Winzip is one of those ubiquitous compression programs that nearly everybody has on their computer.

Compressing files that are destined to be distributed over the internet greatly reduces the time taken to download them. Also, storing compressed files saves on hard disk space.

Winzip is an invaluable tool for creating and using compressed files, and now includes support for 128 and 256-bit AES encryption for securing private files.

You can use Winzip in the standard mode or simply follow the step-by-step instructions available in the Wizard mode.

Compressed files can be split to fit on multiple external media, such as floppy disks. This makes creating backups quick and easy.

Version 10 features a host of new features, amongst which are the ability to burn zip files directly to a CD or DVD, and the option to upload Zip files to an FTP server for storage.

You can also create backup schedules using WinZip, and the interface has been tweaked to resemble Windows Explorer which should make using the software a little easier.