June 24

Just Zip It!
Sun Review June 24, 2000

Last week we found out how compression technology works. Now it's time to learn how to zip and unzip files using our favourite compression program WinZip (www.winzip.com).

As I have mentioned in previous columns, downloading files from the Web is getting easier all the time. You can think of downloading as a five-step process:

Make a special "downloads" directory.
Find and download the software.
Decompress the archive.
Install the software.
Delete the compressed file.

Let's get started! It's a good idea to create a separate directory for your downloaded files. Call it something obvious like "downloads" and place it right on your C: drive so it's easy to find. Every time you download a file, make sure you save it to your new "downloads" folder. No more lost files!

Next, download WinZip or a similar compression program like PowerZip from www.download.com. Once you have downloaded WinZip, use Windows Explorer to locate the file and double-click on this self-extracting archive to automatically launch the setup program and install WinZip on your computer.

Now that you have WinZip installed, you can use Windows Explorer and double-click on any downloaded file with the .zip extension to start the unzipping process. Again, it's a good idea to create a separate directory for your unzipped files, or unzip the files into the same "downloads" directory you created earlier. This will help reduce the amount of clutter on your hard drive.

After you've double-clicked on your .zip file, WinZip should start automatically. Click the Extract button and tell WinZip to place your unzipped files into your "downloads" folder. WinZip then decompresses all the zipped files into the specified directory. Alternatively, you can skip to this stage even more quickly by right-clicking on your zip file and selecting "Extract To…".

Now your software installation program (or whatever file you downloaded) should be decompressed and ready to run. You can use Windows Explorer to locate your "downloads" directory and view all the uncompressed files. Double-click the setup.exe or install.exe file to install your software program. Since installation routines vary widely, you'll have to follow any instructions as they come up.

Once the installation has been completed successfully, it's time for a little house cleaning. Return to your "downloads" directory and delete the files located within it. You won't need them again, although you may want to save the original .zip file just in case you need to reinstall the software.

Now that you've decompressed files, it's time to learn how to create your own zip files. You can use the WinZip Wizard to guide you through the zipping process, or you can do it the fast way: Create a new zip archive from a single file within Windows Explorer by right-clicking the file. On the shortcut menu, you'll see the option "Add to filename.zip", where "filename" is the name of the file you selected. Choose this, and the zip file will automatically be created for you. You can add additional files to your zip archive by selecting the first file and holding the Ctrl key while you click once on additional files. Now right-click and select "Add to zip".

You can create regular zip files or self-extracting zip files. Self-extracting zip files are slightly larger in size but do not require a decompression program to unzip - simply double-click on the file to unzip it.

If you are experiencing problems with WinZip, you are not alone. Visit the WinZip FAQs (www.winzip.com/faq.htm) to see if your problem has already been addressed. Mac users can enjoy the ease of stuffing and unstuffing with Aladdin System's Stuffit Deluxe (www.aladdinsys.com).