PeaZip is a free, open source file and archive manager for 32 and 64 bit Windows and Linux. It is available either as installable and portable application (not needing installation). Full support: 7Z, 7Z-sfx, ARC/WRC, BZ2/TBZ2, Custom (user defined), GZ/TGZ, PAQ/ZPAQ, PEA, QUAD/BALZ, split, TAR, UPX, ZIP. Open, browse, extract, test: ACE, ARJ, CAB, CHM, COMPOUND (MSI, DOC, XLS, PPT), CPIO, ISO, Java (JAR, EAR, WAR), Linux (DEB, PET/PUP, RPM, SLP), LHA/LZH, LZMA, Mac (DMG/HFS), NSIS, Open Office files, PAK/PK3/PK4, RAR, SMZIP, U3P, UDF, WIM, XAR, XPI, Z/TZ (118 file extension supported).

Operating PeaZip is as easy as dragging files. Drop a ZIP file on the interface and PeaZip goes into decompression mode. Drop a regular file and it opens the archiving screen. Well-labeled buttons and simple functions make both processes quick and painless. Adding files and folders is also quickly accomplished using function buttons and traditional file browse tools.

or a better working with PeaZip the developer integrated the most used functions in Windows shell. Thus you can manipulate an archive without having to open PeaZip itself. The options are to be found in Send to context menu in Windows. The options are many and include archiving to 7z and ZIP, extracting, opening the archive, splitting the file, checking the integrity, etc. Despite the obvious benefits of the context menu integration I wish the menu was dynamic. This way, depending on the selected file only some of the options would make themselves visible.

Regarding the compression, I have to say that I am pretty amazed by both the speed of the operation and the compression rate. 500MB of text were finished in no time, faster then ZIP and 7ZIP. The output result was almost eight times smaller then the original, and took about three minutes to complete with a speed of almost 3MB/second. The result was insignificantly smaller in size then compressing the folder with 7-Zip with the same parameters (about 1MB smaller).

A command line version of 7-Zip is also available for Mac and Linux operating systems.

7-Zip includes a number of common file compression features like password protection, multi-volume support and integration with Outlook. However, 7-Zip doesn’t have anything particular that makes it stand out among the rest of the file compression pack.

Like most file compression software, 7-Zip does have full support with Windows Explorer and you can access almost any 7-Zip function by using right-click. You can also batch compress or extract using hotkeys and drag and drop; however, 7-Zip does not include this feature directly in the application. Additionally, 7-Zip supports the creation of self-extracting archives, but you have to download additional modules or plugins from the 7-Zip website. In future versions, we’d like to see 7-Zip include integrated support of batch conversion and extraction, the ability to convert archives and display overall compression ratio.

Compression: Excellent
7-Zip’s overall ZIP compression ratio was good and ever so slightly out performed WinZip’s “Legacy” compression option in our compression test. Like all of our file compression software, the best compression was in the Word and Excel files.

However, 7-Zip best performance occurs when using their 7z format. When using 7-Zip, 7z’s overall compression was about 17% better than the ZIP compression. Additionally, the 7z compression was on par with WinZip’s “Best” ZIP compression.

Compression Formats: Excellent
Compared to the other file compression software we reviewed, 7-Zip has a significantly smaller selection of compression options. Although it covers the basics like ZIP, the only other native compression it supports is for 7z and TAR. Although these formats are sufficient for most uses, we would like to see 7-Zip broaden its selection just a bit.

Extraction Formats: Excellent
Contrary to 7-Zip’s limited compression options, its extraction options are quite large. 7-Zip supports the extraction of 22 different archives and file formats including the popular ZIP and RAR formats.
Ease of Use: Excellent

7-Zip’s interface is very similar WinRAR and though not particularly difficult to understand, it does take a little trial and error to get used to. 7-Zip does include drag and drop functionality which makes creating new archives easier, but it does not include a Wizard.

Help and Support: Excellent
Like most free software, 7-Zip’s support is limited. Although it includes a built-in user guide and online forums, there is no active customer support through email or telephone. However, we found that the forums are active and many of your questions can be answered there, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find a way to “search” the forums for specific terms or topics.

Summary:
7-Zip is a decent and free file compression program that includes all the basic functions you’d expect to see in a file archiver. However, it is probably better suited for those who are a little more familiar with file compression.

• Create password for the ecnrypted files.
• Compressed and encrypted archive file using the public key of another user.
• Add several passwords to an archive file.
• Apply more than one public keys to an archive file enabling a number of users to decrypt the archive.
• Generate new or use existing secret/public key pairs in PKCS-12/X.509 format.
• Compress and encrypt data to executable program that self-extract the archive file.

BCArchive enables the use of existing public key databases, such as those created for PGP software, which have been used world-wide for many years. BCArchive utilizes the following encryption algorithms, standards and specifications:

• Symmetric algorithms: Rijndael (AES), Blowfish-256, Blowfish-448, IDEA, CAST5, GOST 28147-89, Triple DES.
• Secure Hash Algorithms: SHA-256, SHA-1, MD5 and RIPEMD-160.
• Asymmetric (public/secret key pair) algorithms: RSA, ElGamal / Diffie-Hellman.
• Specifications for public/secret key pair format: PKCS #12, X.509.
• PKCS #5 recommendations for the implementation of password-based cryptography.
• RFC 2440 specifications for session keys encrypted by symmetric or public key encryption algorithms.

What´s New in version 2.02.4:

• Resolved conflict with OpenOffice software.
• Resolved problems with sending archive file or public key by email.

Excellent compressor / decompressor files, suitable for both beginners and expert users. ZipGenius 6.1.0.1000 Standard Edition introduces CZIP 2.1 format, so you can better protect your files. With this utility, you can handle, read and decompress files. ISO, NRG and CMI. And if you need to create a CD-ROM from an ISO file and use Windows XP, only has to load this file on ZipGenius 6.1.0.1000 Standard Edition and click “Extract to CD-R/RW.

ZipGenius 6.1.0.1000 Standard Edition can import pictures from TWAIN devices and to compress a file directly, you can also make a presentation to automatic send to your friends and family.

Would you rather use the keyboard instead of mouse? ZipGenius 6.1.0.1000 Standard Edition has keyboard shortcuts for almost all functions.

With a fully configurable interface, it is capable of supporting files OpenOffice.org and masks for WinAMP and Windows Media Player and optimized by increasing the level of compression for them.

In short, this program is an excellent replacement for any other file compressor you’re using.

SharpArchiver is written in c# programing language there for you will need to install the .Net Framework 2.0.You can download it here .Net Framework 2.0

Tools that come along with SharpArchiver are: MultiExtract Tool, ConvertArchive Tool, Encrypt/Decrypt Tool.