Winzip trial a scam?

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bobstone

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 3, 2005
Messages
361
Hello

so I have noticed recently a lot of people not being able to unzip files any more because they are being told/forced to buy winzip to extract files. it seems that winzip disables the windows context menu to unzip the file. does any one else see that as kinda wrong?
 
Why are these people installing winzip to begin with since windows includes zip capability since windows xp?

If its for other capabilities use 7zip instead.
 
it is default on a lot of computers now. I know hp has it and maybe dell also.
 
how is that a scam?
There are other shareware applications that fail to work after their XX-day trial period.

It isn't like Winzip is the first, only, or last one to do that.

Besides, plenty of freebies if something better than Windows native utility allows.
 
pretty sure with winzip, all you have to do is wait for the "Continue Trial" button to light up, right? or at least that's how it used to be. otherwise, hit up add/remove and remove the trial. 7zip and WinRAR are the better options.
 
I see 0.00000% reason to use WinZip, especially now with 7-Zip that does the same thing + more, unless you're one of the "old timers" that refuse to use anything else. I don't think I've used it since Windows 98.
 
How is it wrong that a trial expires and doesn't work like it should? Welcome to the software industry. They aren't just giving it away for free. You tried it out (trial), and now if you want to keep it, you pay. They don't give you the whole thing for free and then if you like it you can pay.
 
Ahhhh WinZip. I used that so much back in the day. Then 7zip came along. Tell them to go to programs in the control panel and uninstall WinZip, might get rid of those prompts.
 
it is not wrong that winzip fails to work after the trial period ends, it is wrong that it blocks the built in windows extract option from working.

I know how to fix it, but as a tech provider it kinda ticks me off that people get pc's with this installed, then and after the trial period is over they can not unzip files unless they know to uninstall winzip. which will bring back the windows extract option.
 
to elaborate, I have no issue with the idea of trial software and I understand how they work. I just find it odd/wrong that the "pay" software disables the "free" built in software.

It is easily explained and understood and fixed by any one good with PC's, just uninstall/replace with winrar or 7zip.

But the average home user sees that they can not open files anymore and that they have to pay to do it again. they have no clue that this "pay" feature is actually something there PC can do for free out of the box, so they just pay....
 
I just use the "trial" of WinRAR. Only thing that annoys me is every time I use it, it alerts me that the trial is up and I need to register, but I can easily just skip it.
 
I don't think it's wrong. WinZip gives retailers money to put an easy to remove trial on prebuilts. It lowers the price retailers have to chare the consumer, win-win. It's not even comparable to the annoyance of McAfee shit.
 
Once you get used to 7zip's interface, you will never look back. It is the best.
 
I use 7zip my self, just thinking out loud about how winzip disables windows built in extract option.
 
yeah, that does suck. Are you certain computers come with it installed? I worked at BestBuy for several years until about 4 months ago, and I do not remember seeing winzip on any of the computers we sold (that includes dell and hp). I would think that I would remember as I absolutely dislike winzip and I usually remember the software included on computers that i dislike.
 
serpretetsky I think your one of the few people who read and understood what I was saying. I know winzip comes in bushiness model HP's, I have taken to uninstalling it before it gets to the client. I am not sure about consumer version.
 
The problem here is using Winzip in the first place. There hasn't been a reason to use Winzip since Winrar came out, and there hasn't been a reason to use Winrar since 7zip came out. It's all about 7zip these days.
 
Yeah, winzip tucks the original Windows unzip function into the actual menu bar, so someone used to the right click context menu will be led to believe they need to purchase winzip to regain functionality. Winzip hasn't been relevant for a while though, WinRAR is much better and doesn't disable anything even if the eval period is over.
 
gotta love all the reading comprehension fail replies in this thread.

I'll hafta test WinZip out on my desktop to see if it does, in fact, remove the Windows built-in extraction from the right-click context menu.

I know WinRar and 7zip add to the context menu, but do not remove the Extract option for Windows built-in utility.
 
j-sta said:
gotta love all the reading comprehension fail replies in this thread.

I'll hafta test WinZip out on my desktop to see if it does, in fact, remove the Windows built-in extraction from the right-click context menu.

I know WinRar and 7zip add to the context menu, but do not remove the Extract option for Windows built-in utility.
Click to expand...

I tested it with the latest Winzip and it does indeed remove it from the standard right click menu. The option gets tucked into a menu bar entry named "Open with WinZip", or inside the right click context menu under "open with -> windows explorer". Either way it only opens up the zip, the option to "extract all" is completely gone


uLc1RAal.png


n4BBdJ6l.png
 
PornoSatan said:
The problem here is using Winzip in the first place. There hasn't been a reason to use Winzip since Winrar came out, and there hasn't been a reason to use Winrar since 7zip came out. It's all about 7zip these days.
Click to expand...

Still doesn't have built in parity support and it's kind of a pain to make self extracting archives. 7zip has it's use and Rar has it's use, but don't say that either is useless.
 
Neb said:
I tested it with the latest Winzip and it does indeed remove it from the standard right click menu. The option gets tucked into a menu bar entry named "Open with WinZip", or inside the right click context menu under "open with -> windows explorer". Either way it only opens up the zip, the option to "extract all" is completely gone


IMG]http://i.imgur.com/uLc1RAal.png[/IMG]

IMG]http://i.imgur.com/n4BBdJ6l.png[/IMG]
Click to expand...

Ok, that is sleazy.
 
Finally more then one person read and understood what I was talking about. So I was not wrong in thinking that it is really shady.

p.s. was it my writing in my first few posts, did I not make it clear? this seems to happen to me a lot.
 
Yeah, it wasn't too clear in your OP that Winzip was removing/hiding the default decompression menu option. Only became clear when you added a few more posts in reply :p
 
bobstone said:
Finally more then one person read and understood what I was talking about. So I was not wrong in thinking that it is really shady.

p.s. was it my writing in my first few posts, did I not make it clear? this seems to happen to me a lot.
Click to expand...

actually I thought you were pretty clear in the OP.

bobstone said:
it seems that winzip disables the windows context menu to unzip the file.
Click to expand...

But for me, it's one of those "gotta see it to believe" type things :p

Bone_Enterprise said:
People still use WinZip?
Click to expand...

holy shit, another reading-comprehension-fail reply.
 
It's all about file associations....they are not specifically trying to block or remove anything, you just set the .zip files to associate with Winzip which changes the open and right click menu behavior.
 
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