pigz is the parallel implementation of gzip: the input is sliced into 128 KB blocks and spread over the cores, while the output stays a standard gzip stream. Version 2.8 dates from August 2023, and decompression remains single threaded.

AZIP Master handles extraction, compression and browsing inside archives on Android, with batch jobs, password protected ZIP files, background runs and WiFi transfer, plus a direct line to Google Drive. Current version 4.2.3.

DVDFab Virtual Drive is a free virtual drive that mounts up to eighteen DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD drives at once and reads eight image formats. It once carried the name ExplorerFab, and version 2.0.0.5 is the package on the download page now.

lzop compresses files through the LZO library, ships under the GPL, and puts speed ahead of ratio on both sides of the job. Version 1.04 defaults to level 3 and keeps the source file, which suits backup archives.

BZip3 compresses text and source code without loss, pushes the block ceiling from 1 MiB up to 511 MiB, adds a Lempel-Ziv predictor ahead of the transform, swaps in context mixing for entropy coding, and ships six command line tools.

ImgBurn is a free disc burning tool from LIGHTNING UK! that splits the work into five modes: reading a disc, building an image, writing one, verifying the result and testing the drive. It handles twelve image formats plus audio and video discs, and the final release dates from 2013.

XZ Utils is free general purpose data compression software built on LZMA2, producing the .xz format that source packages and firmware images so often use, with a liblzma library other programs can call directly.

A virtual drive and disc image tool whose free tier already mounts ISO and other common images as virtual devices, and can turn a disc, an audio CD or a folder into an image file for the archive.

A built in Windows wizard that turns a pile of files into one self extracting EXE or a CAB without installing anything, with eight command line switches and automatic cleanup of the temporary files after it runs.

A free archive tool for Android that reads more than thirty formats, browses inside a package without extracting and can even add or remove entries in place, with AES encryption, split volumes and no ads at all.

An open source archiver that turns compression into a drag onto an icon: broad format support, split volumes, password protection, free from the developer site, and native on Apple silicon.

A small utility that opens, converts, burns and copies disc images without a manual, costs nothing for personal use, and stays out of the way the rest of the year.

Optical and raw disk images mount as ordinary drives with a letter, open in the file manager, and unmount without a trace. Read only mounting protects the evidence, and a RAM disk is faster than any physical one.

A small installer, a quick start and no attempt to sell you something else: Zipware handles the common archive formats, adds a multi engine scan to the right click menu, and stays free for business use too.

Optical drives have not retired yet, and the built in burning in Windows is barely enough. This free tool turns the job into a wizard: pick a type, drop files, start. Images and disc copies included.