WinZip(R) version 8.0 PRE-RELEASE BETA TEST VERSION Copyright (C) 1991-2000 Nico Mak Computing, Inc. All Rights Reserved #### PRE-RELEASE BETA TEST VERSION #### For a list of changes in this beta, see WHATSNEW.TXT. *************************************************************** *** FOR INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS SEE THE FILE "README.TXT" *** *** *** *** New users: please click the "Brief Tutorial" entry in *** *** WinZip's "Help" pull-down menu. *** *** *** *** Press the F1 key at any time while running WinZip for *** *** help or to access the complete online documentation. *** *************************************************************** Have you ever used the Internet, CompuServe, or AOL? If so, you've probably encountered Zip files. Are you a Windows user? If so, WinZip is THE way to handle these archived files. WinZip brings the convenience of Windows to the use of Zip files and other compression formats. WinZip features include: Seamless Windows integration: WinZip includes tight integration with My Computer and Windows Explorer. Drag and drop to or from Explorer, or zip and unzip without leaving Explorer. Internet support: WinZip features built-in support for popular Internet file formats: TAR, gzip, UUencode, XXencode, BinHex, and MIME. ARJ, LZH, and ARC files are supported via external programs. You can use WinZip to access almost all the files you download from the Internet. In addition, the freely downloadable WinZip Internet Browser Support Add-On lets you download and open archives with one click using Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. The WinZip Wizard: This optional feature uses the standard and familiar "wizard" interface to simplify the process of unzipping and installing software distributed in Zip files. The WinZip Wizard is not targeted at experienced users, but is ideal for the rapidly growing number of PC users getting started with Zip files. When these users gain confidence or want to use more advanced zipping features, the full WinZip Classic interface is just a click away. Favorite Zip Folders: WinZip lets you organize Zip files into one convenient list that is sorted by date, making it easier to locate all Zip files, regardless of where they came from or where they are stored. Unlike the standard File->Open Archive dialog box, the Favorite Zip Folders dialog box treats the contents of multiple folders as though they were one folder. A Search facility will find any Zip files lost on your hard disk. Create files that unzip themselves: WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition is now included with WinZip. Self-extracting files are ideal for sending compressed files to others who may not own or know how to use file compression software. Virus Scanner Support: WinZip can be configured to work with most virus scanners. * * * * * Recent awards include: * 1999 PC Magazine "Editor's Choice" award * 1999 PC Computing Magazine "A-List Editor's Top Pick" award * 1998 Windows Magazine "Win100" award * 1998 PC World Magazine "World Class" award * 1998 Personal Computer World (UK) "Best Utility" award Recent magazine quotes include: * "Fast, easy and powerful" PC Computing, 8/99 * "The definitive utility for compressing and decompressing files", PC Computing, 5/99 * "WinZip 7.0, the best Windows file-compression utility we've seen" PC Computing, 4/99 * "Among the many points in WinZip's favor are reliability, clarity, ingenuity, and a vast range of intelligently designed features", PC Magazine, 3/9/99 * "Top Utility ... if you download software, you need this program", PC Computing, 2/99 * * * * * WinZip is extremely easy to use! To open an archive simply double click on an archive listed in My Computer or Windows Explorer, drag and drop an archive onto WinZip, or use the standard Open dialog box. The main WinZip window features a list with the names, sizes, and date/time stamps of all files in the open archive. This list can be scrolled and sorted on any field. A configurable tool bar provides fast access to commonly used actions. Extensive context sensitive help is always available. Double clicking on a file in the main WinZip window has the same effect as double clicking in My Computer or Windows Explorer. First the file is extracted from the archive. Then, if the file is executable, it is run. Otherwise, the file is opened by the appropriate application (for example, WordPad for *.WRI files) based on standard Windows associations. The Windows Drag and Drop interface is fully supported. You can drag and drop files from WinZip to other applications. WinZip will extract the files before dropping them on the target application. The target application will treat the files as if they had been dropped from My Computer or Windows Explorer. You can also drop archives on WinZip to open them, or drop files on WinZip to add them to the open archive. * * * * * WinZip requires Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000. While no other programs are required for basic operations involving ZIP, TAR, GZ, Z files, UUencoded, XXencoded, BinHex, or MIME files, some optional features require external programs. See the online help for details.