Zip Explorer Pro

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Originally published at Internet.com

Zip Explorer Pro is designed primarily for seamless integration with the Windows Explorer and for adding greatly needed archive maintenance capabilities to the Windows 9x/NT interface. Native support is offered for standard compression formats like LZH, TAR, uncompress, and gzip; ZIP and UNZIP are supported via PKZIP-compatible code. Zip Explorer Pro sports the same familiar interface found in Explorer and offers full drag 'n' drop (with OLE 2.0 support) between both Explorer and the Windows

Explorer Integration via ZIP Exploration Mode

The crux of Zip Explorer Pro is its ZIP Exploration mode, which allows you to view the contents of archives, create new archives, add files to existing archives, and work with files in archives - all from within Windows Explorer. If these features sound a bit like ZipMagic, don't be surprised - they are extremely similar.

Zip Explorer Pro doesn't offer as many features as ZipMagic, and opening archives or viewing the contents of archives in ZIP Exploration mode does require the additional step of dragging the archives to the Zip Archives virtual folder in Explorer. Still, the ZIP Exploration mode is a great addition for Zip Explorer Pro and helps elevate the client into the upper tier of compression

Near-instantaneous Viewing of Compressed Files

Near-instantaneous viewing of compressed files is another of Zip Explorer Pro's strengths. Quick viewing for archived files is offered in both ASCII and binary modes and is a much-appreciated addition for a compression utility. The quick view utility would be even better if simple editing tools were also included.

Multiple-disk archives and self-extracting archives are also supported with automatic compression/decompression tools. Additional new features in recent releases of Zip Explorer Pro include ZIP file support for Java, a one-step compress and send menu, and support for the BZ2 compression format.

Zip Explorer Pro does lack an extensive on-line help system but is generally intuitive and easy to use. Installation and configuration tasks have also been made easier in newer releases, with automatic file association capabilities and the option to install a ZIP helper application for

The Last Word

Zip Explorer Pro still lacks a number of features available in the compression-deluxe app ZipMagic, and at $39.95, Zip Explorer Pro is more expensive than the ever-popular WinZip. But overall, Zip Pro complements a solid feature-set with outstanding integration with the Windows 9x/NT Explorer.