WinZip 9.0 - NEW!
WinZip has long set the standard for file compression utilities, and recent versions uphold its strong reputation. Most of us are familiar with the program's drag-and-drop interface, which lets us create and compress .zip files. One of the most useful aspects of recent versions is their integration with Windows Explorer. The best place to work with .zip files is in Windows Explorer and WinZip makes the most of this: in the current version, if you right-click a .zip file, WinZip lets you select from a cascading menu of recently used folders or retrieve files from multiple archives at once.

WinZip lets you create self-extracting files, which are ideal for sending compressed files to those who may not own or know how to use file compression software. If you transport files by floppy, you'll appreciate the ability to create a .zip file that spans multiple disks.

The latest release of WinZip (9.0) is a notable improvement. It supports a much stronger encryption standard, which is an improvement over the previous Zip 2.0 algorithm. Just as important, you can now encrypt files that are already zipped (as WinZip mavens know, previous versions of the program only allowed you to encrypt files as they were being zipped). Version 9.0 also has a new "Enhanced Deflate" option that further reduces the size of .zip files. Finally, the new version's 64-bit extended format lifts the 4GB limitation so you can create .zip files as large as your heart desires.

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