The list is mostly focused on (some variation of) freeware. Additional shareware and commercial utilities are available.
In most cases, I'm not writing links to websites here, because in several of these cases the websites are changing or disappearing. Anyone actually being interested in any of the listed tools should be able to search and find either a current homepage website, or a download repository.
The list is not sorted in any particular way.
I haven't tested each of these tools. The list is not a recommendation, but a collection only.
_ Command-Line Tools :
======================
_ CabArc :
----------
Microsoft's Cabarc.exe is a command-line tool. It is part of the Cabinet SDK, and it should be part of several other Microsoft SDK's, like for example MS's Windows SDK.
_ MakeCab :
-----------
Microsoft's MakeCab is a command-line tool already included in several versions of MS Windows. The default use of MakeCab.exe is to make 1 cabinet archive starting from 1 file, but it is able to make 1 cabinet archive starting from several files by using a "directive file" (*.ddf). Using a .ddf file is useful for automating a repetitive process.
_ Extract :
-----------
Each MS Windows version has, in addition to MakeCab.exe, an expander/extraction command-line tool for cabinet archives. Possible names of these utilities are: expand.exe, extract.exe, extrac32.exe.
_ Dirk Paehl's Command-line Archive tool :
----------------------------------------
The COMpress ARChive (beta) command-line tool allows you to compress 7-ZIP/ZIP/CAB/LHA via command-line. English translations from German are not always perfect, and the tool is still in beta. There is also a GUI portable tool (SimplyZip).
_ Dirk Paehl's Command-line Conversion tool :
---------------------------------------------
The Arc Converter (beta) command-line tool allows you to convert between ZIP/7Z/CAB/LHA/TAR/TGZ/BZ2/YZ1/BGA/RAR/ACE. English translations from German are not always perfect, and the tool is still in beta. There is also a GUI tool.
_ CakeCmd :
-----------
Joseph Leung's CakeCmd is a (beta) command-line tool. It has not been updated for several years now (latest version is 0.3). According to its webpage, it can create cabinet archives, and can potentially recover some of the contents of corrupted zip's. (The original download link is not working anymore, so if someone has any info about it, please share it).
_ CabExtract :
--------------
A DOS port of the Linux-based CabExtract tool, which is based on the "libmspack" library. Since "libmspack" is not (yet) supporting compression, CabExtract lists and extracts/expands the files inside cabinet archives, but cannot make cabinet archives from files.
_ i6comp :
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A command-line tool named i6comp.exe is able to compress files to cabinet archives.
_ Additional (GUI/frontend) Tools for Command-Line Tools :
==========================================================
_ CabMaker :
------------
Tony Reinli (tonysfreeware) has a GUI (frontend) tool to use MS's MakeCab.exe with multiple files, and at the same time it makes a .ddf file for future repetitive / automated archiving.
_ MakeDDF :
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"Not Rocket Science" (mstum.de) has, among other "Various Tools", an utility named MakeDDF. It requires Microsoft .net Framework 2.0, and it is able of preparing a "directive file" (*.ddf). Then, you can use this .ddf file with MS's MakeCab.exe.
_ XPero's eXPander :
--------------------
Another GUI frontend for MS's MakeCab.exe. It requires Microsoft .net Framework 2.0. Note that there are other tools with a similar name, some of which may create and/or expand cabinet archives.
_ MS Windows GUI Tools :
========================
In addition to the GUI tools already mentioned above, there are several GUI tools to make/create (compress) files into cabinet archives, by using MS's "cabinet.dll" library. Additionally, MS's "cabview.dll" library lets a program view the contents of a cabinet archive.
_ Windows Explorer can open and expand/extract .cab files as if they were folders or zip archives.
_ CabPack 1.4a is a portable Windows application for creating cabinet archives.
_ Izarc, which also has a portable version, is able of creating cabinet archives.
_ FreeCommander, a GUI Windows-based file manager with "NC style", is able to create, among others, cabinet archives.
_ Dirk Paehl's Archive Conversion GUI tool. English translations from German are not always perfect, and the tool is still in beta.
_ Dirk Paehl's SimplyZip (beta) can create cabinet archives. There is a portable version. English translations from German are not always perfect, and the tool is still in beta.
_ WinMount; according to its documentation, it is able to "edit" a mounted cabinet archive, and optionally save the changes permanently.
_ Dmitry Udalov's "CAB Explorer" uses cabinet.dll to pack, expand and list cabinet archives to any directory.
_ Another "CABExplorer", from "Green Eclipse Software".
_ Camtech's CLTools4Win includes, among others, tools for packing to cabinet archives.
_ ZipGenius can create cabinet archives.
_ Joseph Leung's QuickZip can create cabinet archives. It requires MS .net Framework 3.5 SP1.
_ TugZip can create cabinet archives.
_ FilZip can create cabinet archives.
_ CursorArts' ZipWrangler can create cabinet archives.
_ Customizing PeaZip with the addition and configuration of "cabinet.dll", you should be able to add the ability to create cabinet archives. By default, Peazip can view and expand the contents of a cabinet archive.
Additionally to the previous GUI tools, there are other popular tools working under MS Windows that can create new cabinet archives.
Many more tools are able to view / list / extract / expand / check / open cabinet archives but are not able to create/make a new one.
_ Linux Tools :
===============
_ CabExtract :
--------------
http://www.cabextract.org.uk ;
CabExtract is a Linux command-line (terminal) tool based on the "libmspack" library. Since the "libmspack" library is not (yet) able to compress, CabExtract can only extract/expand/list the content of a cabinet archive. If you want the last version available, you may have to download the latest "libmspack" library and the latest CabExtract source code and compile it yourself. There are many packages and ports ready to download.
_ CabExtract Menu :
-------------------
http://linux.softpedia.com/get/Desktop- ... 4509.shtml ;
http://kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=54486 ;
"CabExtract Menu" is a service which purpose is equivalent to CabExtract.
_ Patool :
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http://freshmeat.net/projects/patool ;
http://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/A ... 5101.shtml ;
http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Utilities/patool.shtml ;
http://sourceforge.net/projects/patool/files/ ;
"Patool" is still in beta. It is a command-line tool, based on Python. There are versions available for Linux, Mac and Windows. "Patool" can create new cabinet archives, among other formats.
_ lcab (CabLinux) :
-------------------
http://freshmeat.net/projects/lcab ;
"Lcab" (formerly known as Cablinux) makes a Microsoft cabinet file from a set of input files.
Changes History :
=================
Code: Select all
Changes History :
=================
_ Command-Line Tools :
======================
[2010.10.31]
_ CabArc
_ MakeCab
_ Extract
_ CabExtract
_ i6comp
[2010.11.02]
_ Dirk Paehl's Command-line Archive tool
_ Dirk Paehl's Command-line Conversion tool
[2010.11.03]
_ Joseph Leung's CakeCmd (beta 0.3)
_ Additional (GUI/frontend) Tools for Command-Line Tools :
==========================================================
[2010.10.31]
_ CabMaker
_ MakeDDF
_ XPero's eXPander
_ MS Windows GUI Tools :
========================
[2010.10.31]
_ Windows Explorer
_ CabPack 1.4a
_ Izarc
_ Dmitry Udalov's "CAB Explorer"
_ "CABExplorer" from "Green Eclipse Software"
_ Camtech's CLTools4Win
_ ZipGenius
_ TugZip
_ Customizing PeaZip
[2010.11.02]
_ CursorArts' ZipWrangler
_ FreeCommander
_ Dirk Paehl's Archive Conversion GUI tool
_ Dirk Paehl's SimplyZip
_ FilZip
_ WinMount
[2010.11.03]
_ Joseph Leung's QuickZip
_ Linux Tools :
===============
[2010.10.31]
_ CabExtract ; http://www.cabextract.org.uk ;
_ CabExtract Menu ; http://kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=54486 ;
_ Patool ; http://freshmeat.net/projects/patool ; http://sourceforge.net/projects/patool/files/ ;
_ lcab (CabLinux) ; http://freshmeat.net/projects/lcab ;