Ultimate Packer for eXecutables – UPX is a free file compression and decompression software that lets you pack executable files. It offers an excellent compression ratio as well as quick decompression of packed files. UPX is quite flexible, as it supports a wide range of executable file formats for different platforms, including Windows and Linux. Apart from that, it can also pack DLL files.
Now there are two great things about the app: first is its excellent compression ratio that credibly reduces the size of the executable or DLL (98.50% in my case), and second is its extremely fast decompression facility (approx 10 mbps on Pentium and 200 mbps on Athlon).
The compression algorithm used by this free file compression and decompression tool makes it easier to implement the decompression, without allocating additional memory to the decompressor. Hence, it doesn’t take much of the memory resources, and therefore speeds up the overall process.
You can also read BCArchive and StorThing for compressing as well as encrypting your files for additional security.
Using Ultimate Packer for eXecutables:
UPX is basically a command line tool and can be used with ease. We are here covering the Windows version of this free file compression and decompression utility. You can download the software using the link given at the end of his article. The downloaded zip file contains an executable, which you can run through the command prompt.
Simply launch the command prompt and navigate to the directory of folder where you have extracted the zipped archive. Now after reaching to that point, type “upx.exe”. This will display a help file in a while, with a set of commands and options.
Now simply type the desired options, the output filename where you want to compress/decompress the executable(s), and the path of the executable(s) which you want to compress/decompress. After that, press Enter. This will quickly compress the file and display a report that will show you the file size before and after compression, and the overall compression ratio for your reference.
Key Features of this Free File Compression and Decompression Tool:
- Free software to pack, unpack executables and DLLs.
- Excellent compression ratio.
- Lightning fast decompression.
- Avoid memory overheads.
- Cross-platform support.
- Support multiple executable file formats, including, exe, dos, sys, i386 a.out, tos, com, etc.
- Safe to use; maintains checksum for compression/decompression.
The Final Verdict:
Ultimate Packer is a good application to compress executable formats for easy distribution. It’s an efficient tool to compress/decompress executable as well as DLLs. Moreover, it doesn’t use much system resources, so you won’t be facing any problems or memory overheads. Try it out and share your views with us via comments.
