Open up almost any file with Universal Extractor

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Open up almost any file with Universal Extractor

by Brad Linder Nov 27th 2007

One of the first applications we install on every Windows PC and portable flash drive is 7-Zip. This handy little application has never met a ZIP, RAR, or otherwise archived file that it can't extract. But one thing 7-Zip can't handle is archived files that it doesn't think are archives. That's where Universal Extractor comes in handy.

Universal Extractor lets you peek inside the contents of EXE and MSI files. Once you install this free utility you can launch it to peek inside those hard to open archives. Or you can choose to add Universal Extractor options to your Windows context menu.

It's not that often that you really need to know what files are packaged in an EXE, but it's nice to have the option when you need it.

[via TechnoBuzz]

Tags: 7-zip, EXE, extractor, MSI, universal-extractor, ZIP

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Luis said 6:07PM on 11-27-2007

7-Zip can open a .exe and .msi. Some times it might not work, but most of the time it will extract the contents.

James said 6:07PM on 11-27-2007

For that matter, WinRAR often manages the same thing (and doesn't have the shitty interface I've loathed about 7zip for a long time).

Mark Dean said 11:27AM on 11-28-2007

Extract now has always been my preferance

nyf said 4:28PM on 11-28-2007

7-zip can't handle .ace.

Haven't encountered that too often, luckily.

O_o said 10:25PM on 11-28-2007

One place I can see this coming in handy is that sometimes people encrypt .zip/.rar files into .jpg images so they can upload it to imageshack or something instead of dealing with file storage sites.

GoOrange said 10:29PM on 11-28-2007

I use 7-zip for most of my extraction and am very happy with it. The only shortcoming for me is that it can't handle .ace files. For those I use ExtractNow (but that can't handle 7zip files). Those two work well for me, but it looks like Universal Extractor could replace both of them for me. (I don't use them for archiving, just extracting). Hmm. Perhaps I should give it a try.

The Blotch said 10:39PM on 11-28-2007

cabextract?

No said 8:22AM on 11-29-2007

What has opening .exe file ANYTHING to do with "Open up almost ANY file"?

GTFO off my internet.

Simon Hibbs said 11:28AM on 11-29-2007

@No: Ever heard of a self-extracting archive? With an external unpacker you avoid the risk that the exe might be infected by a virus in addition to the content you're after.

Havencircle said 2:22AM on 12-01-2007

ALZip is just as good as 7Zip and has a much more attractive interface. Windows only, though, and uses an ad in it's interface to advertise the software company's free products. That's the only drawbacks. Much better interface plus cutesy little icons!

Marios Alexandrou said 11:30PM on 12-01-2007

Universal Extractor is a favorite of portable app users. It lets you check out programs to see if they can be put on USB drives without needing to be installed first.

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