File Facilitators
PC Magazine

The utilities in this section build on the file-handling features in Windows Explorer. High on the list are compression programs, which squeeze large files down to size so that you can fit more on a hard drive and transfer files faster.

On pcs, zip is the standard format for compressing files. It's so popular that Microsoft has added zip-handling capability to Windows Me. If you don't have Windows Me or want more features than it provides, try WinZip 8.0 ($29 direct, www.winzip.com), the standout in this category. Not only does it let you create zip files using a wizard or a right-click menu in Explorer, it also lets you read 17 other compressed and encoded file formats. WinZip even lets you edit files inside an archive without unzipping and rezipping them.

To create files in other compressed formats and to add 128-bit encryption for security, consider GlobalScape's CuteZIP 1.0 ($19.95 direct, www.cuteftp.com). CuteZIP can't read as many formats as WinZip, but it will let you create files in nine formats, including gzip and tar. It can also produce MP3 files from your CDs.

rar is another compression scheme that offers a higher degree of compression than zip. WinRAR 2.80 ($35 direct, www.winrar-usa.com) works similarly to WinZip. It can create files in both rar and zip formats, as well as self- extracting archives.