SelfExtract-Pro.

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SelfExtract-Pro provides fast, easy to use zip/unzip capability plus the ability to create self-extracting JAR files. And it's completely free.

If Java 2 is installed on a Windows PC (or Solaris) then clicking on a JAR will cause the Java program inside the JAR to run just as a Windows ".exe" file does. SE-Pro uses this property to allow you to create JAR files that can self-extract any files you choose to put inside them. SE-Pro JAR file options include:

The JAR can extract into the current directory or prompt for the destination directory
The JAR can have a password in which case it won't extract the files unless you can enter the password
The JAR can have a "extract-by" date after which the self-extractor won't function

Links for SE-Pro are: Download the product

It's Fast

SelfExtract-Pro can more or less match WinZip for speed. The entire Java 1.2 documentation bundle can be zipped up into a 16 Mbyte file on a PII-300 PC in 1 minute 15 seconds by SE-Pro (WinZip: 1 minute 12 seconds). The same zip file can be unzipped by SE-Pro in 2 minutes 10 seconds (WinZip: 2 minutes 4 seconds). This simple benchmark was done with the Java 2 JIT compiler turned on.

It's compact

The overhead incurred in a self-extracting JAR by the Java code needed to run it is 19.5K on top of the size of a normal ZIP file.

It's secure

If a password or "extract-by" date option is used on a JAR then the data is encoded so that it can't be simply unzipped by normal means.

Java 2 installation

SelfExtract-Pro requires that Java 2 be installed for it to run.