What is an Archive or Zip file, anyway?

Zip files are "archives" used for storing and distributing files, and can contain one or more files. Usually the files "archived" in a Zip are compressed to save space. Zip files are often used to:

· Distribute files on the Internet: Only one Zip file transfer operation (download) is required to obtain all related files and file transfer is quicker because the archived files are compressed.

· Send a group of related files to an associate: When you distribute the collection of files as an archive you benefit from the file grouping and compression as well.

· Save disk space: If you have large files that are important but seldom used, such as large data files, simply compress these files into an archive and then unzip (or "extract") them only when needed.

What does WinZip do?

WinZip makes it easy for Windows users to work with archives. WinZip features an intuitive point-and-click drag-and-drop interface for viewing, running, extracting, adding, and deleting files in archives with a standard Windows interface, and also provides a Wizard interface that further simplifies the process of working with Zip files.

About WinZip's Setup Options

During the WinZip setup procedure you are asked to select either the WinZip Wizard interface or the WinZip Classic interface.

· WinZip Wizard: If you are new to computers, or unfamiliar with the Windows operating system, then you should first try using the WinZip Wizard to open and create your Zip files.

· WinZip Classic: The more powerful WinZip Classic interface is recommended if you are an experienced computer user, comfortable with using Windows and Zip files.

In the following section we will describe the WinZip Wizard Setup screens. With either interface, the setup panels provide information about the options offered. Whichever setup option you choose, you can easily switch between the two interfaces at any time with a single click, and you can always change the default settings later.

Installing the WinZip Wizard

We will refer to the on-screen panels using the title that appears at the top of each panel.

1. In the WinZip Setup panel, choose Start with the WinZip Wizard and click Next. The Search for Favorite Zip Folders panel will appear.

2. In the Search for Favorite Zip Folders panel, choose Search Entire Hard Disk so the Wizard can search your system for Zip files (this is the recommended option). You will see the search progress, and then a panel that says something like "17 folders were added to your 'Favorite Zip Folders'". Click Next.

3. The Wizard will open an Explorer window displaying the WinZip program group icons. Click Next to continue, and the Wizard Welcome panel will appear.

4. In the Wizard Welcome panel, click Next again, and the Select Activity panel will appear.

That's it, you have installed WinZip, and you're ready to begin using the WinZip Wizard. The sections below describe using the Wizard for unzipping and zipping files.

Using the WinZip Wizard

If you have just installed WinZip and selected the WinZip Wizard interface, then at this point the Select Activity panel is on the screen.

If you have previously installed WinZip, you can start a WinZip session using the WinZip program item in the WinZip program group, the Start menu, or the WinZip icon on your desktop.

Here is a brief introduction to the features of the WinZip Wizard.

Quick Unzipping with the WinZip Wizard

1. In the Select Activity panel, choose Unzip or install from an existing Zip file and click Next. The Select Zip File panel will appear.

2. In the Select Zip File panel, click on the Zip file you want to work with and click Next. The Unzip panel will appear.

3. In the Unzip panel, click Unzip Now to open the files in the archive. The WinZip Wizard will open a Windows Explorer window showing the unzipped files.

That's it, you've just unzipped (extracted) a Zip file using the WinZip Wizard. You can now work with the unzipped files, or click Next to choose another activity within WinZip, or close the WinZip Wizard window.

Quick Zipping with the WinZip Wizard

1. In the Select Activity panel, choose Create a new Zip file and click Next.

2. In the Choose Zip Name panel, type the name you want to use for your new Zip file and click Next. For example, if you are creating a Zip file that will contain some files related to yearly reports, you might type "1999 reports" as the name for your Zip file.

3. In the Select Files panel, click Add files to add files to your Zip file, then select the files you want to add and click OK.

4. Click Zip Now to create the new Zip file.

That's it, you've just created a Zip file using the WinZip Wizard. You can now click the WinZip Classic button if you would like to examine the contents of your new archive, or click Next to choose another activity within WinZip, or close the WinZip Wizard window.

Using WinZip Classic

Here is a brief introduction to some of the features of WinZip Classic.

Quick Unzipping with WinZip Classic

1. In the WinZip Window click the Open toolbar button, or choose Open Archive from the File menu. The Open Archive dialog box will appear.

2. In the Open Archive dialog box you can locate the archive you want to unzip. Then click Open. The contents of the archive will be displayed in the WinZip window.

3. To extract files from the archive click the Extract toolbar button, or choose Extract… from the Actions menu. The Extract dialog box will appear.

4. In the box labeled Extract to: choose the folder where you want to place the extracted files and click Extract.

That's it, you have extracted the contents of the archive to the chosen directory. You can now work with the extracted files, or choose another activity within WinZip, or close the WinZip window.

Note: You can also extract files from an archive in the WinZip Classic window by dragging them to the desired folder in Windows Explorer or to the desktop.

Quick Zipping with WinZip Classic

1. In the WinZip Window click the New toolbar button, or choose New Archive from the File menu. The New Archive dialog box will appear.

2. In the New Archive dialog box you can specify the location where you want to create the archive, and type the name you want to use for your new archive. Then click OK. The Add dialog box will appear.

3. In the Add dialog box select the files that you want to add to your new archive and click Add.

That's it, you have created a new archive. You can now examine the contents of your new archive, or choose another activity within WinZip, or close the WinZip window.

Note: You can also add files to an archive by dragging the files from My Computer or Windows Explorer and dropping the files on the WinZip window.

WinZip Classic and Wizard: Switching Interfaces

You can easily switch between the WinZip Wizard and WinZip Classic Interfaces with a single mouse click. Here's how:

In WinZip Wizard click the WinZip Classic button at the lower left part of the Wizard panel to switch to the WinZip Classic Interface.

In WinZip Classic click the Wizard button at the upper right end of the WinZip Classic toolbar to switch to the WinZip Wizard Interface.

WinZip Classic Tips

You can view the contents of most files in an archive by just double clicking on them in the WinZip Classic window.

You can extract files from an archive in the WinZip Classic window by dragging them to the desired folder in Windows Explorer or to the desktop.

Using the WinZip Classic Help menu, you can:

· work with the built-in Brief Tutorial to get acquainted with more of WinZip's features

· view collections of Hints and Tips

· find answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Zip and Unzip Files without Leaving the Explorer

To create an archive: you can select file(s) in Windows Explorer, right click, and choose Add to Zip from the context menu that appears.

To extract files from an archive: you can select the archive in Windows Explorer, and either:

· right click and choose Extract to... from the context menu that appears, or

· right click and drag the archive onto the folder where you want it extracted, and then choose an extract option from the context menu that appears.

Contacting Technical Support

You can contact our technical support staff as follows:

Internet: The best way to report problems on the Internet is with the support forms available from the "Support" link on the WinZip home page at http://www.winzip.com. You can also send electronic mail to support@winzip.com. We normally answer all questions within one business day.

Postal Mail: Write to Technical Support, WinZip Computing, Inc., P.O. Box 540, Mansfield, CT 06268, USA.

Please include the following information with any technical support questions:

· Is the problem reproducible? If so, how?

· What version of Windows are you running (for example, Windows 95 or Windows NT)?

· What version of WinZip are you running? If you are using the WinZip Classic Interface, choose About WinZip from the WinZip Help menu. If you are using the WinZip Wizard Interface, click the About button on the WinZip Wizard Welcome screen. Please include the entire "version" line in your problem report.

· If a dialog box with an error message was displayed, please include the full text of the dialog box, including the title in the title bar.