WinZip

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WinZip

WinZip 17.0 Pro running in Windows 7 with a ribbon
Original author(s) WinZip International LLC
Developer(s) Corel Corporation
Stable release 18.0 (Build 10661 ) (October 31, 2013 (2013-10-31)) [±]
Operating system Windows, OS X, iOS and Android
Available in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Dutch, Czech
Type File archiver
License Shareware (45-day free evaluation)
Website winzip.com
Picture
WinZip Computing Inc. logo

WinZip is a shareware file archiver and compressor for Windows, OS X, iOS and Android developed by WinZip Computing (formerly Nico Mak Computing). By default, WinZip creates archives in Zip file format but also has various levels of support for other archive formats.

History

WinZip 1.0 was released in April 1991 as a graphical user interface (GUI) front-end for PKZIP. Earlier in January 1991 Nico Mak Computing released a GUI front-end for OS/2 Presentation Manager called PMZIP. It used OS/2 versions of the PKWARE, Inc. PKZIP and PKUNZIP programs. Originally released on CompuServe, availability of WinZip expanded across major online services, including GEnie, Prodigy and other online services. In 1993, WinZip announced the launch of its official support for customers on the Windows Utility Forum, serving over 100,000 members, providing updates and related information. The freely downloadable WinZip soon found itself included in best-selling Windows computing titles as part of companion disks, including the all-time best-selling Windows 3.0 book, Windows Secrets, by Brian Livingston. By 1994, WinZip had become the official and required compression tool used by system operators on CompuServe for forum file libraries.

Starting from version 5.0 in 1993, the creators of WinZip incorporated compression code from the Info-ZIP project, thus eliminating the need for the PKZIP executable to be present.

From version 6.0 until version 9.0, registered users could download the newest versions of the software, enter their original registration information or install over the top of their existing registered version, and thereby obtain a free upgrade. This upgrade scheme was discontinued as of version 10.0.[1] WinZip is available in standard and professional versions. However, the shell in Windows ME and later versions of Microsoft Windows has the ability to open and create .zip files (titled "compressed folders"), which reduces the need for extra compression software.

In May 2006, Corel Corporation, known for its WordPerfect and CorelDRAW product lines, announced that it had completed the acquisition of WinZip Computing.[2]

WinZip 1.0 for Mac OS X was released in November 2010. This version only works with Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.[citation needed] WinZip Mac Edition 2 includes support for OS X Mountain Lion.

Features

  • Creation of, addition to, and extraction from ZIP archives.
  • Configurable Microsoft Windows Shell integration
  • Direct write of ZIP archives to CD/DVD
  • Decoding of .b64, .hqx, .uue formats.
  • Automation of backup jobs
  • Integrated FTP upload
  • Email ZIP archives
  • Decompression of following archive formats: .bz2, .rar, LHA/LZH (native in 11.2), 7z (12.0).
  • Support for ARC and ARJ archives if suitable external programs are installed.[3]

Supported .ZIP archive features

  • 128- and 256-bit key AES encryption[4] in addition to the less secure PKZIP 2.0 encryption method used in earlier versions. The AES implementation, using Brian Gladman's code, was FIPS-197 certified, on March 27, 2003.[5] However, Central Directory Encryption feature is not supported.[6]
  • Beginning with WinZip 9.0, ZIP64 archives are supported, eliminating both the maximum limit of 65,535 members for single archive and the 4-gibibyte size limit on either the archive and each member file.
  • Support of additional compression methods: bzip2 (9.0), PPMd (10.0), WavPack (11.0), LZMA (12.0), JPEG (12.0).
  • Unicode support to ensure international characters are displayed for filenames in a Zip file. (WinZip prior to 11.2 does not support Unicode characters in filenames.[7][8] Attempting to add these files to an archive results in the error message "Warning: Could not open for reading: ...")

Release history

Windows

The ZIP file archive format (ZIP) was originally invented for MS-DOS in 1989 by Phil Katz.[12]

Seeing the need for an archive application with a Graphical User Interface, Nico Mak (then employed by Mansfield Software Group, Inc) seized the opportunity and developed the WinZip application for Microsoft Windows.

WinZip 1.0 was initial version for Windows.

WinZip 2.0 added support for ARC files, support for self-extracting ZIP files (ZIP2EXE), optional interface to Virus Scan software, dialog box to specify paths and filenames of external programs.

WinZip 3.0 added full support for LZH files, including self-extracting LZH files, configurable support for most virus scanners, simplified options to add and extract files in a subdirectory tree.

WinZip 3.1 added support for Windows 3.1 Drag and Drop Interface, enhanced Extract dialog box with common dialog directory and drive list, Test action for ZIP and LZH files, added file types ZIP, LZH, and ARC to New and Open dialog boxes.

WinZip 3.2 added Built-in ZIP Extraction so that PKUNZIP is not needed for most ZIP extract operations. WinZip always uses PKZIP.EXE to modify ZIP files.

WinZip 4.0 added support for PKZIP 2.0, including built-in ZIP extraction, support for the ARJ file format, new toolbar with descriptive pictorial buttons, added a 3-D look to all dialog boxes.

WinZip 5.0 added PKZIP-compatible built-in zipping, so PKZIP is not needed for basic archive management. Note that two advanced features, disk-spanning and encryption, still require PKZIP. Added support for Windows-based virus scanners. Added built-in Actions/Test operation for ZIP files. Built-in unzipping is used when running DOS virus scanners. Added support for international characters in archive names and files in archives.

WinZip 5.5 added the ability to install, try, and UNINSTALL software distributed in ZIP files.

WinZip 5.6 added support for the popular Internet file formats TAR, gzip, and Unix compress.

WinZip 6.0 added many Windows 95 features, including tight integration with the Windows 95 shell and Explorer-style dialog boxes. Other enhancements included an improved interface to file viewers, an "Express Setup" option, and better support for virus scanners.

WinZip 6.0a features improved Windows 95 drag and drop support.

WinZip 7.0 introduced Microsoft's CAB (cabinet) format, Internet Explorer 4.0-style "one click open" interface, Zip comment, registry-based configuration, ARJ 2.60 long file name support, Explorer-style fonts. WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition now creates Zip files that span multiple removable disks.

WinZip 8.0's Wizard interface was extended to allow create and update Zip files from the Wizard, extract and install from MIME and other encoded files, automatic installation of desktop themes and screen savers; added Explorer context menu when opening files within archives, inclusion of subfolders when adding or updating archives, "Explorer-style" toolbar buttons, displays a tooltip when a Zip file is selected in Windows Explorer, WinZip context menus displays small icons corresponding to the menu items' toolbar buttons in Under Windows 98 and Windows 2000; install desktop themes and screen savers contained in Zip files; new Zip and E-Mail Explorer context menu feature, automatically display the Zip comment, context menu help in WinZip dialogues, viewing multiple files with 1 action. Windows extensions are now 32-bit Explorer Shell extensions only. WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition no longer supports creation of 16-bit self-extracted archive.

WinZip 8.1 was the last major release to officially support Windows 95. It included extract multiple ZIP archives in explorer, configurable Explorer context menu, creation of split ZIP archives, new Quick Pick Taskbar Tray Icon, resizable dialogs under Windows 98 or higher, extract files from split and spanned ZIP archives in Wizard interface, Windows XP theme support, opening "skin" files for Microsoft Media Player 7 (.WMZ), Yahoo! Player (.YFS), and Winamp (.WSZ), display Zip file comments of up to 64,000 characters, Support for filenames containing multi-byte character set (MBCS) characters, increasing number of entries created by the CheckOut feature in the Programs menu to 500.

WinZip 9.0 added support for AES encryption for ZIP archives, BZip2-compressed ZIP archives (extraction only). It also removed the previous limitations of 65,535 files per ZIP file and maximum file size of 4 gigabytes. This version was released in 2004.

WinZip 10 added support for creating and extracting PPMd-compressed ZIP archives. It was the last major release to officially support Windows 98/ME. WinZip Pro was added in this release, which added automation and task scheduling features. This version was released in 2005.

WinZip 11 added support for creating and extracting WavPack-compressed ZIP archives. The installer still installed to Windows 98/ME, but these operating systems were no longer officially supported. WinZip Pro added Passive FTP support, FTP transfers, e-mail notification option for Job Wizard, custom jobs selection, full-size image viewer when opening archive. This version was released in 2006.

WinZip 11.1 was certified for Windows Vista, with Vista theme support and 64-bit Windows support.

WinZip 11.2 could create LHA archives without an external utility. Unicode file name support for ZIP archives was also added. Support for external archiver, including ARC, ARJ, were removed.[13]

WinZip 12.0 (2008) added support of creating ZIP archives with lossless JPEG and LZMA compression methods; .ISO, .IMG, 7-Zip archive extractions. Added encryption policies, integrated image thumbnail viewer. The JPEG compression compresses metadata with LZMA compression, while image is compressed with binary arithmetic coding.[14]

WinZip 12.1 (2009) introduces the new default .zipx file extension when creating ZIP archives using methods newer than Deflate64, added automatic resizing images being sent by using Zip and E-Mail functions.

WinZip 13 was skipped.[15]

WinZip 14 (2009) added Windows 7 support, such as library grouping, taskbar icon jump lists, Explorer preview, multi-touch (two finger) gestures. WinZip 14 Backup edition was added, which supports automatic backup feature. AES New Instructions are used where supported to speed up AES encryption.

WinZip 14.5 (April 2010) added Microsoft Office 2010-style ribbon interface, support for Windows 7 Libraries, Jump Lists, Multi-Touch Gestures, other interface and functionality improvements.

WinZip 15 (November 2010, December 1, 2011[16]): Implemented new performance architecture for high-speed zipping, interface improvements with refined menu designs and more intuitive icons, new desktop ZIP/UNZIP gadget with drag-and-drop functionality, new and extensive email/webmail support (+ Backup function in Pro version). Due to a bug in the first release of this version, when creating backup jobs (*.wjf), the job's file selection needs to be reset/set to have it working properly.

Winzip 15.5 (April 2011): New compression algorithms designed for multi-processor systems that zip files up to twice as fast, new WinZip Desktop Gadget option called 'Folder I Choose' that allows you to create or select a target folder for zipping/unzipping files on a case-by-case basis, dynamic, context-sensitive icons that automatically change to reflect the WinZip tasks available to your specific situation, streamlined processes that remove unnecessary dialogs and cut down on extra steps, the ability to show/hide the Address bar, the ability to instantly jump between any instances of WinZip that you currently have open, the ability to customize the look and feel of your WinZip interface with interchangeable themes, improved destination folder management, so when you open/alter a zipped file's contents directly from an email attachment, WinZip will prompt you to save your work to a new location on your computer (rather than the email temp folder), streamlined 'Unzip and Try' processes that remove extra steps, making temporary viewing even quicker and easier, extended enterprise support that provides IT control over the addition/alteration of e-mail services.

WinZip 16.0 was released on October 25, 2011.[17] It implemented new 64-bit zip engine and added 64-bit version of Winzip, added ability to zip and write files to Blu-ray discs, added integration with ZipSend and ZipShare services, improved capabilities of file conversion from other supported formats to zip, enhanced preview tools for browsing and editing contents of other compressed file types, added System Scanner (diagnostic tool that scans for possible performance issues). ZipSend and ZipSend Pro can send message up to 50MB and 2GB of zipped data per message. ZipShare can post files up 20 MB of data directly to Facebook, for free, and up to 100MB of total data per account.

WinZip 16.5 supports OpenCL acceleration to file compression engine for AMD Fusion processors and AMD Radeon users, streamlined interface.[18]

WinZip 17.0 was released on October 16, 2012. Introduced online sharing to storage and social media sites, image resizing, converting files to PDF, watermark addition, context-sensitive toolbars.[19]

WinZip 17.5 was released on May 9, 2013. New features include sharing and features permission controls, updated and modernized user interface, watermark timestamping, four times faster .ZIP archive extraction, maximum 23GB free cloud storage via Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, SkyDrive and CloudMe (new).[19][20]

Metro-style variant

A Metro-style edition of WinZip was released on November 15, 2012 on the Windows Store for Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 and Windows RT.

Version 1.0.1 (July 4, 2012) adds following:

  1. Redefine the behavior of Back button.
  2. Add "Last.zip" option in Menu bar. User can check the zip file they last opened by clicking this button.
  3. Change icon for "Up" button.
  4. Save temporary files on SD card.
  5. For security reason, WinZip won't save password for encrypted zip files.
  6. Fixed crash error bugs.

Mac

WinZip 1.0 for Mac OS X (November 16, 2010): Initial release runs on Mac OS X Intel and can be run on 10.5 Leopard.[21]

WinZip Mac Edition 2 was released on June 26, 2012.[22] New features include OS X Mountain Lion support, Finder integration and in-place editing.

iOS

iOS version was first released on February 17, 2012.[23] The free English app is designed for iOS 4.2 on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, available on Apple's App Store.

Version 1.1.1 (May 4, 2012) includes following:

  • Add New iPad support
  • Add various file icons according different file types
  • Support for .csv file type
  • Bug fixes

Android

Android version was first released on June 19, 2012.[24] The free English app is designed for Android operating systems 2.1 (Eclair), 2.2 (Froyo), 2.3 (Gingerbread), 3.x (Honeycomb), 4.x (Ice Cream Sandwich)and other successor version, initially available at Google Play.

What's new in version 1.1.0:

  1. Refresh the user interface
  2. Create a new Zip file in the sdcard
  3. Unzip the zip file to a customized place in the sdcard
  4. Search the files in a zip
  5. Delete the file(s) and folder(s) in the sdcard.
  6. Fixed crash error bugs.

Sister products

  • WinZip E-Mail Companion: Automatically zips all files attached to an outgoing e-mail; replaced by WinZip Courier
  • WinZip Courier: Automatically zips all files attached to an outgoing e-mail; supported e-mail clients include Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Gmail and Hotmail.
  • WinZip Self-Extractor: Adds self-extracting modules to ZIP archives. A version called WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition is included with WinZip.
  • WinZip Command Line Add-on: Adds command line processing to WinZip
  • WinZip System Utilities Suite: System optimizer
  • WinZip Registry Optimizer: Windows Registry cleaner/optimizer
  • WinZip Driver Updater: Windows device driver manager and updater

E-Mail Companion

WinZip E-Mail Companion version 2.0 supports Microsoft Outlook (2002, 2003, 2007), Windows Mail 6.0, Outlook Express 6.0, and optionally supports Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, or Microsoft Excel (versions 2007, 2003, or 2002). Unlisted support for Outlook 2010 only works with 32-bit versions of Outlook 2010.[25]

Courier

3.0
Version 3.0 was released on September 23, 2010.[26] It adds official support of Microsoft Office 2010, Ribbon UI integration, advanced Zip compression formats (via WinZip), image resizing, Zip file preview, AES-128/256 encryption, MSI installation, automatic updating, alternate extensions, improved support of Word e-mail editor.[27]
Internet Explorer support was added on October 19, 2010.[28]
Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox support was added on November 11, 2010.[29]
3.5
The ZipSend app now requires Firefox 4.0 or later.
4.0
Version 4.0 added support of 64-bit version of Microsoft Office 2010, Internet Explorer.[30]

System Utilities

WinZip System Utilities was released on February 14, 2011.[31] It includes WinZip Driver Updater 1.0, WinZip Registry Optimizer 2.0.

WinZip-based services

  • ZipSend: ZipSend is a file delivery service. On October 25, 2011, YouSendIt, Inc. announced it would partner with WinZip Computing to use YouSendIt's platform to power the delivery service.[32]
  • ZipShare: A Facebook app

See also

References

  1. ↑ Why is my registration code not working in WinZip 12?
  2. ↑ Corel Corporation Acquires WinZip Computing
  3. ↑ Table of file formats supported by WinZip, WinZip Computing Knowledgebase
  4. ↑ FIPS PUB 197: The Advanced Encryption Standard PDF (272 KB), AES Encryption Information: Encryption Specification AE-1 and AE-2
  5. ↑ See Brian Gladman's AES code page and the official list of validated AES implementations
  6. ↑ No filename encryption in the .ZIP file format
  7. ↑ "Zipping up Unicode file names". Retrieved June 29, 2007. 
  8. ↑ "Zipping up Unicode file PATHs". Retrieved June 29, 2007. 
  9. ↑ "Download WinZip for Windows". Old Version.com. Retrieved November 7, 2012. 
  10. ↑ "Old Version of WinZip Download". OldApps.com. Retrieved November 7, 2012. 
  11. ↑ "When does support end for WinZip applications? - WinZip Computing :: Knowledgebase". Kb.winzip.com. October 16, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012. 
  12. ↑ Computing Encyclopedia - Article about WinZip
  13. ↑ Where can I find the external programs required for ARC, ARJ, and LHA files?
  14. ↑ JPEG Compression
  15. ↑ WinZip – Version History
  16. ↑ WinZip® 15 Delivers Faster and Easier Zipping - WinZip Sets New Standard for Speed and User Experience Excellence
  17. ↑ WinZip Computing Announces WinZip 16: The Easiest Way to Send Large Files Fast - New ZipSend and ZipShare services mark WinZip's expansion into file sharing through email and Facebook
  18. ↑ WinZip Version History
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Protect and Share Files on the Cloud and Social Media with WinZip® 17
  20. ↑ WinZip® 17.5 Delivers Greater Control, Security and Enhanced Cloud Sharing
  21. ↑ WinZip Compression, Encryption and Email Attachment Optimization Coming to New Platforms - The World's Most Trusted Zip Utility Now Available for the Mac
  22. ↑ New WinZip Mac Edition Simplifies Zip File Compression, Encryption and Sharing - WinZip Extends Multi-platform Product Line to Mac OS X Lion and Upcoming Mac OS X Mountain Lion
  23. ↑ New Free WinZip® App for iPhone® and iPad® - Open and Browse Zipped Files on the Go
  24. ↑ WinZip® Android App Now Available - WinZip Multi-platform Product Line Extends Mobile Support with Free Android App
  25. ↑ What are the requirements for WinZip E-Mail Companion?
  26. ↑ WinZip® Courier™ Makes Sending E-Mail Attachments Faster and More Secure - Built to Dramatically Improve Sending Email Attachments, WinZip's New Easy-to-use Compression and Encryption Solution Saves Time and Relieves Pressure on Corporate Servers
  27. ↑ What's New in Version 3.0
  28. ↑ WinZip Courier Speeds Email Attachments for Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail on Internet Explorer - WinZip Courier Can Dramatically Improve Users' Webmail Experience
  29. ↑ WinZip Courier Speeds Users' Webmail Experience on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer - Supporting Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail, WinZip Courier Dramatically Improves Transmission Time When Sending Email Attachments from the Web
  30. ↑ What are the requirements for WinZip Courier 4?
  31. ↑ New WinZip® System Utilities Suite Restores Computer Performance - WinZip Expands its Offering with PC Utilities to Optimize and Speed Up Your PC
  32. ↑ WinZip Selects YouSendIt to Power New ZipSend Service - ZipSend Securely Sends Large Files Directly From WinZip 16, Outlook and Popular Email Services

External links

Archivers with
compression
(comparison)
Free software
Freeware
Commercial
Non-archiving
compressors
Audio
compression
(comparison)
Lossy
Lossless
Video
compression
(comparison)
Lossy
MPEG-4 ASP
H.264 /
MPEG-4 AVC
HEVC
Others
Lossless
  • See also: compression methods and compression formats
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.