Review by mhnstr

Why file compression? The basic idea is to decrease the space needed to store data so that you can add more data to your backup device. Also, file compression decreases the time required to transfer the data and allows you to email more data if your email service limits the size of attachments.

WinZip has been around since 1991, but it is not the only compression utility available. Other popular compression utilities include 7-Zip, WinRAR and MagicRAR. All of the compression utilities can handle ZIP, the most commonly-used compression format, along with a number of other popular formats such as 7z, RAR, TAR, and GZIP. WinZip does not compress into CAB, RAR, TAR, 7Z, or LHA/LZH.

PerformancenThe speed with which WinZip 18 compresses files depends on your processor. Toms Hardware benchmarked several different compression programs using different processors and found that the choice of processor could half the time required for compression. You can speed up the compression even further by choosing the OpenCL under preferences. WinZip 18 claims to be the fastest version yet, but I haven’t noticed great increases in speed as compared to WinZip 17 on my Core i7 machine.

File FormatsnWinZip 18 can compress into six file formats including: Zip, BZ2, ZipX, PPMD, LZMA and WavPack. WinZip can not compress into CAB, RAR, TAR, 7Z, or LHA/LZH. However, it can extract files from 13 formats including ZIP, CAB, RAR, GZ, ISO, TAR, TGZ, IMG, ZipX, BZ2, PPMD, 7Z and LZMA. This is very useful if you share compressed data with people who use other compression formats.

Zip to the CloudnWinZip works not just with local files but also with data stored o the most popular cloud sites. WinZip 18 supports Box, CloudMe, Dropbox, Google Drive, SkyDrive and the newly added SugarSync as well as ZipSend, WinZips sharing service. WinZip 18 can retrieve files from the cloud or send data to the cloud in compressed form saving space and the time to log into your account.

InstallationnI downloaded the latest version from the internet with the intention of then entering my license code from the product box I received. During installation, I was asked if I wanted to add a toolbar to my browser and to improve WinZip by sending WinZip your usage data and the default option is to send the data. I didn’t want to do either and WinZip never bothered me about these things again. So be careful when you install the product that you don’t get third-party tools that you don’t want or need. Especially since I have gone back to find out more about the program to make WinZip better and I can find the settings turn this on or off.

Once WinZip was installed, I needed to enter my license code and then validate it online. Here is where I had trouble because I kept getting errors. I Googled the error and it turns out this is a common installation problem in Windows 7 64 bit. It turns out that The Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Vista operating systems have security rules and User Account Control settings that restrict writing data to certain protected files and folders. So, Windows was preventing the validation. I tried following the workaround offered on the WinZip website which required me to delete a folder from my computer, but this turned out to be useless. However, I could complete the installation by simply right clicking on the icon WinZip put on my desktop and running the program as an administrator. Note that this method will not work if you don’t have administrative rights on your computer.

Express Add OnsnOne of the new features of WinZip 18 is the ability to add Express Add Ons. These are programs for Windows Explorer, for Photos, for Outlook and for Sharepoint. However, be aware that with the exception of the Add On for Windows Explorer, you have to pay an additional fee for the Add Ons.

The Add ON for Windows Explorer is free with the WinZip 18 license. The Add On provides fast access to the key features in WinZip: compression, encryption, file conversion and watermarking, sharing via social media or email and uploading to a cloud service. All these options are present in a single window and achieving the task involves just a few clicks. The benefit is that you don’t have to launch the main WinZip program when using the Add On.

SummarynOverall, WinZip is a very good file compression utility with a lot of features that allow you to do more with the files you compress. The ability to upload and to view files on the Cloud through the program are nice features. I found the default options for adding AVG and performance enhancers to be annoying during installation, but since then there have been no other annoyances.