Registering WinRAR for fun

[BSim500]

But you can open it in 7-zip and drag the File out

Well, that's my point. If you have an elderly relative and you've set their PC up just right and they don't change / add software, it's a huge bonus if you can "lock down" whatever zip extractor they use to *not* extract / be able to drag & drop any .exe / .bat / .com files inside it out. 7zip is great but way behind on basic security features.

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

Well, that's my point. If you have an elderly relative and you've set their PC up just right and they don't change / add software, it's a huge bonus if you can "lock down" whatever zip extractor they use to *not* extract / be able to drag & drop any .exe / .bat / .com files inside it out. 7zip is great but way behind on basic security features.

I just put Malwarebytes on it and never had a problem

 

[birdie]

Everyone who believes 7-zip is better also believes transmission/write/read errors never occur. 7-Zip has a better compression ratio and that's it.

Only one day you'll suddenly encounter an archive which you can't extract from at all because a single bit at the beginning of it flipped and you had no other copies. Or, crap.

Good luck!

P.S. When I create RAR archive I always add a recovery record (from 1% up to 100% depending on the value of data).

P.P.S. Lastly RAR5's decompression speed is leaps and bounds higher than 7-zip's.

 

[BSim500]

I just put Malwarebytes on it and never had a problem

So do I but the best security exists in layers rather than relying on any one single thing (eg, anti-virus may not have the correct pattern / signature for new theats), and blanket blocking all .exe's is the most effective of all for PC's you want to truly lock down.

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

So do I but the best security exists in layers rather than relying on anti-virus to have the correct pattern / signature, and blanket blocking all .exe's is the most effective of all for PC's you want to truly lock down.

Just use windows s mode then

 

[BSim500]

Just use windows s mode then

Honestly you're starting to sound a bit of a troll. Ignoring the fact Windows S only runs apps from the MS Store (not very helpful for 99% of content not on it...), I can't think of any person who actively rails against improving basic but highly effective security features vs malware the way you are due to some strange thing about never wanting to admit 7zip isn't infallibly perfect in every way vs WinRAR... Is Anti-Malware good? Yes. Is the ability to stop people extracting infected files received via e-mail at the extractor which even some anti-Malware may not detect? Also Yes. "Why not both, then?" for systems that don't need more software added vs putting all your eggs in one basket. (crickets chirping...) If you don't want to use it, then don't, and just leave it unticked. Actively fighting to not include the option is absurd though.

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

I just don't understand why you need this feature

 

[BSim500]

I just don't understand why you need this feature

"I just don't understand why compression software that offers the option of blanket blocking all infected .exe's stored inside containers from being extracted or run is a good thing for PC's that never install genuine software from zips received via email". Jesus dude, short of drawing "My First Computer" pictures in purple crayon, I can't spell out the obvious any more clearly than I did earlier...

Edit: Combined with the fact you were seeing "adware" when there is none in the installer (I just downloaded and checked), leads me to believe you've been downloading some cracked / repacked version from some other iffy site, and ironically that's exactly the kind of person who would benefit from such improved security features on a zip management level...

 

[windwhirl]

I have a registered copy of WinRAR too. Figured that after years of using it I could pay for one.

Yeah but 7-zip is free and also a million times better

Realistically, I've used both and still prefer WinRAR. Feature-wise, there isn't a lot of difference anymore, save for recovery volumes and registers, but, eh, it's like changing habits just for the sake of change.

7z can do rar
also i unticked everything and still ended up with a bunch of add urls

The only advertisement I've ever seen on WinRAR is the one where they basically implore you to buy the license, after the 40-day trial is over (more like infinite trial, tbh), and only if you go and open WinRAR as is, not when you're doing extraction or compression operations launched from the context menu in Explorer.

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

"I just don't understand why compression software that offers the option of blanket blocking all infected .exe's stored inside containers from being extracted or run is a good thing for PC's that never install genuine software from zips received via email". Jesus dude, short of drawing "My First Computer" pictures in purple crayon, I can't spell out the obvious any more clearly than I did earlier...

Edit: Combined with the fact you were seeing "adware" when there is none in the installer (I just downloaded and checked), leads me to believe you've been downloading some cracked / repacked version from some other iffy site, and ironically that's exactly the kind of person who would benefit from such improved security features on a zip management level...

It still asked for activation also so when. I downloaded a program and it came in a zip I can't run it it seems like a really poor blanket settings

 

[BSim500]

It still asked for activation also so when. I downloaded a program and it came in a zip I can't run it it seems like a really poor blanket settings

That's because WinRAR is not freeware. You've filled up almost half a page here finding out that if you try to use paid software without paying for it, you might get a reminder to pay for it. That's not "adware" though (in the 3rd party bundled inside the installer sense). And you've verified that it works as described then? Obviously it's not for those who download zip files with .exe's every 5 minutes, it's for those who rarely if ever add new software to their fairly static configured PC's but want signifianctly enhanced security vs unwanted .exe payloads. "But I don't use it personally". Yes we know, but it's almost like 7bn humans on Earth have different needs, and in the context of the thread it's one excellent security feature that WinRAR has that 7zip really should but doesn't.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Did you try complaining to them about it at the time? I doubt it would have helped, but always worth a go, I guess.

I did. Their excuse was a familiar one. They claimed the lifetime license expired when they came out with the whole new version - claiming the new version was essentially a new program.

I forget where it was but for illustration purposes, I will say WinZip 11.0. Their claim was when the program went from "WinZip 10.x" to "WinZip 11.0 (a Corel Company)", it became a new program even though it essentially was just a rebranding of the same product.

When I asked how the license remained good when it went from WinZip 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0 to 4.0 ... ... to 10.0, crickets.

***

As for which is better WinRAR or 7-Zip, come on guys! This is the same old argument only instead of which browser is best or which CPU brand is best, it is which compression program is best. The answer is clear - the one that is best is the one you prefer.

The only clear winner in one of those arguments is with pickup trucks. Clearly, the Ford F150 is the better truck. Obviously!

 

[windwhirl]

As for which is better WinRAR or 7-Zip, come on guys! This is the same old argument only instead of which browser is best or which CPU brand is best, it is which compression program is best. The answer is clear - the one that is best is the one you prefer.

Yeah, at this point in time RAR and 7Zip have improved their compression techniques to the point where there is hardly a difference worth discussing. It's mostly about some other feature that you can use with their original archive programs (WinRAR and 7-Zip), and even then half the Internet doesn't care because standard ZIP files are still the norm.

The only clear winner in one of those arguments is with pickup trucks. Clearly, the Ford F150 is the better truck. Obviously!

I never have popcorn at hand when one of my friends throws that kind of topic into a conversation

 

[80-watt Hamster]

The only clear winner in one of those arguments is with pickup trucks. Clearly, the Ford F150 is the better truck. Obviously!

Chevy LUV. Duh.

All kidding aside, I need to throw the 7Z project a fiver.

(BTW: Nissan Hardbody. )

 

[AleXXX666]

I'm more surprised that people still use WinRAR when alternatives like 7Zip exist.

I'm more surprised that people still use Windows when alternatives like Linux exist. Maybe it's more user-friendly UI, bruh?

But you can open it in 7-zip and drag the File out

true, i always open any archive to unpack just exactly what i need, e.g. content, not source advertising url-s or other bs lol

Well, that's my point. If you have an elderly relative and you've set their PC up just right and they don't change / add software, it's a huge bonus if you can "lock down" whatever zip extractor they use to *not* extract / be able to drag & drop any .exe / .bat / .com files inside it out. 7zip is great but way behind on basic security features.

well, this is "elderly relative"/friend/gf/bf/client/worker etc. problem, not yours lol. you have set-up the pc - it works, they have broken it, not you, who cares.

 

[Bill_Bright]

But you can open it in 7-zip and drag the File out

Missed this earlier.

Note you can do the same with Windows 10 own compressed file viewer. Don't even need a 3rd party tool.

 

[AleXXX666]

That's because WinRAR is not freeware. You've filled up almost half a page here finding out that if you try to use paid software without paying for it, you might get a reminder to pay for it. That's not "adware" though (in the 3rd party bundled inside the installer sense). And you've verified that it works as described then? Obviously it's not for those who download zip files with .exe's every 5 minutes, it's for those who rarely if ever add new software to their fairly static configured PC's but want signifianctly enhanced security vs unwanted .exe payloads. "But I don't use it personally". Yes we know, but it's almost like 7bn humans on Earth have different needs, and in the context of the thread it's one excellent security feature that WinRAR has that 7zip really should but doesn't.

OMG, like really, putting on software for fixed amount of launch?it's like those "new" license types. you pay for the license. but, surprise, you can use it only on one pc. and nobody cares if this pc just breaks up lol. broken hard drive? gotta added some ram? no problem, get a new license lol

Missed this earlier.

Note you can do the same with Windows 10 own compressed file viewer. Don't even need a 3rd party tool.

umm, it works only with standard zip crap. you can even pack files to zip with plain windows only since beard times. but get some "savvy" customised zip made by winrar and here you roll, windows shows you a finger

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Linux will never be mainstream
Most don't even like UAC in windows so using linux "the windows equivalent standard user account" would be crazy for them to deal with lol

I use linux 20.1 it's just okay for a few things but using it daily forget it
Used linux mint 17.1 years ago and nothing has changed lol it's still pretty lame to this day.

 

[windwhirl]

I'm more surprised that people still use Windows when alternatives like Linux exist. Maybe it's more user-friendly UI, bruh?

Games are hit and miss sometimes with Linux (Steam Proton helps a lot, but sometimes it's not enough)

Governments sometimes don't care about Linux.

People like their Office apps, hence Windows, specially if you're using some stuff like 365 (granted Wine goes a long way if you're using a standalone version of Office, though)

And right now, I can complain that VMware Workstation Player is a piece of shit on Linux. They don't support some of the stuff they do on Windows hosts, and on top of that I had to install a very specific version of libssl to make it work (can't use the system dependencies, apparently), plus GCC and make, because apparently they can't ship ready-to-use stuff (probably license reasons), nope, they have to compile it on the user's machine. And I had to introduce the root password every time VMware installed a module, so 7 times. Using a proprietary prompt by the way, they didn't use the system one.

The UI, though... Linux is fragmented all over the place, on one hand. on the other hand, Windows has some problems that honestly make me want to bang my head against a wall... Ever heard of Start Menu not being responsive instantly (as it had been the last 20 years before Windows 10)? Or drivers breaking up because of some update that was supposed to be just bug fixing and not a big feature update? Never mind the million complaints other users have (some of them quite legitimate, others not so much)

OMG, like really, putting on software for fixed amount of launch?it's like those "new" license types. you pay for the license. but, surprise, you can use it only on one pc. and nobody cares if this pc just breaks up lol. broken hard drive? gotta added some ram? no problem, get a new license lol

WinRAR licenses are lifetime, and they can be used on any number of PCs, as long as they're yours and not for commercial purposes. Businesses do have to acquire one per PC, but it's more or less like personal licenses. Buy a license for a certain amount of workstations, and that's it. They don't "stick" to whatever hardware you installed WinRAR on first.

Hi,
Linux will never be mainstream
Most don't even like UAC in windows so using linux "the windows equivalent standard user account" would be crazy for them to deal with lol

True

 

[sam_86314]

I'm more surprised that people still use Windows when alternatives like Linux exist. Maybe it's more user-friendly UI, bruh?

Good point, except...

...I dunno about you, but these UIs look pretty similar to me. Granted, I just did a Google Image search for these images, maybe WinRAR has changed their UI since then? I use 7Zip regularly, and it still looks exactly like this.

I guess the compression windows are different. WinRAR has tabs for extra features (some of which 7Zip doesn't have), and 7Zip has everything on one page.

 

[Bill_Bright]

umm, it works only with standard zip crap.

Yeah, like 99% of the .zip files out there.

some "savvy" customised zip made by winrar

"Savvy customised". Since when is proprietary "savvy"?

A step back into reality is needed here. Compressed file formats were created for 4 reasons. (1) Sloppy programming, (2) slow "dial-up" transfer speeds, (3) no Internet (cloud), and (4) disk space was expensive and limited.

None of that applies now. Programmers, at least those who are not lazy, have learned how to create and reuse compact code. Almost everyone has broadband access. The Internet is almost everywhere which means programs can be quickly downloaded instead of sold on multiple (some times 10 - 12!) floppy or optical disks. And disk space is cheap today.

If you "need" the few extra kilobytes your "savvy" customised (proprietary ) winrar program provides, you have bigger issues - like the need for a bigger drive.

 

[windwhirl]

A step back into reality is needed here. Compressed file formats were created for 4 reasons. (1) Sloppy programming, (2) slow "dial-up" transfer speeds, (3) no Internet (cloud), and (4) disk space was expensive and limited.

None of that applies now. Programmers, at least those who are not lazy, have learned how to create and reuse compact code. Almost everyone has broadband access. The Internet is almost everywhere which means programs can be quickly downloaded instead of sold on multiple (some times 10 - 12!) floppy or optical disks. And disk space is cheap today.

I'd say some of that still applies, though far less often than before or maybe in just certain specific scenarios. Regarding internet speeds, true, we are no longer in the dial-up era, but you still have a lot of people with 10 Mbps or less download speeds. Nevermind upload speeds. And on average, files have gotten larger.

And people are complaining about the lack of space on the PS5 even when said console implements compression in some form (Kraken). Games in general have for a long time used compression somehow (proprietary or not). AV has long been compressed too (H.264/5, AV1, MP3, etc.)...

If you "need" the few extra kilobytes your "savvy" customised (proprietary ) winrar program provides, you have bigger issues - like the need for a bigger drive.

Eh, for most cases, you're right. There is the odd ball with large files though. Besides, if you need to just store the information (no plan on accessing it any time soon), compression utilities do come in handy in avoiding the expense of buying a drive (If you're storing 2 TB, it feels excessive to buy another drive just because the current one is 200 GBs short) And WinRAR does provide recovery registers/volumes as an extra safety measure (granted, you should first consider drive-level protection, but any extra layer of data protection is always a good thing).

Regarding proprietary formats, I agree with you, though, at least when it comes to licensing issues.

 

[Bill_Bright]

10Mbps is a lot faster than many people seem to think You can still stream Netflix in high-def - at least to one device. Even gaming does fine as long as they are not doing player vs player.

Are we really bring PS5 into this discussion?

The vast majority of people don't need or use compression programs. They just aren't storing that much data. And even if they are, most files today just cannot be compressed that much. Modern compilers compress and modern coding already optimizes. Most users may need to unzip, but not zip.

You can keep coming up with "what if" statements to justify your claim but I'm not buying them for the masses. For the exceptions, yes. But exceptions don't make the rule.

(If you're storing 2 TB, it feels excessive to buy another drive just because the current one is 200 GBs short)

Now I disagree. You can buy a 4TB drive for under $70 then have an entire extra backup plus more - after all, "any extra layer of data protection is always a good thing". Especially since any robust backup plan involves multiple copies - not just one.

Not I have not offered any criticism of WinRAR. I am just saying that vast majority of users don't need it. The fact it does this or does that compared to WinZip or Windows own does not make it "better" for anyone - except those few (in comparison to the whole) who actually need those extra features. And if they do need them, then fine. WinRAR works.

 

[sam_86314]

Update: This is actually pretty cool...

They sent him a one-off copy of WinRAR 2.0 on a 3.5" floppy.

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

Update: This is actually pretty cool...

They sent him a one-off copy of WinRAR 2.0 on a 3.5" floppy.

7-zip is still better