Zipping to your heart’s delight

General

Windows users will be happy to know that both Windows XP and Vista now feature an application that allows you to zip files by the bushel.

ZIP files? Well, yes. A ZIP file is a way to bundle a group of files into one file for easy shipping. Think of a zip file as a suitcase where you push all your personal items the bag for easy traveling.

XP and Vista’s Compressed Folders feature gives you the ability to do this on your desktop without an extra software.

Not only that: it compresses these ZIP files beyond belief so they are small and easy to tote around. So if you zip 10 letters to your grandma into one file called grandma_letters.zip that ZIP file will be smaller than all the letters separately. This is done using the magic of compression technology where all the white space and repeated data is take out and replaced with what’s called a token. So “cat cat cat cat” is replaced with 4cat, using less space and compressing the file. When the ZIP file is uncompressed later, 4cat is unpacked back into cat cat cat cat. Also, it might be worth your while to note that this is not practical when attempting to zip a video file. Those are usually already compressed.

There are several ways to create a compressed folder. Here’s one of them:

  1. Right-click on an empty area of the desktop, point to New and click on Compressed (zipped) Folder. A new folder icon with a zipper on it appears on the desktop. The default name is New Compressed (zipped) Folder.zip, but you can rename it. Remember how to? Just right-click on it, select the Rename command, type in a new name, and you’re done.
  2. Double-click on the new compressed folder. Oh, there are no files there. Add some.
  3. In Windows XP, right-click the Start menu. Click the Explore command. Find a file or folder that you want to add to the Compressed Folder. Once you’ve found them, right-click on your selection and copy.
  4. In Windows Vista, you’ll see the Explorer folder list on the left side of the Window.
  5. Return to the Compressed Folder window. Right-click inside the window, paste. The file or folder now appears inside the Compressed Folder.
  6. In Windows XP, click the File menu and click the Add a Password command. In the Add Password dialog box, type in a password and then confirm it. To end this procedure, click OK.
  7. You won’t find the password feature in Vista.
  8. Close the Compressed Folder window. Double-click on the Compressed Folder again to reopen it. Do you see your file or folder there? Good job. Now, double click on a file or folder, enter your password and you’ll see the contents.

While you can put any type of file in a compressed folder, only the program file will run if you put it there, along with other files. If the program depends on other files to work properly, you’ll have to decompress (unzip) all the files required by that program.

You don’t like Microsoft’s zip utility? Then, here are a few you might want to check out: