I have been using a cracked copy of Winzip for the past 2 years, but I don’t think that is a good way. As I was also not be able to upgrade the software, I opted for Open Source Software. So far, the best open source file archiver that I have been using (since December 2006) is 7-zip.

7-zip is a file archiver with high compression ratio. It gives you the same function as Winzip and Winrar, but for you to use for free.

7-zip

The main features of 7-Zip

• High compression ratio in new 7z format with LZMA compression
• Supported formats:
  • Packing / unpacking: 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR
  • Unpacking only: RAR, CAB, ISO, ARJ, LZH, CHM, Z, CPIO, RPM, DEB and NSIS
• For ZIP and GZIP formats 7-Zip provides compression ratio that is 2-10 % better than ratio provided by PKZip and WinZip
• Self-extracting capability for 7z format
• Integration with Windows Shell
• Powerful File Manager
• Powerful command line version
• Plugin for FAR Manager
• Localizations for 63 languages

Personally, it’s the best alternative for Winzip and Winrar for me. I use to have both as my file archiver, but I am not really easy with illegal/cracked copy of the software. 7-zip did what I wanted and for a free software, I have no complain. It worked with both my OS, Windows XP and Xandros Linux.

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