I have a very good gaming computer and I'm trying hard to avoid all viruses, malwares etc. etc. etc. WinRAR would be one way to go but it doesn't do all. 7-Zip seems to be what I hear online as to being what to go with but reading reviews it does include malware....
I'm lost trying to figure out what to get.

7-zip and malware? - news to me.

Hmmm-I've been using 7-zip for almost a year now. Been really happy with the program. Does a good job & haven't had any problems with it.

WinRAR is what I use at home. I let Windows handle .zip files. What all doesn't it do? I haven't noticed anything.
I use 7-Zip at work. Works just as well, though WinRAR seems a little more user-friendly to me. Didn't get any malware from it. A lot of programs these days do come with toolbars and other crap. Not sure if 7-Zip's installer has that or if that's what you're even talking about. You just gotta pay attention while installing it to uncheck those boxes as they're usually checked by default. If you do accidentally get some spammy toolbar, it should be possible to uninstall it from Programs and Features.

7-zip is a really good file extractor

I've looked seriously in it since i got my new computer and reading a lot of reviews. But 7-zip there are plenty of reviews I've read saying it has malware in it. But overall it seems to get the most love over WinRAR.

i've had 7-zip for nearly a year and it has never caused me any problems

If 7-Zip's installer has a toolbar or something in it, just don't install that option. Or uninstall it immediately afterward. Both programs are solid.


Just don't download cracked versions from iffy Russian sites or anything.

Make sure you download it from here.
http://www.7-zip.org/download.html

I've noticed some sleazy websites take existing programs and wrap their own installer complete with malware around it. For example, my dad downloaded iTunes from some sleazy 3rd party website and yeah, it did install iTunes, but it also installed a buttload of toolbar viruses too. I could only shake my head and roll my eyes. I wanted to chew him out for not getting iTunes straight from apple.com, but he's hard of hearing so it would have been more trouble than it's worth.

well i've gone ahead and downloaded 7zip scared as heck doing it cause i'm trying really hard to avoid any kinda infections on my laptop.
I know to becareful when installing that still doesn't mean some programs aren't sneaky.
But it seems so far that 7-zip has been clean and has worked like a dream.

thanks for your help guys.