Member Avatar for mariko

First of all, I would like to apologize if I have posted this in the wrong forum. If I have made this mistake, please tell me where this should be placed and I will quickly fix that.

Okay, now to the problem. I downloaded a zip file and extracted it into a file called Game on my desktop. I extracted it. There is an executable file along with a bunch of folders. I put and extracted other zip files into the folders I just mentioned. Then, I tried to run the executable file and got this message:

Archive: /home/amber/Desktop/Game/ePSXe/ePSXe.exe
[/home/amber/Desktop/Game/ePSXe/ePSXe.exe]
End-of-central-directory signature not found. Either this file is not
a zipfile, or it constitutes one disk of a multi-part archive. In the
latter case the central directory and zipfile comment will be found on
the last disk(s) of this archive.
zipinfo: cannot find zipfile directory in one of /home/amber/Desktop/Game/ePSXe/ePSXe.exe or
/home/amber/Desktop/Game/ePSXe/ePSXe.exe.zip, and cannot find /home/amber/Desktop/Game/ePSXe/ePSXe.exe.ZIP, period.


Did my zip file not extract correctly? I am a total noob and have no idea where to begin making changes.

Thanks in advance!

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Dani AI

Generated

Short summary and practical checks (builds on ’s point about associations). The archive tool tried to open the file as a ZIP. That either means the file is a Windows executable (PE) or a self‑extracting archive (SFX). If it’s a plain PE binary, archive tools will report a missing central directory because there is no ZIP structure to read.

Useful terminal checks (run from the folder containing ePSXe.exe):

file ePSXe.exe
7z l ePSXe.exe
unzip -l ePSXe.exe
7z t ePSXe.exe
unzip -t ePSXe.exe

Interpretation: file shows whether the file is “PE32 executable” (Windows program) or “Zip archive data” (an archive). 7z l or unzip -l will list contents if it’s really an archive. If the list/test commands report “End-of-central-directory signature not found,” the file is either not a ZIP, truncated/corrupted, or part of a multi‑part archive (look for accompanying .z01/.z02 files). Multi‑part sets must all be present before extraction will succeed.

Fixes and options

  • If it’s a Windows program (PE) and the goal is to run it on Linux, use Wine or a Windows VM (install p7zip/wine as needed). Example: wine ePSXe.exe (only with a trusted source).
  • If it’s an SFX, 7z x ePSXe.exe often extracts embedded files.
  • If the archive is corrupted or incomplete, re‑download from the official site and verify integrity with sha256sum (or compare file size/checksum if provided).

Safety notes
Avoid running unknown .exe files on a primary system. Prefer verifying source and running inside a VM or sandbox. If the problem persists after these checks, the download source or mirror is likely at fault.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for rubberman

It has to do with the associations of application and file extensions. If you right click on the .exe file, open properties, and then click on the tool icon, you will get a form that shows what applications are associated with that extension. You can change, or move them up/down to change the default. So, the system thinks .exe is another name for .zip... :-). A Windows exe file may run in the Wine environment, but you need to make sure you have Wine installed. Then you may be able to run it as an application in Linux.

Member Avatar for mariko

Thank you so much! You are absolutely right.

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