What are PAR files?
PAR files are not used that commonly in abpc at the present time, but where they do occur they are files that can be used to fill in a hole or two in the comic posted. For example, if you are missing only a page or two from Fantastic Four #250, but you have PAR files from it (files with a .PAR, .P01, .P02, etc., extension), a program called SmartPar was originally used to recover the missing files, but has been superceded by FSRaid.
Often, a set of PAR files is posted accompanying an RAR file set. PAR files are parity recovery files that can be used to recovery missing or corrupted segments of an RAR file set. The PAR files usually have names such as file.part01.p01, file.part01.p02, etc.; you may also see file.part01.par, but generally PAR files begin with .p01. If all of the segments of a RAR file set are present and valid, you do not need any of the PAR files. However, if any RAR segment is missing or corrupted, it can be recovered by using a PAR file. It takes one PAR file to recover each missing or damaged RAR segment. So if a file is posted with 10 PAR sections, up to 10 damaged or missing RAR segments can be recovered. The only exception to this is the PAR segment with the .par extension. The .par file is optional and contains only information about what files are part of the set; it does not contain recovery information. Usually, .par files are not used; they are never needed. The actual recovery PAR files
