WinRAR
WinRAR, the popular compression utility, has now been on the market for well over ten years. With the release of version 3.50, rarlab.com has decided to give WinRAR a facelift. By installing interface themes, users can now give WinRAR a completely new look. Theme files are available on http://www.rarlab.com/themes.htm. Since theme files are RAR archives users can open them directly in WinRAR to install. Installed themes can be managed by using the "Options/Themes" menu within WinRAR.
But of course WinRAR has not only changed optically. Many new features have been added as well. The new WinRAR 3.50 is one of the first compression tools to offer Windows x64 shell integration. This is a great feature for Windows x64 users who have been waiting for context menu support on their Windows x64. With WinRAR 3.50 they can now take full advantage of the right-click extensions that make work so much more efficient.
Other big advantages for web editors, but also for private users, are the newly added options for customizing SFX archives. One option is to replace the default SFX logo by a custom bitmap file. It is now possible to specify user defined SFX icons larger than 32x32 and with any color depth.
With the release of WinRAR 3.50, rarlab.com has also succeeded in making a very secure program even more secure. In addition to existing security features WinRAR now offers even better protection for data. For example, it is not allowed to run *.pif files. Archived PIF files is one typical way for computer viruses to distribute. WinRAR shell does not allow running files having 5 or more continuous spaces in the name. Viruses frequently add spaces into names to confuse users and hide the real extension. WinRAR shell removes these continuous spaces.
Furthermore, WinRAR now supports decompression of ZIP archives created using Zip64 format extension.
These are just some of the more than 20 features that were added or improved. More information on all the improved items can be found at http://www.win-rar.com/whatsnew.html.
Of course, as always, the upgrade to 3.50 is absolutely free for all registered users. Upgrading is quick and easy. Users only need to download and install the newest version of WinRAR to continue using the popular compression tool. No complicated uninstalling of the previous version is necessary.