WinPack Deluxe

WinPack Deluxe -- The WinPack Deluxe client offers support for more types of compression than any other client currently available. BinHex, GnuZip (*.gz), Tape ARchive (TAR), UUencode, Lharc, Zoo, ARJ, and PKZip/PKUnzip compression/decompression modes are all available with WinPack in both the 16 and 32-bit versions. You can also use WinPack Deluxe to create self-extracting zip files. Want more features? Try quick file viewing for all file types (binary or text), full drag 'n' drop support, extract and install/destall commands for automatically compressing or decompressing archives, a test option for detecting whether a file in an archive is corrupted, support for long filenames (in the 32-bit version), archive conversion (for converting an archive from one compression type to another), and quick renaming capability. While this is an impressive list of features, there are several missing features that would make WinPack an even better client. Providing a front-end for virus scanning of archives (for the 16-bit version), a more extensive online help documentation system, right mouse button functionality, and support for LZH compression are a few of the features currently absent in WinPack. Overall, WinPack is a very solid compression utility that offers a selection of features nearly on the same level as WinZip and is, at the same time, less expensive than WinZip ($20 compared to $29). Pros: Excellent selection of features and compression/decompression types, quick file viewing Cons: Lacks several features including virus scanning, LZH compression, and drag 'n' drop New for 16-bit: Support for Lharc and ZOO compression types, full drag 'n' drop, bug fixes, more New for 32-bit: Virus scanning, integration with Explorer, improved drag 'n' drop, more Version Reviewed: 16-bit - 0.95 Beta. 32-bit - 1.00 Alpha 7 Date of Review: 1/12/96 Reviewer: Forrest Stroud