Simple Zip Drive for Windows

Simple Zip Drive is a high-performance, user-mode filesystem utility that allows you to mount ZIP, 7Z, and RAR archives as virtual drives or NTFS directory mount points. Built on the DokanNet library, it provides seamless, read-only access to compressed data without the need for manual extraction.

Unlike traditional archive utilities that extract the entire archive to a temporary folder, Simple Zip Drive utilizes a hybrid streaming engine to minimize memory overhead and maximize random-access performance.

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🚀 Key Features

• Multi-Format Support: Mount ZIP, 7Z, and RAR archives seamlessly.
• Virtual Drive Mounting: Mount any supported archive as a dedicated drive letter (e.g., M:\) or a folder path.
• Hybrid Caching Engine:
  • Small Files: Cached in-memory for near-instantaneous access.
  • Large Files (>512MB): Automatically offloaded to a temporary disk cache to prevent RAM exhaustion.
• Streaming Architecture: The source archive is accessed via a direct file stream, supporting archives of virtually any size.
• Zero-Configuration UI: Supports drag-and-drop functionality for automatic mounting to the first available drive letter (M-Q).
• Encrypted Archive Support: Prompts for passwords when accessing protected archives.
• Automated Maintenance: Integrated update checker and automatic cleanup of temporary cache files upon unmounting.
• Enterprise Logging: Comprehensive error tracking with local log rotation and remote diagnostic reporting.

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🛠 Prerequisites

Before running Simple Zip Drive, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

1. .NET 10.0 Runtime: Download the latest .NET Desktop Runtime.
2. Dokan Library: This application requires the Dokan kernel-mode driver.
   • Download and install the latest DokanSetup.exe from the Official Releases.

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📖 Usage Guide

Method 1: Drag-and-Drop (Recommended)

Simply drag any .zip, .7z, or .rar file and drop it onto SimpleZipDrive.exe. The application will automatically attempt to mount the archive to the first available drive letter in the sequence: M:, N:, O:, P:, Q:.

Method 2: Command Line Interface (CLI)

For advanced users or automation, use the following syntax:

SimpleZipDrive.exe <PathToArchiveFile> <MountPoint>

Examples:

• Mount a ZIP file to a drive letter:

  SimpleZipDrive.exe "C:\Data\Archive.zip" M

• Mount a 7Z file to a drive letter:

  SimpleZipDrive.exe "C:\Data\Archive.7z" N

• Mount a RAR file to a drive letter:

  SimpleZipDrive.exe "C:\Data\Archive.rar" O

• Mount to an NTFS folder:

  SimpleZipDrive.exe "C:\Data\Archive.zip" "C:\Mount\MyProject"

Unmounting

To safely unmount the drive and clean up temporary resources:

1. Focus the console window.
2. Press Ctrl + C or simply close the window.

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🔍 Technical Architecture

• Read-Only Integrity: The filesystem is strictly read-only. No modifications are made to the source archive.
• Memory Efficiency: The application does not load the entire archive into RAM. It reads the Central Directory into a dictionary for fast lookups and streams file data only when requested.
• Permissions: Mounting to drive letters or system-protected directories may require Administrator Privileges. If you encounter "Access Denied" errors, right-click the executable and select "Run as Administrator."
• Temporary Storage: Disk-based caching for large files occurs in %TEMP%\SimpleZipDrive. These files are purged automatically during a graceful shutdown.

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❓ Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Dokan Initialization Failed	Ensure the Dokan driver is installed and you have restarted your PC after installation.
Drive Letter in Use	Specify a different drive letter via CLI or ensure letters M-Q are not mapped to network shares.
Out of Memory	Occurs if too many large files are opened simultaneously. Close applications accessing the virtual drive to free up cache.
Archive File Error	Simple Zip Drive supports standard ZIP, 7Z, and RAR formats. Other formats like .tar.gz or .bz2 are not supported.
Password Prompt Not Appearing	Some encrypted archives may use unsupported encryption methods. Ensure your archive uses standard ZIP, 7Z, or RAR encryption.

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📜 License & Acknowledgments

This project is licensed under the GPLv3 License – see the LICENSE file for details.

Third-Party Libraries:

• DokanNet (MIT)
• SharpCompress (MIT)

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🤝 Contributing & Support

• Donate: If you find this project useful, consider supporting the developer.

⭐ If you like this project, please give us a star on GitHub! ⭐