If you need to create gzipped tar archives on Windows, you can use 7-Zip. However, this implies first creating a tararchive and second adding the tar archive to a gzarchive.

Here is how to do this in one step. We'll create a little batch file and integrate it into the Windows Explorer's Send To: context menu.

Download the 7-Zip commandline tool and extract the file 7za.exe in your user profile folder (something like C:\Users\USERNAMEon Windows 7).

In your user profile folder, create a new batch file targz.bat using the following code:

@echo off
rem Create a tar.gz archive with 7-zip commandline 7za
rem Author: Joachim Werner <joachim.werner@diggin-data.de>
rem Requirements: 7za.exe in the user dir (C:\Users\USERNAME)

echo Create a tar.gz archive
echo Directory: %1
cd %1\..

rem Path to 7za.exe:
set SEVENZA=C:\Users\jwerner\7za

rem get directory basename
set BASENAME=%~n1

rem path and filename for tar
set TAR=%cd%\%BASENAME%.tar

rem create tar
%SEVENZA% a -ttar %TAR% %1

rem create tar.gz
%SEVENZA% a -tgzip %TAR%.gz %TAR%

rem remove tar
del %TAR%

dir %BASENAME%*

pause

In the Windows Explorer, copy this batch file.

Find your Send To... folder. On Windows 7, this should be

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

In this folder, paste the copied batch file as a link.

Now to create a tar.gz archive of a folder and its content, you can right-click it and select Send To... \ targz.bat Link. A command prompt will open, create the file and list the folder and archive file.

Enjoy!