More Related Stories

Product Review: Page (1) of 1 - 02/07/06

email article print page

WinZip Pro 10.0

Not just for zipping files anymore but is it worth the price to upgrade?

By David James Rockingham III

WinZip is the standard zipping utility application for years Every day, millions of users have relied on to open, archive and send files to other users across the internet. With the release of version 10.0, the makers of WinZip are looking to provide more reasons for users to purchase the shareware utility.

First off, you should be aware that registered users of earlier versions of WinZip will need to purchase an upgrade version of WinZip 10.0. If you attempt to install 10.0 over your current version, you will be left the registration reminder winder every time you launch the program.

If you had a registered owner of WinZip 9 and earlier, you will find that your previous registration information is no longer valid. You will need to purchase an upgrade of WinZip 10.0 to gain its functionality.

WinZip 10.0 supports only CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R media. If you were to use the only rewriteable media supported (CD-RW), then you should know that WinZip will erase all data it finds on the disc before it begins the burning process. The program will only write discs and does not allow for session burning.

WinZip?s disc burning capabilities is strictly for archiving purposes. You?re not going to be able to burn standard DVD media for playback in case you were wondering. To burn to disc, just select the data that you would like to back up and import it into a new ZIP file. Once you see all of the contents inside of the WinZip interface, simply click on FILE and select New ZIP file on CD or DVD. You will then be prompted by a window where you will have to select your disc burner, provide a name for your ZIP file and determine the write speed (Fastest, Medium and Slowest). Click the OK button and the burn process will begin. The program does not display what the actual burning speeds are but you would have to believe that it would be at the maximum/minimum capability of your disc burner.

WinZip 10.0 does have a few cool features such as being able to create Zip files directly onto a CD or a DVD. You don?t have to extract your files to the hard drive first then burn to disc. The program also allows for large Zip files to be broken up so you can fit the data onto multiple discs. Be aware that if you have the Nero software suite installed, you will need to disable InCD as it is not compatible with WinZip 10.0.

The Final Word
Getting used to WinZip?s extra features will definitely take some time to get used to. After all these years, consumers are pretty set in their ways of using WinZip exclusively as a ZIP file utility program only. Time will tell if people will find these new features to be useful. I found that some of the features like its large file management to be cool but this program?s disc burning features are just too simplistic.

While WinZip 10.0 does have some nifty features that may come in handy at times, I found that it wasn?t enough to justify the price compared to other software packages. You might be better off sticking with your previously registered version of WinZip. This product earns 3 out of five stars.

Registering WinZip 10.0 can be done through the company?s website at http://www.winzip.com. The cost for purchasing is as follows:
WinZip Pro $49.95
WinZip Pro Standard $29.95
WinZip Pro Upgrade $24.95
WinZip Standard Upgrade $14.95

About WinZip
WinZip is a powerful and easy-to-use tool that quickly zips and unzips your files to conserve disk space and greatly reduce e-mail transmission time. WinZip integrates seamlessly with  Windows and provides AES encryption to keep your files secure. Now available in Standard and Pro, so you can choose the feature set that is right for you. Feature set is determined by the registration code used. Learn more about ZinZip at the company website http://www.winzip.com.