A file compression program called Zip appeared in 1991. At that time on personal computers Basically, the Ms Dos operating system was installed. Dimensions text files of that time were not much different from today. As a result, users have a need for some kind of software tool to temporarily compress existing information in order to reduce its storage volume. One of these programs was Zip archiver, released to the market by the American company Niko Mark Computing Inc. The advantage of this program was that it took up little space, was correct, and turned out to be quite easy to use.
With the advent of the operating system on the market Microsoft systems Windows needed to be created new version this popular archiver. This is how the WinZip archiver was developed, bringing the convenience of working with Zip and other compressed data formats to Windows. WinZip features.
1. Integration into Windows 95/98/NT: WinZip supports long file names and close connection with Windows 95/98/NT shells. You can drag files in and out of Explorer, archive them, and unzip them without leaving it.
2. Internet support: WinZip supports common Internet compression formats: TAR, gzip, UUEncode, BinHex and MIME. Files of ARJ, LZH and ARC types are processed using external programs. WinZip allows you to read almost all files found on the Internet.
3. Automatic installation software , distributed as Zip files. If the Zip file contains an installation program (setup or install), the Install function from WinZip will unzip the archive, run the program, and delete temporary files.
1. WinZip makes it possible to organize Zip files into one convenient list, sorted by date, making it easy and quick to find all your files, no matter where they came from or where they are stored. Unlike the standard dialog box File à Open Archive, the Favorite Zip Folders window treats the contents of many folders as if they were one. The Search function will find all Zip archives lost on the hard drive.
1. Creating self-extracting files: WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition is now included with WinZip. Self-extracting files are convenient for those who do not know how to use archiving programs. In this case, to open the archive, you need to double-click on its name in the My Computer or Explorer folder and drag the archive onto WinZip.
2. Supported Windows feature drag and drop files. You can drag and drop files from WinZip into other applications. WinZip will unzip the file before dropping it into the destination application. The application will treat it as if it was dropped from the My Computer or File Explorer folder. You can drop archives onto WinZip to open them, or files to add them to the archive.
3. WinZip Wizard simplifies the process of unpacking and installing programs distributed as Zip files.
The WinZip program contains many commands and controls, but the main operations that this program performs are as follows:
1. creating an archive for transfer to an outside party,
2. creating an archive used as a backup copies of data,
3. updating the archive used as a backup copy,
4. unpacking the archive received from external source,
5. unpacking separate files from the received archive.
The Zip format is the most common; many archives on the Internet are available in this format. And, if you plan to distribute information as widely as possible, it is advisable to use the Zip format. One great thing about WinZip that has to do with opening special file formats is that it reads postal message, encoded using the Unicode algorithm.
The WinZip program is primarily intended for servicing archives in the Zip format. Support for such popular formats as Arj and Lha is possible, but only with external connection relevant programs. WinZip allows you to perform both encoding and decoding of files intended for transmission via e-mail.
The WinZip program has two operating modes: WinZip Wizard (WinZip Wizard) and WinZip Classic (classic mode). WinZip Wizard mode is the simplest mode, designed essentially to perform only one operation - unpacking the received file. WinZip Classic mode is designed for users who know what they are doing, why they are doing it and what they want to get in the end.
The WinZip archiver interface consists of four main parts: the system menu, the toolbar, the file area, and the status indicator.
At the top of the window there is system menu, containing four main groups of commands, with the help of which all the necessary manipulations are performed both with external files and with the archiver itself, for example, its configuration based on the specifics of the work and the individual needs of the user.
Below the system menu is located work panel tools. It consists of several buttons with icons placed on them, symbolically indicating the purpose of these buttons.
Below the toolbar is located file area. This is where you can specify which files are to be archived or extracted from the archive.
At the very bottom of the screen is located status indicator a process, based on the testimony of which one can judge how far the archiver has progressed in carrying out the instructions received. If the red light is on, this means that the archiver is busy executing the received task. When the program is ready to receive user commands or when it has completed the last process, the green indicator light turns on.
The main menu of the archiver consists of menu items File, Actions, Options, Help, containing archiver commands grouped by functionality.
Menu Item Commands File aimed at working with the archive as a file. So, using the command New Archive allows you to create a new archive on disk. Team Open Archive– view the archive. Using the fields in the command dialog box, the required archive is selected. Close Archive– command to close an open archive.
Team Information allows you to obtain information about the archive: the name and location of the archive, the size and number of files in the archive, the compression ratio of the archive, the date and time of the last modification of the archive.
Set of commands: Move…, Copy…, Rename…, Delete Archive, - implements appropriate actions with the archive file: moving the archive, creating a copy of the archive, renaming and deleting the archive.
Team Mail Archive allows you to send the archive by email.
Second point Actions The main menu of the WinZip archiver program contains commands for processing archive contents.
Team Add– places files in an archive. In field Add from Directory/Drive This window specifies the location of the files to be archived. In field Select Files files are selected to be archived. In field Add Files a template is set for marking (selecting) a group of files. Fields Achion And Compression accordingly, they set the method of placing files in the archive (copying, sending, sending new versions, etc.) and the degree of file compression (maximum, normal, fast, etc.).
Checkbox Resource Subdirectories sets the mode for saving the directory structure along with subdirectories when storing information in an archive.
Team Extract provides extraction of files from the archive.
Team Delete allows you to correct the contents of the archive by deleting the files contained in it.
Team View scans the contents of the archived file.
Teams Select all And Deselect all set and unmark all files in the archive.
Team Test carries out verification (integrity check) of the archive contents.
Team Check Out allows you to transfer selected files to the Desktop.
Using the commands of the third menu item Options the user has the ability to change the size and style of the fonts used in the WinZip program window (command Font), protect the archive with a password (command Password) or organize information stored in the archive (command Sort). The ordering can be done in lexicographical ascending order of file names or extensions; compression ratio; date and time of placement in the archive.
Commands of the fourth item of the main menu Help describe the capabilities of the WinZip archiver, explain the technique of working with it and contain information about the developer company and the procedure for purchasing the archiver.
Creating a new archive file activates the wizard Add, which, according to the instructions received, makes a sample necessary files data, packaging it and placing it in the archive you just created. To encrypt the archive being created, use the on-screen button.
If the archive you intend to work with already exists, then to gain access to it you should use the Open Archive from system menu File, or hotkey+[O], or using the tool Open.
In order to quickly create and use in the future a kind of registry of all archives in Zip format, a special mode is provided Favorite Zip Folders or +[F].
In menu item Actions There are various modes focused on performing various operations on files included in a particular archive. Using this menu, files can be added, copied, deleted, renamed, and scanned for viruses.
Using mode Add One or more files can be added to the current archive. When the mode is activated Delete The WinZip archiver displays a dialog box for deleting files. To extract one or more files from an archive, use the Extract. Activating the mode View brings up a wizard window, with the help of which the contents of a specific archived file can be automatically transferred to one of the standard text editors.
To make it easier to perform monotonous operations on a group of files within an archive, the WinZip archiver provides modes for selecting and deselecting a group of files: Select All And Deselect All.
When the mode is activated Virus Scan the archiver will launch installed on this computer the anti-virus package will begin to extract files from the archive and scan them.
Menu item Options includes the modes necessary to configure the interface of the WinZip archiver itself.
Mode Configuration is responsible for appearance archiver. It contains two groups of parameters: Prompt And Logging. Group Prompt is responsible for whether the archiver will respond to the drag-and-drop technique. Group Logging indicates which logical drive the archiver will record service messages and other operational information useful to the user, and whether he will do so at all.
Mode Folders, is responsible for where and how archives will be deployed in the event of an emergency unpacking. Chapter Start-up Folder is responsible for where the path settings will be pointed directly when the archiver starts. Chapter Default Extract Folder is responsible for where the path for placing information extracted from the archive will point. Chapter Default Add Folder is responsible for determining the data source for archiving. Working Folder And Temp Folder are responsible, respectively, for determining the working directory and the directory for storing temporary files.
Mode Explorer Configuration determines the appearance of the archiver shell itself.
Mode File Manager Configuration configures the degree of close communication between the WinZip archiver and the Windows operating system, in particular with its Explorer. Chapter Font is responsible for what language the archiver will use to communicate with the user and what font he will use. Mode WinZip Program Location describes the paths to the executable modules of the archiver itself.
Menu item Help contains seven main sections that allow you to explore the diverse capabilities of the archiving utility in order to apply them in your daily work. At the same time, being extremely developed, the WinZip search and help system is largely capable of helping the user not only in resolving difficult situations, but also in self-study this wonderful program.
Help menu
It contains all the necessary modes for the user to receive reference and auxiliary information necessary for mastering application program or to resolve issues arising from its use. Menu Help contains only two modes.
Mode Contents initializes the built-in search and help system, from which the user can obtain a wide range of information. Mode About WinRar is designed to display a kind of business card of the program on the screen.
WinRar latest version fully supports archives rar And zip, and manage archives of other formats without problems. That is, in addition to full archive support rar And zip, WinRar now supports basic operations for archive formats cab, arj, lzh, tar, gz, ace and uue, created using other archiving programs. These include: extracting files, as well as viewing archive contents, comments and information about the archive. To work with these archives you do not need any additional programs. And this is an undoubted advantage of the WinRar archiver.
WinRar provides:
· full support for rar and zip archives;
· original highly efficient data compression algorithm;
· multimedia interface(drag&drop);
· management of archives of other formats (cab, arj, lzh, tar, gz, ace, uue);
· creation of self-extracting (SFX) regular and multi-volume archives using standard or additional SFX modules;
· support for continuous (solid) archives, multi-volume archives; encryption, adding archive comments (with support for ANSI ESC sequences), error logging, etc.
In addition to WinRar, the package includes a file Rar.exe. This is also a 32-bit version of Rar for Windows, but it only supports a command line interface and runs in text mode. Typically, the console version of Rar is used to call from batch files (bat and cmd), to launch from the Ms Dos prompt, etc. It supports more commands and switches in command line than WinRar.
WinRar can be used in two ways: in graphical shell mode with standard interface Windows and on the command line.
Like WinZip, WinRar is fully integrated with Windows environment, allowing you to operate files and archives using Explorer and context menus.
Both rar and zip formats support encryption. To encrypt files, you must specify a password - before archiving, on the command line or in the menu. The rar and zip formats use original encryption algorithms, but the encryption in WinRar is much more secure. If you need to encrypt important information, then it is better to choose the WinRar archive format. To ensure an adequate level of security, use passwords that are at least 8 characters long. If you lose your password, you will not be able to recover encrypted files from the archive. True, encryption does not provide a 100% guarantee that your information will be protected from prying eyes.
The main advantage of WinZip is its popularity. Thus, most archives on the Internet are in zip format. On the other hand, in this case you can send self-extracting SFX archives (SFX, Self-eXtracting). Such archives are slightly larger than usual, but no additional programs are required to unpack them. Self-extracting archive is an archive to which an executable module is attached. This module allows you to extract files simple start archive as a regular program. SFX archives, like any other executable files, usually have the extension . exe. True, if you want to create an stf archive for small files, then the loss in size compared to regular rar or zip is quite significant. Quite large files are another matter. The undoubted leader here is STF. The size difference will be about 0.1-5%.
Another advantage of WinZip is speed. WinZip archives are usually created faster than WinRar archives. The rar format provides significantly better compression than zip in most cases, especially when creating continuous archives. Another important feature of WinRar is support for multi-volume archives. They are much more convenient and easier to use than the so-called “span disk” WinZip archives. In addition, the rar format has several important features that zip lacks, such as adding recovery information that allows you to recover a physically damaged file, and locking important archives to prevent accidental modification.
Continuous archive is rar archive, packaged in a special way in which all compressed files are treated as one sequential data stream. Continuous archiving increases the compression ratio, especially when adding a significant number of small, similar files. However, it only manifests itself in the absence of some features inherent in conventional archives, as well as in a slightly longer time for archiving them.
Both formats support six archiving methods: No compression, High-speed, Fast, Normal, Good, Maximum. Maximum method provides the most high degree compression, but at the lowest speed. Against, Express compresses poorly, but very quickly. Method Without compression it simply places the files in an archive without packaging them. If you are creating an archive for distribution or long-term storage, it may make sense to sacrifice time and choose a method Maximum to get the best compression. If you create a daily backup copy data, it is usually better to use Normal method.
Hello dear readers of my blog. Today I present to you an article about two archivers WinZip And WinRar. We will find out how they are similar and how they differ WinZip And WinRar.
If you have large files, but there is little space left on your computer’s hard drive to store them, and you don’t want to throw them away, then you can use the help of special compressor programs. Using a special compression algorithm, the compressor reduces the file size, and you can safely continue to “clutter” your computer. Often such programs for reducing file size are called “archivers”. Because indeed, after compression, the file is not suitable for normal use, but only suitable for convenient storage on a virtual drive shelf.
The most famous users of the operating room Windows systems archivers are considered WinZip And WinRar. These compressors are among the oldest on the market; they have long proven themselves to be reliable and trouble-free tools. Both programs are paid, with a trial period provided. However, in in this case the concept of a “trial period” is so vague that in fact, you can use archivers for years completely free of charge. From time to time (and not very often), the program modestly reminds the user that, they say, it is not Free at all. After which the user annoyedly, like an annoying fly, closes the pop-up reminder and continues to enjoy the freebie with a calm heart. As you can see, modesty adorns not only a person, but also some programs.
What is the difference between WinZip and WinRar?
Despite the external similarity, differences still exist and are quite significant. Firstly, the creator WinRar is a Russian programmer Evgeny Roshal. That's why WinRar is more tailored to our users and is mainly popular in the territory of the former USSR. It is believed that WinRar has a higher degree of compression, but is slower.
Archiver WinZip is the work of the hands and brain of Western scientist Phil Katz. Accordingly, you can more often find WinZip in foreign countries. By speed WinZip superior WinRar, but is inferior in terms of compression ratio. We can say that this is where all the differences end.
Both programs support many interface languages, so there will be no problems with use. By the way, the issue of operating speed and compression ratio is quite relative. Much depends on the file format and its size. In some cases, notice a significant difference in the work of archivers WinZip And WinRar it won't work.
Why do we need archivers for modern computers with volume hard drives many gigabytes?
Indeed, using an archiver on a desktop is in most cases impractical. You only lose quite a lot of time on the compression procedure, and there is already enough space. You will need compressed files to transfer files via email or over the Internet. If you try to send a photo of 15 MB in size by email, you will have to wait for the transmission for many minutes. In this case, it is more convenient to compress the photo and send it as an archive.
In addition, modern email clients have built-in anti-spam and anti-virus protection. If you try to send a program by email (the same WinRar) with the .exe extension, an email client or even a server will not allow such a file because it is suspicious. To bypass protection mail client, the exe file is compressed and sent as a respectable and harmless archive.
To unpack an archive in WinRAR, you need to open it first. There are several ways to do this.
Method 1
Double left click on your archive. If WinRAR is the only archiver installed on your computer, and you did not change any settings during the installation process, the archive will open in its interface.
Note: if the archive is protected by a password, then to extract files from it you will need to enter this same password (a corresponding warning and an input window will appear).
You can also use the button " Extract" on the top panel of the archiver. Click on it and you will see additional options unpacking.
In the window that opens, you can change the folder into which the contents of the archive will be extracted, configure the overwriting mode for files if they already exist in the unpacking folder, select the option to show files in Explorer after the extraction process is completed, etc.
Click the button OK" to start unzipping.
Method 2
Click right click mouse on the desired archive, and select in the opened context menu command " Extract files».
After this, a window will open with settings for the path and extraction parameters, as in method 1.
Select the folder where the files will be extracted (you can create a new one by clicking on the corresponding button) and click “OK” to extract them.
Method 3
This method is useful for those who have files with archive extensions (ZIP, RAR, etc.) that are not associated with WinRAR. Launch the archiver and in its explorer (the window that displays all the folders and files on your computer), find the archive you need.
Select it and click on the " Extract».
After a few seconds (depending on the size and number of files in the archive), the unzipping process will be completed.