet I'm more curious about this 'win dir stat program,' and that you're comfortable deleting executable and dll files but not .pak or .dat ....

You shouldn't have many .pak files just randomly appearing on your system. They would be relevant to some application, so if you properly remove said software then they should automatically get removed as well.

Where are you finding these files?

Answer Dan's question too.

 

[Frick]

Maybe he removes games without installing them?