multifile unzip

winzip used to offer various extract options ("extract here", "extract to folder ...", "extract each to seperate folder") if you highlit multiple zip/rar/cab files. now i get a bunch of "zip" "add to zip" and "zip and email" type choices.

which begs the question: why is it offering to zip ZIPPED files? yeah, i have seen nested zips before, but seems to me extract is a far more likely action a user would be looking for here.

i shud note that this only happens when selecting multiple files. if i hightlight one lone zip, i still get all the extract options expected. were the options to handle multiple files dropped from a recent version, or have i mucked up some setting somewere?

i particularly want the "extract to seperate" option back -- trying to unzip an entire folder of, say, 100 zips is a royal pain without it.

 

Because somewhere in that group of files is one that WinZip doesn't recognize. One being rar. Check your file associations.
WinRAR will do multiple RARs and ZIPs too.
7zip may be a good alternative.

 

no, winzip handles rar just fine in recent versions. and, as i said, FILE-1 and FILE-2 (say) will extract just fine, separately, but not if highlit as a pair.

is it possible winzip can only handle SINGLE rars, tho? perhaps all my memories of doing mutiple extractions were indeed via WinRAR or 7zip (had both on last PC). i hadn't bothered installing either on the new machine yet b/c (quote) "no need -- winzip now handles rars".

famous last words!

 

Winzip has a KB article on multiple zip files: valid for Winzip 9.0 and later

http://kb.winzip.com/kb/entry/77/

 

hmmm. so am i reading that right - it DOES unzip RARs, etc, "other archive formats" but not in a list of multiple extracts? as i had half-surmised above.

what is the logic in that? if it can unzip ONE, why wouldn't it be able to handle them in a list? does this sound like some technical glitch, or a conscious decision by M$ to slight the competition?

i guess i'll reinstall WinRAR. been too used to doing this for too long to go back now!

 

Hi

The logic is surprisingly simple. Often, when people are creating a ZIP archive, they put multiple files in. So, when you SELECT multiple files, it assumes you'd like to create a ZIP archive with all of them inside, and thus gives you that option.

I prefer 7-zip (which was already mentioned). It's open source freeware that has all the right options, and works great for ZIP, RAR, TAR, and other formats.

 

nah...that doesn't hold. as foogoo said -- and i have since confirmed -- it offers all those "extract" options if the list is purely made up of ZIP files. only when u toss in a lone RAR or similar misfit does it decide "gee, guess you aren't extracting after all..."

vestige of the days it couldn't handle rar files AT ALL, methinks. i suspect this will be "corrected" in a future release.

in the meantime, i'm with you guys -- back to the competition!

 

I've never liked the Windows ZIP utility, or WinZIP. WinRAR was okay, but you really needed the paid version for full functionality if I remember right. 7-zip is, quite simply, the best IMO. Very simple interface, but still lots of options.

And I guess I missed the "rogue file being involved" part. That makes even more sense that it would think you want to archive all selected files if one isn't an archive.

 

but it IS an archive! winzip offers all those "extract" options just fine if handling *ONE* rar file. just not in a LIST.

 

Alright, I actually read through what's going on. I suppose the WinZIP people don't really care, as people are still buying and using the program. Give 'em one less user and get 7-zip.