Traditionally the first choice when it comes to compressing and uncompressing files, WinZip is one of the most popular downloads of all time. Despite the fact that its competitors have caught up somewhat, it remains a simple way to archive programs and reduce file sizes.

Much of WinZip's success has been down to its simplicity. From the outset, the program prompts you to choose between Classic mode and Wizard mode. The wizard is great for beginners, although even the classic interface is easily negotiated, giving you instant access to a range of features such as compression ratios, password-protection and a Favorites list.

While archiving files in WinZip is quick and easy, you can't help but thinking that the program has lost some ground on its competitors. For instance, the compression rates aren’t as high as they are in WinRAR, and you can only save files in Zip format rather than RAR, ISO or JAR.

Nevertheless, WinZip performs its function well, helping you archive files quickly and effectively.

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Some will argue that WinRAR isn’t as quick as rival WinZip at compressing files. However, for the small time difference, WinRAR leaves you with a significantly smaller archived file at the end of the process. What’s more, the application allows you to save files into both .ZIP and .RAR formats, with bunches of options for speeding up compression times and reducing file sizes.

Although many newcomers might be put off by the sheer range of features and settings within WinRAR, the interface doesn’t take long to get accustomed to, and if you’re still really stuck there’s a simple wizard-based system that walks you through the process of extracting or compressing. All this adds up to make WinRAR a dependable utility that performs better than any other tool in its class.

Boasting more compression options, higher compression rates and smaller file sizes than WinZip, WinRAR is now the undisputed market leader in file compression.

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Be warned: when you use the computer or browse the web, you're leaving behind traces of all you movements that can be easily tracked like breadcrumbs.

Luckily there's a way to avoid these clues: use Wipe and you'll be able to delete all those traces from your system in a very efficient way. What's more, Wipe includes support for the standard DoD 5220.22 algorithm, which renders deleted files unrecoverable.

When launched, Wipe performs a system scan in order to detect all the apps installed on your computer. After that, Wipe displays a list of all the supported programs and the items you can delete from them.

The list includes common software like Firefox, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, WinRAR, QuickTime and Outlook Express, and deletes usual items like cookies, history of usage, recent document lists and auto-complete entries, among others. Wipe doesn't show the actual elements you're about to erase though, nor does it let you filter them in any way – which would have been useful in the case of cookies, because you may not want to delete all of them.

Wipe can erase the whole list with a simple click on the "Delete" button, but you can also erase only specific items by right-clicking on them. When finished, the program shows the number of deleted files and the amount of recovered space. The whole process hardly takes a couple of minutes and also generates a log in case you want to see extended details about the deletion process.

With Wipe you can rest assured that your deleted files won't be recovered.

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This application not only includes support for extracting virtually any kind of file compression format, it also reduces file sizes and runs on almost any version of Windows, from 98 to Windows 7.

Some will argue that WinRAR isn’t as quick as rival WinZip at compressing files. However, for the small time difference, WinRAR leaves you with a significantly smaller archived file at the end of the process. What’s more, the application allows you to save files into both .ZIP and .RAR formats, with bunches of options for speeding up compression times and reducing file sizes.

Although many newcomers might be put off by the sheer range of features and settings within WinRAR, the interface doesn’t take long to get accustomed to. If you’re still really stuck there’s a simple wizard-based system that walks you through the process of extracting or compressing. All this adds up to make WinRAR a dependable utility that performs better than any other tool in its class.

Boasting more compression options, higher compression rates and smaller file sizes than WinZip, WinRAR is now the undisputed market leader in file compression.

Recent changes

• Bugs fixed:


• WinRAR did not store NTFS "Compressed" attribute, when creating RAR archives


• WinRAR crashed in command line mode if @filelist parameter was present and 'filelist' did not exist. This bug affected only WinRAR.exe, not RAR.exe


• if -x*\somefolder\* exclusion mask was specified when archiving and if name of current folder contained 'somefolder', WinRAR excluded all files and stopped creating an archive


• GUI self-extracting archives did not work in Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE)

Supported formats

RAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, ACE, TAR, GZip, UUE, ISO, BZIP2, Z, 7-Zip

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The 7-Zip interface is similar to that of its competitors, with a main file manager and a command line to search and select files to extract or compress. The control panel has the essential basics like extract, add and test, as well as copy, move and delete functions to manage your files. 7-Zip extracts and compresses files as fast as WinZip and WinRAR and handles the main archive formats like ZIP, TAR, RAR and ISO.

The archiving process is where 7-Zip differs most from its rivals. Where WinZip only lets you compress to ZIP and WinRAR to RAR or ZIP, 7zip offers you up to 5 different archive formats to choose from. 7-Zip lets you choose the update mode, depending on whether you want to add and replace files, refresh the archive or just synchronize files. If you don’t want somebody opening up your archive without your permission, you can set a password to protect your archive.

We particularly liked the split tool as it can cut up your archive into equal parts which fit on a floppy, CD or DVD, handy if you need to distribute a particularly large archive. Unfortunately, security is where 7-Zip lags behind its main rivals. There is no option to scan archives for viruses and you can’t repair damaged or corrupted files.

7-Zip might not be as secure as WinZip or WinRAR but it is definitely more versatile. It works with more archive formats and offers many useful tools like update mode or splitting. If you feel too limited by WinZip and if you don’t like WinRAR, we suggest giving 7-Zip a try and taking advantage of all its possibilities.

Infinitely more flexible than its most famous rivals, 7-Zip is a great file compression tool.

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It Protects your privacy by preventing others from tracking your internet and web browsing activity. Eliminate wastes from your system by removing history files, cache and other web browsing activity in: Internet Explorer, Netscape, FireFox, Opera Browsers, Microsoft Media Player, Real Player, Kazaa/Morpheus, ICQ, etc.

Easy SpaceGuard enables you to delete the recent listing of documents and materials that you have accessed in Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Word and over 118 popular applications.

You have the flexibility to remove some cookies or document listings while keeping others that you specify. Comprehensive Risk Assessment. Intuitive GUI that allows you to assess your risk of identity theft.

Disk wastes statistic/charts. This version includes a Windows Startup Manager to help you control which programs will launch when you start your computer.

Do you worry about Spyware? Easy SpaceGuard gives you the capability to kill (end task) processes and applications that may be Spyware. Improved Graphical User Interface You now have total control on what to clean Clean Internet Explorer Cache and History Clean Firefox browser cache and History Clean Netscape browser cache and HistoryClean Opera browser cache and History Clears Media Player history Clears RealOne history Internet and Local Search Assistant history Clean history for many applications Microsoft Office 2000 to 2003 Recent file list Ahead Nero file history Google Internet search history Yahoo Internet search history Winzip and WinRAR history and many more Clears the Windows Temp folder Empties the Recycle bin Waste statisticsWindows Startup ManagerCookies Manager Allows you to add file exceptions Allows you to customize Easy SpaceGuard to avoid deleting specified files, even if they are in the temporary folders.

Scans your system and gives you a comprehensive statistic of wastes. Provides you with a comprehensive Privacy and Risk Assessment Report.

Allows you to schedule Auto Clean sessions and more. Designed from ground up with Microsoft. NET Framework. This is a fully MultiThreaded System, that monitors and keep your computer running at peak performance.

1 Full year of free upgrade.

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Protect your privacy by preventing others from tracking your internet and web browsing activity. Eliminate wastes from your system by removing history files, cache and other web browsing activity in: Internet Explorer, Netscape, FireFox, Microsoft Media Player, RealOne Player, Kazaa, Morpheus, ICQ, and AOL.

Easy SpaceGuard enables you to delete the listing of documents and materials that you have accessed in Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Word and over 120 popular applications.

You have the flexibility to remove some cookies or document listings while keeping others that you specify. Comprehensive Risk Assessment. Intuitive GUI that allows you to assess your risk of identity theft.

Disk wastes statistic/charts. This version includes a Windows Startup Manager to help you control which programs will launch when you start your computer.

Do you worry about Spyware? Easy SpaceGuard gives you the capability to kill processes and query Google about applications that may be Spyware.

Improved Graphical User Interface You now have total control on what to clean Clean Internet Explorer Cache and History Clean Firefox browser cache and History Clean Netscape browser cache and History Clears Media Player history Clears RealOne history Internet and Local Search Assistant history Clean history for many applications Microsoft Office 2000 to 2003 Recent file list Ahead Nero file history Google Internet search history Yahoo Internet search history Winzip and WinRAR history and many more Clears the Windows Temp folder Empties the Recycle bin Waste statisticsWindows Startup ManagerCookies Manager Allows you to add file exceptions Allows you to customize Easy SpaceGuard to avoid deleting specified files, even if they are in the temporary folders.

Scans your system and gives you a comprehensive statistic of wastes. Provides you with a comprehensive Privacy and Risk Assessment Report.

Allows you to schedule Auto Clean sessions and more. Designed from ground up with Microsoft. NET Framework. This is a fully MultiThreaded System, that monitors and keep your computer running at peak performance.

Get it and worry no more. When you obtain a vaild License of Easy SpaceGuard, you will be able to upgrade to the latest full version as well and unlock all of the features reserved for registered users.

You also obtain premier phone and Email support as well as one full year of Free upgrade.

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Apart from anything else, the best thing about ZipItFree is that it is completely free - no annoying registrations or fees to pay. That said, the installation process is very aggressive, with ZipItFree offering you bunches of extra software and changing the way it is presented in the hope that you'll slip up and install it. The program is fully functional with Vista and Windows 7, although the interface isn’t quite up to speed with similarly modern programs.

The key point of ZipItFree, however, is the way it compresses files using what the developers call the Black Hole method, which provides very high compression ratios and ultra fast decompression. This is so efficient, in fact, that ZipItFree is a serious rival to the giants of the file compression world, like WinZip and WinRAR.

The other major selling point is what they call the ZipV2 encryption algorithm which they describe as "by far the most secure encryption for archiving (hundreds of times more secure than even the leading AES encryption)". How secure this format is is debatable, but the fact is that it's one of the less utilized compression ratios that should mean it's less liable to attack.

Apart from the fact that ZipItFree handles multiple formats with ease, you can also leave comments on your archives describing what the archive contains so you don't have to go to the hassle of unzipping it all to look inside. If you can overlook the ugly packaging, ZipItFree is a file compressor to be reckoned with.

For a free and powerful alternative to WinZIP and WinRAR, ZipItFree is one of the most impressive efforts out there.

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- Rename Files tool is now included, easy and quick mass renamer. - Eliminate Duplicate Text/Emails from Text Files/Distribution Lists - Graphics presentation, with Bar and Pie statistical presentation, detailed scan results summary.

- Filters and Exclusions. - Horizontal/Vertical presentation of results. - New Text Differences: a text file comparator. Analyses two text files and shows an easy to understand and merge information about lines added, modified and deleted.

Analyze from Files or Clipboard content. - New Convert Text Files from Unix/Linux lt;gt; Windows/DOS formats: allows to convert files to required target format (Unix/DOS) easy.

- New Creates Dummy File: Specify file name, desired size (from 0 Bytes) and it creates a quot;dummyquot; file with that name and size. - Favorites Folders: easy access of your frequently used folders from the system tray, launch in Explorer or MS-DOS Prompt.

- External Software options: users can define external programs to use with Comparator Fast results, easy! . - Integration with WinZip, WinRAR: auto detect these popular compression software to easy access, allowing backups of results on those compressed formats.

Users can define their own Zip and Rar software manipulation if WinZip / WinRAR are not installed. - Save Results to file: allow to save scan results to HTML, Text, Excel, Word, XML or Delimited (CSV).

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It's support for compatible ZIP compression, standard storage places and backup password protection makes it an ideal solution for a Home user.

Compressed backups save a valuable storage place and you can restore your files with Windows Explorer or other software that support the ZIP format (Free JZip, WinZip, WinRar.

). Simple User InterfaceSimple and powerfull graphic user interface keeps you up to date with all defined backup operations. ZIP Compression and EncryptionCompatible compression saves storage space and makes the backup files portable.

Backups can be opened with all popular ZIP software such as free JZip, 7zip, WinZip and WinRar. Use the built-in password protection for complete data security.

Copy Open Files The standout feature of Home version is the abillity to copy locked files or files open by other software. It uses the cutting edge Windows Volume Shadow Copy system (VSS) that enables you to access your data at any time.

Standard StoragesThis basic version supports the standard storages on the local hard drives, usb sticks and network shares. It's abillity to backup to CD or DVD mediums and internet FTP servers makes it a good choice for a home user.

Daily ScheduleCreate daily schedules of your backup set operations. You can also set the backup interval and start and stop times. Simple and enough for most users.

Need more? Creation of a daily backup with documents and pictures stored on the hard drives just got easier. For more advanced features and a built in restore operations see the Standard or Professional editions.

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Hitware Companion helps protect your privacy by totally erasing your browser, windows and applications traces from your computer. By erasing IE location bar history, cache, history, unwanted cookies, autocomplete history, windows temp, search files history, find computer history, run history, telnet history, recent documents and much more.

Hitware companion also help erasing your Media Player, RealOne, Acrobat Reader, ACDSee, InfranView, MS Word, MS Paint, Winrar, Power DVD and MS imaging tracks.

Hitware Companion intelligently eliminates all unwanted pop-up and pop-under ads even before they appear. Helping you save Internet bandwidth and speed up your browsing experience.

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With Eastsea System Cleaner, you can easily erase the tracks of applications,such as playlist of Realplayer, Mediaplayer, QuickTime, recent files of Office, Acrobat ,Winzip,Winrar, etc.

Eastsea System Cleaner can also let you customize what file(s) and folder(s) to be erased. With Eastsea System Cleaner's Secure Erasing feature, you can erase the files completely , which can not be recovered by others.

Eastsea System Cleaner also support popular browsers such as Netscape/Mozilla Firefox, Opera and MSN Explorer. Eastsea System Cleaner implements the US Department of Defense 5220.

22-M and NSA clearing and sanitizing standard, to gives you confidence that once deleted with Eastsea System Cleaner, your file data is gone forever and can not be recovered.

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RAR Password Recovery 5. 0 supports all kind of files created by WinRAR program. Unlike many other programs, this application has a pretty basic interface that makes it easy to use.

The whole recovery process can be done in about a minute. This product follows three basic steps to retrieve a password. You first select the targeted file, then choose the attack type and start the processing to retrieve the password.

RAR Password Recovery 5. 0 also comes with an easy to follow instruction guide. This tool has various attack types such as Dictionary attack, customized password mask, etc.

It also features a pause-resume option to resume the process from where it was stopped. In short, RAR Password Recovery 5. 0 is a complete RAR password recovery program beneficial to any WinRAR user.

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The interface is easy to use and the whole operation can be processed within less than a minute. RAR Password Unlocker comes with a detailed instruction manual to help users learn the interface quickly.

To recover a RAR password, this software program has three steps. You first select the targeted file, then choose an attack type and start the processing and retrieval of the password.

RAR Password Unlocker can also recover passwords at a speed of over 220,000 passwords per second. This software program features a dictionary attack option that can be customized in order to finish a specific type of task with specific options.

This product also allows you to set CPU priority to save CPU power and time. In short, RAR Password Unlocker is a complete solution for those who need to recover forgotten passwords of an RAR archive file.

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This tool recovers passwords and removes file protection from plain and self-extracting archives created with all versions of PKZip, WinZip, RAR, WinRAR and other compatible products in their GUI and command-line incarnations.

Advanced Archive Password Recovery Professional for Windows recovers passwords with different methods. It uses bits of information from the user and a brute-force attack method.

Advanced Archive Password Recovery Professional for Windows has an intuitive user interface that allows you to specify a variety of masks and attacks and a highly optimized low-level code to ensure quick and easy password recovery.

This product can be used by anyone who would like to recover lost or forgotten passwords for browsing or modifying files from ZIP, RAR, ACE and ARJ archives.

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This application checks all the passwords stored on your system in order to retrieve the right password for your RAR file. Atomic RAR Password Recovery for Windows includes 2 types of methods used in the password recovery process: dictionary attack and Brute force.

The dictionary attack method scans all the passwords on your computer and checks for the right one. The Brute force attack method generates a list of passwords and checks them all one-by-one.

Atomic RAR Password Recovery for Windows has a friendly user interface and a Winzard feature to help you find your passwords in the quickest way possible.

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The program supports the standard password attacks: brute force, dictionary, misspelled password recovery, and more. Uniquely, users can also create their own attack types.

Parallel RAR Password Recovery supports passwords of up to 128 characters in length. The Local Dual version of the program supports up to two processors.

The Local Quad version of the program can support up to 4 processors and a single NVIDIA GPU card. The Local Pro version is optimized for high-performance workstations, and can support up to 8 CPUs and 8 GPUs, with a maximum of 8 clients.

This program is for anyone who has a RAR or WinRAR archive that they have lost or forgotten the password for. Parallel RAR Password Recovery is compatible with Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and 7.

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Simple but Effective Operation Wondershare Privacy Protector is an easy-to-use tool and will do all cleaning job by just a few mouse clicks. 1.

Click Start Scan; 2. Click Start Cleanup and confirm. Then all is done! Your privacy will be never revealed since! Windows History Cleaner Clean up history left on Start Menu and DesktopRecycle Bin, Document history, Find and search history, run history, etc; Operation trace of Windows systemClipboard, Windows & System temporary files, Memory dumps, etc; And history of recent computer activitiesPaint recent file list, Last opened registry, Windows Media Player history and many more others.

Browser History Cleaner Clean history of dominant browsersIE (and other ones based on IE core), Firefox, Netscape, Opera, and Chrome. That includes cookies, AutoComplete form history, Recently Typed URLs, Temporary Internet files and Index.

dat files (hidden files which cannot be deleted manually), etc. Application History Cleaner Applications leave history after loading files, Office, WinRAR, various file readers, picture viewers and video players, etc.

Wondershare Privacy Protector searches these traces and cleans them so that other people will never know what you have seen, listened to or processed.

Cookies Cleaner Its an advanced cookies cleaning option. Here to decide which cookies to keep (cookies help to login accounts without filling forms every time) and which to clean.

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