System Requirements

WinZip® requires Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000. It will not run under Windows 3.x or Windows NT 3.1 or 3.5.

No other programs are required to add or extract files from Zip files. However, some optional WinZip operations do require external programs or files:

• Optional virus scanning support requires that a supported virus scanning program be installed on your system. See below for specific information and how to find a list of virus scanners automatically detected by WinZip.
• Optional support for some older formats (ARC, ARJ, and LHA) requires one of the supported programs listed below. For step-by-step instructions on installing these programs see the section titled Installing Optional External Programs.

Here are more details on some of the optional programs:

• You can create self-extracting Zip files with WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition, included with WinZip, or you can use the full WinZip Self-Extractor, a $49 companion product, which includes features tailored for software distribution and the ability to create a single self-extracting Zip file that can be run under Windows.
• To access LZH files, the LHA.EXE program is required. For the latest information on obtaining LHA.EXE, visit the WinZip web site at http://www.winzip.com/xextern.htm. WinZip will not work with versions earlier than LHA 2.13 (in particular, it will not function with LHARC, the predecessor to LHA).
• To access ARJ files, the ARJ program from Robert Jung is required. You can download the shareware version of ARJ from the Internet and the major online services. For the latest version supported by WinZip, visit the WinZip web site at http://www.winzip.com/xextern.htm. WinZip will not work with versions earlier than ARJ 2.5 (in particular, it will not function with ARJ32).
• To access ARC files, one of the following programs is required:
• ARCE.COM and ARC-E.COM version 4.0e - Vern Buerg's ARC extraction utility, available from the Internet and the major online services. WinZip was not tested with earlier versions.
• PKXARC.COM version 3.5 from PKWARE, Inc. WinZip was not tested with earlier versions. This program may still be available from some Internet locations.
• PKXARC.EXE version 3.6 from PKWARE, Inc. This program may still be available from some Internet locations.
• PKUNPAK.EXE version 3.61 from PKWARE, Inc. This program may still be available from some Internet locations.
• ARC.EXE version 5.20 or 6.0 from System Enhancement Associates, Inc. This is the last version of ARC available as shareware, and may still be available from some Internet locations. WinZip was not tested with earlier versions.

WinZip will automatically detect several popular virus scanners; for a current listing, visit the WinZip web site at http://www.winzip.com/xvirus.htm.

WinZip can also be configured to work with most virus scanning utilities. For important details, see the section titled Virus Scanner Configuration.

Some toolbar configuration options require version 4.71 or later of the Windows Common Control library. This library is part of Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or greater, and is available as a separate download from the Microsoft web site as described in the section Windows Common Control Library.