On October 22, to coincide with the general release of the highly anticipated Windows 7 operating system, PKWARE released PKZIP and SecureZIP for Windows desktop version 12.4, which have earned the “Compatible with Windows 7” logo and deliver several product enhancements that improve usability.

Users of Windows 7 needing to reduce file size, save storage space, and protect sensitive information will find that the new versions of PKZIP and SecureZIP provide a solution with unparalleled usability. The products also help enterprise and government customers meet growing regulatory compliance and audit concerns, centrally manage the use of encryption and compression in their organization, and maintain its use across multiple computing platforms.

Both products received the following upgrades:

• Fully supports Windows 7, with continued operation on Windows 2000 SP4 and higher
• Improved personalization, providing users with an option to select an a fluent "ribbon-style" user interface (UI) or the product’s conventional menu-based UI
• Availability of a 64-bit version for use with 64-bit versions of Windows 7, Vista, and XP; a 32-bit version continues to be available

Additional PKZIP Enhancements
In addition to the above upgrades, PKZIP for Windows desktop version 12.4 integrates several major enhancements to the iconic product:

• Effortlessly protect sensitive emails and attachments sent via Microsoft® Outlook, as well as the option to encrypt Outlook calendar attachments
• Easily save and send zipped and encrypted files directly to storage media from Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint by simply selecting “Save as Secure ZIP file”
• Leveraged increased compression capabilities with added support for LZMA and PPMd data compression algorithms
• Simplified file extraction with support for .Z compressed files
• Set requirements for new passwords/passphrases

"PKWARE is a member of the Microsoft Developer Network and has a long history of serving the needs of the Windows community,” said Jim Peterson, Chief Scientist for PKWARE. “PKWARE is committed to Day One support of each new release of the operating system, so our customers have the maximum opportunity to take advantage of the new capabilities Microsoft offers."

Versions 12.4 of PKZIP and SecureZIP for Windows desktop are currently available in the English language only. PKZIP for Windows desktop Standard Edition is available for purchase starting at $29.00USD (quantity one) and the Enterprise Edition at $49.00USD. SecureZIP for Windows desktop Standard Edition is available for purchase starting at $39.95USD (quantity one) and the Enterprise Edition at $59.95USD.

Free 30-day trial versions for commercial use are offered for download on PKWARE’s Website.