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By George Norman - Software Editor

Added on 14 Sep 2009(814 Views)

WinRAR, the software program that first saw the light of day back in 1995, is a file archiver and data compression tool that any Windows, Mac OS X and Linux user should have installed on their machine. There are other similar software products out there that one could get, but WinRAR comes with two things that make it a top contender in the compression category: ease of use and plenty of features.

Providing support for the most popular compression formats out there (RAR, ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, ACE, TAR, GZip, UUE, ISO, BZIP2, Z and 7-Zip), WinRAR will efficiently compress the files of your choice so that they are easier to store or send over the internet. The speed at which WinRAR performs its task is slightly slower than what WinZip has to offer, but this small drawback can be overlooked when you notice that the size of the WinRAR archived file is smaller than the WinZip archived one.


WinRAR’s extensive compression format support also means that you will be able to extract archived files with this piece of software. The same no nonsense approach that WinRAR applies to compression files is employed when it comes to extracting archived files.

The one thing that might put you off WinRAR is its lengthy features list – that’s if you are just now discovering the software and find its offerings a bit overwhelming. Trust me, the fact that WinRAR has plenty to offer is something you will grow to appreciate. WinRAR comes with a simple to understand, intuitive interface that you will figure out in no time at all. Simply move your mouse cursor over all the icons you see there and a detailed presentation of will be displayed. For those times when you really can’t figure your way around WinRAR, there’s a wizard system that will help you out.

As time goes by and you grow accustomed, or bored, with the default WinRAR UI (user interface), you can always visit the developer’s web page and get a theme that suits your tastes.

Security is an issue when it comes to archived files. Most users are afraid that who knows what threat may be hiding under the inconspicuous shell of an archive. With WinRAR you don’t have to worry about security as the software comes with integrated virus scans.

WinRAR is shareware. This means you can use it free of charge for the first 40 days, but when that amount of time expires you’ll have to shell out some cash for a license.

Pros
Plenty of features
No-nonsense archiving and compression
Extensive compression formats support
Multi-platform (Windows, Mac OS X and Linux)

Cons
Slightly slower than WinZip
Free to use only for the first 40 days


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