WinRAR press release.

win.rar GmbH and RARLAB release WinRAR 3.80

win.rar GmbH and RARLAB release WinRAR 3.80

The classic compression program stays on course with high compatibility, supports new formats, and offers many other functions for security and ease-of-use.

Berlin, September 30 - win.rar GmbH and RARLAB has announced the release of the new version of the powerful compression program and archive manager WinRAR 3.80. WinRAR 3.80 is available for downloading as of October 1 on the WinRAR website.

The pack software now supports ZIP archives that contain Unicode file names in UTF-8 format. When creating a ZIP archive that uses Unicode characters in file names, the file names themselves are also saved in Unicode. The implementation of Unicode support for the WinRAR user interface has also been improved.

Another additional feature is that ZIP archives encrypted using AES and created in WinZip can now be unpacked.

The new function "Wipe Files" provides even greater security: users have the option of deleting the file, moving it into the Recycle Bin, or wiping the file. By wiping the file, data is overwritten with zero bytes. Deleted data is thus protected from unwanted recovery. WinRAR has user-specific settings which are saved in profiles. In the new version, these settings can be enabled with a right-click of the context menu, provided the new option "Add to Context Menu " is enabled in the dialog "Profile
Settings".

"Our RAR format is still downward compatible and can also be unpacked by older versions. In providing this functionality, we stand for a sustainable business policy that cultivates trust in our company," says Öncül Kaya, Managing Director of win.rar GmbH. "Our customers don’t have to worry about changing formats that their friends or business partners might not be able to open."

Other Highlights of the New Version:

- The updating options "Ask before overwrite" and "Skip existing files" in the archive dialog simplify the managing of your archives and also prevent accidental overwriting of your archives. You decide what WinRAR does when updating existing files in an archive. In contrast to the existing modes "Fresh existing files only" and "Add and update files", the file times are ignored and only the file names are compared.

- WinRAR and RAR now have a status bar that displays the progress when unpacking archives consisting of several parts when the individual volumes are located in the same folder. WinRAR 3.80 also displays the status bar when unpacking TAR archives.

- WinRAR 3.80 now also supports the use of quotation marks in the command lines of self-extracting modules (SFX modules) with graphical user interface (GUI). When needed, two quotation marks can be set. With the new SFX script command "Update" and the corresponding options on the "Update" tab (dialog "Advanced SFX Options"), the file times are checked during unpacking and the files are updated based on these times. In the SFX script command "Shortcut" and the command "Add shortcut …" in the Advanced SFX options, only one icon file can be entered which contains the icon for the link.

- WinRAR and RAR evaluate the environmental variables used in files which contain a list of file names such as \*.exe or \Desktop.

- TAR archives with data unequal to zero are now also support in "Extra Field" as well as TAR archives which do not contain the entry for the end of the archive consisting of 512 zero bytes.

- The console version of RAR now displays the checksum of newly packed data when updating files in solid archives.

- The new switch -cp<Profilename> lets users select a compression profile in command line modus. However, this is only supported by the version with a graphical user interface WinRAR.exe, but not by the console version rar.exe.

- The size of the WinRAR dialog "Extraction path and options" can be dragged by the mouse to the desired size in WinRAR 3.80. WinRAR then saves the size.

- The key combination Shift+Tab can be used in the main WinRAR window to toggle between the GUI elements (files, comments, tree, address) in reverse order.

- And much more …

Prices and Availability

WinRAR 3.80 is available for downloading as of October 1 on the WinRAR website.

WinRAR is available for 35.64 Euro (incl. 19 VAT) here. The demo version runs for 40 days without any nag screens. On expiration of the 40 days, users will be prompted to purchase a license, The licensed version gives users the right to use the program legally and provides additional security with the help of a unique AV code (Authenticity Verification code). The AV code functions as an electronic signature that could be embedded in the created archives to prove their origin. Licensed users are also provided with free email support and upgrades.

The upgrade to Version 3.80 is free-of-charge for all registered users. To get their upgrades, registered users need to simply download and install the latest version of WinRAR. No complicated removing of the previous version is necessary.

WinRAR is available in more than 45 difference languages and runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000/ME/XP/Vista. The command line version of RAR is available for Linux, DOS, OS/2, FreeBSD and MAC OS X.

Images such as logos, screenshots, or boxshots are available on request or can be downloaded online in the Press Center after registration at http://www.win-rar.com/press/index.php?pid=001.

About WinRAR

WinRAR is a 32-bit Windows version of the RAR Archiver, the powerful archiver and archive manager. RAR files can usually compress content up to 30 percent more effectively than ZIP files. WinRAR’s most important functions include extremely powerful document and multimedia file compression, processing of other archive formats, long filename support, programmable self-extracting archives (SFK), damaged archive repair, authenticity verification, embedded file comments, and archive encryption. The command line version of RAR is available for Linux, DOS, OS/2, FreeBSD and MAC OS X. Pocket RAR, the free WinRAR version for Pocket PCs, WinRAR for U3, and the new WinRAR Unplugged complete the WinRAR product range.

About win.rar GmbH

win.rar GmbH, has been the official distributor of WinRAR and RARLAB products since February 2002 and handles all support, marketing, and sales related to WinRAR & rarlab.com. The company is registered in Germany and is represented worldwide by local partners in more than 70 countries on six continents. winRAR’s declared objective is to provide first-class quality support and to optimize their software to meet the requirements and in accordance with the feedback of their customers. For more information about WinRAR and win.rar GmbH go to http://www.win-rar.com.