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Zipping Files

To zip (compress) files, you must have a ZIP file program on your computer.

Windows XP Professional now comes with a built-in compression utility, and to compress files under this operating system, right-click a file, select Send To, and then click Compressed (zipped) Folder. A new zipped folder containing the original file is now created. To change the name of this folder, right-click the folder, select Properties, and then enter a new name. Additional files can be added to the folder by using the drag and drop method.

For other operating systems, the installation of a third-party ZIP file program is necessary to successfully compress files.

Although there are several programs that manage files of this type, the tutorials below cover the 2 most popular utilities in this category, PKzip and WinZip.
PKzip
WinZip

After downloading and installing one of the above programs, select from the following:
Using PKzip
Using WinZip

Using PKzip

Follow the instructions below to ZIP files using this program.

1. Start PKzip
2. In the menu bar at the top, click File
3. Select New
4. Click .ZIP File
5. The Save As window appears
6. Browse to select a location where you want to save your new ZIP archive file
7. Without selecting a file, enter a File Name for your soon-to-be-created ZIP archive
8. Click Save
9. The Add Files window appears
10. In the upper, left-hand area, browse to locate file(s) for zipping
11. In the upper, right-hand area, select the files by clicking the file names
12. To select multiple files, press and hold down the Ctrl key while clicking
    Tip — Before zipping multiple files, create and place all files in a single folder, and then zip this one folder to achieve the same result
13. Click the Add Files button
14. The files selected for zipping now appear in the Files & Directories To Zip dialog box at the bottom of the window
15. Click OK
16. The Add Status window appears
17. When Compression complete is displayed, click Done
18. A new window displaying the zipped file(s) appears
19. This compares the Original Size v. the now Compressed Size of the file(s)
20. To test the integrity of your zipped file(s), double-click any of the file names found under Filename
21. If the file opens correctly, Exit PKzip

Using WinZip

Follow the instructions below to ZIP files using this program.

1. Start WinZip
2. In the menu bar at the top, click File
3. Select New Archive
4. In the New Archive window, browse to select a location where you want to save your new ZIP archive file
5. Without selecting a file, enter a File Name for your soon-to-be-created ZIP archive
6. Click OK
7. The Add window appears
8. Browse to select file's for zipping
9. Select the files by clicking the file names
10. To select multiple files, press and hold down the Ctrl key while clicking
    Tip — Before zipping multiple files, create and place all files in a single folder, and then zip this one folder to achieve the same result
11. Click Add
12. A new window displaying the zipped file's appears
13. This lists the original Size, the Ratio (%) of compression, and the final Packed (compressed) size of the zipped file's
14. To test the integrity of your zipped file's), double-click any of the file names found under the Name column
15. If the file opens correctly, Exit WinZip