File extension RA
| File type | RealAudio Audio Format |
| Developer | RealNetworks |
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What is a RA file?
RA is an audio file used mainly by RealPlayer for streaming audio data. RA store audio data encoded using the RealAudio technology that utilizes various types of lossless codecs.
RA files are commonly used for web-based radio streaming. The biggest advantage of RA files is their small size which is ideal for streaming data over low bandwidth internet connections. RealNetworks released the RA format in April 1995.
Program(s) that can open the .RA file
Windows
Linux
How to open RA files
If you cannot open the RA file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports RA among those that are installed on your device.
A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the RA file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.
Possible problems with the RA format files
The inability to open and operate the RA file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the RealAudio Audio Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.
- Corruption of a RA file which is being opened
- Incorrect links to the RA file in registry entries.
- Accidental deletion of the description of the RA from the Windows registry
- Incomplete installation of an application that supports the RA format
- The RA file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
- The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the RA file.
- Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a RA file are out of date.
If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the RA file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the RA file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the RA file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.
How to associate the file with an installed software?
If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.RA) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected RA file. From the drop-down menu select "Choose default program", then click "Browse" and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the RA file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.
Is there one way to open unknown files?
Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. RA) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.