Universal Extractor to Windows

The program is very easy to use and offers a very modest and poor graphical interface. It integrates with the system shell and is accessible from the right-click context menu in any archive. Of course, the application can also work after its default startup. In this case, the user must specify the location of the archive/installer to be unpacked and the destination folder for the unpacked files.

Universal Extractor is not an alternative to the popular WinRAR or WinZIP because of the functionality it offers, which allows only to extract data. Nevertheless, the large number of supported formats means that the program has many loyal users around the world.

Technical details

When a file is transferred to UniExtract, it starts scanning the file using TrID. If the file format matches one of the supported non-executable formats listed below, it immediately starts extracting from the archive. If it is an executable file, it calls PEiD to analyze the file signature. If the signature indicates that it is a supported format, it attempts to start the extraction. If it is not a recognized signature, it attempts to run it through 7-Zip and UnZip by default. If 7-Zip or UnZip recognizes it, it is extracted; otherwise UniExtract displays an error message and closes.

If the file type is supported, UniExtract starts by checking for a valid target directory and recording the directory size. If necessary, a new directory will be created (with a directory size of zero). UniExtract then spawns a shell and calls an auxiliary binary to begin extracting files from the selected archive into the target directory. Upon completion, UniExtract checks the size and timestamp of the subdirectory to determine if the extraction was successful; if the size or timestamp is greater than the initial values, UniExtract considers it successful and terminates. If the extraction fails, UniExtract notifies the user and leaves a log file, which should contain any error messages.

Pros of

• Powerful, yet portable.
• Various bundling options.
• Allows the user to easily drag and drop files into the program.

If you are trying to open an installer file or just need to simply unzip a normal archive, Universal Extractor is the best solution.