WinZix

Winzix is a file compression tool commonly used for adware and advertising-supported software. Compression or bit-rate reductions of large advertising files are commonly done either by lossless or lossy data compression. The data compression algorithms in lossless usually reduce files by eliminating redundancy while lossy removes some detail in the file to reduce storage space. In Winzix, file compression is done using an algorithm similar to zip archives. Files compressed by Winzix generate the .zix file format, and once installed on the system it will display pop up ads and messages. The .zix file may not actually contain the adware. The adware downloaded in the user’s computer is usually part of the Winzix application that creates and opens it. Un-installing WinZix in the control panel will remove the application, but there is a strong possibility that the adware will remain in the user’s system. Some WinZix files are labeled WinZix-2.0-setup-0514.exe, WinZix\WinZixManager.dll, and minime.exe.