Entered CNET Catalog: 02/26/2004
SKU: WINZIP9.0
Manufacturer: Winzip
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 03/26/2004
 During installation, you can specify which archive types to associate WinZip with. |
The installation process finishes by asking if you'd rather start out with WinZip's Classic interface or with its newer and easy-to-use Wizard interface. Power users will be more comfortable in Classic mode, with its traditional Explorer-like display of files within archives. Beginners and those unfamiliar with Windows and ZIP files in general will want the well-designed Wizard instead. The Wizard patiently guides you through a series of questions that either creates or extracts ZIP file archives.
 WinZip launches with either the Classic Explorer interface or as a wizard. |
After installation, the app will search your system for ZIP files and, if you want, create a Favorite Zip folder. This folder organizes files into one convenient list, sorted by date. WinZip maintains the Favorites list thereafter, guaranteeing easy access to your newly created ZIP file archives regardless of where they came from or where they are stored on your system. WinZip 9.0 adds two very important features to keep it on top of the archiving scene: stronger encryption and support for the extended 64-bit ZIP file format.
 Easily encrypt your ZIP files by just entering a password. |
WinZip's adoption of 128-bit and 256-bit AES encryption brings version 9.0 up-to-date with the latest security developments as well as with direct competitors such as PKZip. AES is significantly more secure than the Zip 2.0 encryption scheme used in previous versions. Another security improvement is that WinZip 9.0 can now encrypt files already in a zip archive; previous versions of WinZip could only encrypt files as they were being zipped.
With version 9.0, you can finally exceed the 4GB archive size limit found in previous versions of WinZip. By supporting the larger 64-bit ZIP file format, WinZip 9.0 no longer has any practical restrictions on the size of ZIP files or the number of compressed files contained within a zip archive.
The addition of these new features does not change WinZip's ease of use. WinZip has long been tightly integrated with Windows, with convenient options such as one-click zip and e-mail right from Windows Explorer. Besides all of its standard zipping and unzipping features, WinZip can also create self-extracting executable files, split archives, and provide one-click access to any setup or installation programs contained within a zip archive. WinZip 9.0 is very easy to use, but should you run into any problems or questions, its context-sensitive help system is extremely useful. WinZip's documentation is clear, well organized, and thorough. Online, WinZip's Web site offers an extensive FAQ section.
There's also a handy WinZip Tutor for new users that explains basic zip concepts and walks you through the process of zipping and unzipping files.
If you have a problem that you can't resolve by pressing F1 or visiting the FAQ, WinZip Computing also provides free e-mail technical support for registered users. Unfortunately, telephone support is not available.
User opinions
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User Rating: 
6/10
Easy to use but not worth it.
Pros: It's wizard-based system is easy to use.
Cons: Compared to other programs it's slow, cannot compress files as well, and does not support many formats (7-Zip, RAR, ACE). WinRAR and 7-Zip are far superior, and 7-Zip is free. WinZip is just not worth $30.
User Rating: 6/10
Best compression app of 2004? Please!
Pros: It was good once years ago, and is still good (faid) enough.
Cons: Compared with other newer products, WinZIP is expensive, without many new features at all, and doesnt support many other compression formats...
User Rating: 6/10
In these days of better and faster compression methods, ZIP is outdated.
Pros: It's very fast, and it does precisely what it says it does. It handles zip files, very well I might add. I actually still use it for my zip files.
Cons: It isn't WinRAR or 7-Zip. Both of the aforementioned programs have a lot better compression ratios than WinZip or the Zip format in general. I'm not a 7-Zip promoter, this is just something I thought noteworthy: the Firefox 1.0 installer from Mozilla.org
User Rating: 
7/10
WinRAR is still better!
Pros: WinZip contains many useful features and has excellent stability.
Cons: WinRAR has the same pros as WinZip, but also has compatability with a wide range of compression formats.
User Rating: 
5/10
Just a basic zip utility.
Pros: Easy to use, simple user interface.
Cons: Support very less zip format. Whether a file is compressed or not, the size seems the same.
User Rating: 7/10
It's been rockin' for many yeats
Pros: Easy to use. If you don't know how to use it you should go back to 3rd grade punchy...
Cons: none
User Rating: 
8/10
Great program. Works with All files, including UNIX tar/compressed files.
Pros: Versatile. Multiple platforms. Nice interface. Haven't seen it crash in my (very long) memory. Winzip is today's pkzip.
Cons: ... can't think of one. Never had to get support.
User Rating: 6/10
Decent product & AES encryption is nice..
Pros: It just works and is more affordable than PKWARE's SecureZip product (or PKZIP 6.0 Pro). It also provides a command line interface to licenced users. PKWARE no longer does w/ the 8.0 flavors.
Cons: RAR just does a better job of compression. I will use WinRAR for my personal needs and WinZip for day to day downloads... until RAR catches on, that is.
User Rating: 6/10
What about RAR, sucka?
Pros: It does PKZip, and a handful of outdated competitors; it makes it easy for a new user to handle archives; integration with shell is standard.
Cons: WinRAR offers lifetime updgrades and compresses even better than ZIP, plus it handles more compression types than WinZip and opens ISO files.
User Rating: 
9/10
Good software but doesn't support RAR format
Pros: If you work w/ a lot of zip files, having one of these utility can save time.
Cons: I use WinRAR instead because RAR compresses slightly better, and a lot of files I do come across are RAR files.
User Rating: 
10/10
This is one of those must have utilities
Pros: Better security and encryption then previous versions
Cons: inability to open *.rar and *.iso files still
