What is Winzip
WinZip is a tool developed by WinZip Computing, Inc. to handle ZIP files and other compression formats. It supports the following features described in its help document:
- Seamless Windows integration: WinZip includes tight integration with My Computer and Windows Explorer. Drag and drop to or from Explorer, or zip and unzip without leaving Explorer.
- Internet support: WinZip features built-in support for popular Internet file formats: TAR, gzip, UUencode, XXencode, BinHex, and MIME. ARJ, LZH, and ARC files are supported via external programs. You can use WinZip to access almost all the files you download from the Internet. In addition, the freely downloadable WinZip Internet Browser Support Add-On lets you download and open archives with one click using Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
- Automatic installation of most software distributed in Zip files: If a Zip file contains a "setup" or "install" program, WinZip's Install feature will unzip the files, run the installation program, and clean up temporary files.
- The WinZip Wizard: This optional feature uses the standard and familiar "wizard" interface to simplify the process of zipping, unzipping, and installing software distributed in Zip files. The WinZip Wizard is not targeted at experienced users, but is ideal for the rapidly growing number of PC users getting started with Zip files. When these users gain confidence or want to use more advanced zipping features, the full WinZip Classic interface is just a click away.
- Favorite Zip Folders: WinZip lets you organize Zip files into one convenient list that is sorted by date, making it easier to locate all Zip files, regardless of where they came from or where they are stored. Unlike the standard Open Archive dialog box, the Favorite Zip Folders dialog box treats the contents of multiple folders as though they were one folder. A Search facility will find any Zip files lost on your hard disk.
- Create files that unzip themselves: WinZip Self-Extractor Personal Edition is included with WinZip. Self-extracting files are ideal for sending compressed files to others who may not own or know how to use file compression software.
- Virus Scanner Support: WinZip can be configured to work with most virus scanners.
Downloading and Installing Winzip
1. Set your Web browser to
http://www.winzip.com/ home page.
2. Click the "Try Now" button, and follow the instructions to download winzip100.exe. The file size should be about 5.56 MB.
3. Run winzip1000.exe. It will guide you to finish the installation.
4. Go to Start > Programs > WinZip > WinZip. The evaluation dialog box shows up.
5. Click "Use Evaluation Version". WinZip window shows up.
If you see the WinZip windows shows up, you know your installation is done correctly.
Stopping the Winzip Wizard
If WinZip starts with the wizard dialog box, you can turn it off. Here is how:
1. Run WinZip. The wizard dialog box shows up.
2. Click the "WinZip Classic" button. The WinZip window shows up.
3. Select menu Options > Configuration. The configuration dialog box shows up.
4. Click the "Miscellaneous" tab, and make the "Next time start with the Wizard interface" unchecked.
5. Click the OK button to close the configuration dialog box.
6. Select menu File > Exit to close WinZip.
7. Run WinZip again. You should not see the wizard dialog box any more.
Adding Files to a Zip File
1. Run WinZip and select menu File > New Archive. The "New Archive" dialog box shows up.
2. Enter test1.zip as the file name for the new ZIP file in c:\temp directory.
3. Click the OK button. The "Add" dialog box shows up.
4. Select the files that you want to add to the ZIP file, and click the "Add" button. The selected files will be added to the ZIP file.
5. Select menu File > Exit to close WinZip.
6. Look at c:\temp\test1.zip. This is the ZIP file that contains the selected files.
Adding Directories to a Zip File
1. Run WinZip and select menu File > New Archive. The "New Archive" dialog box shows up.
2. Enter test2.zip as the file name for the new ZIP file in c:\temp directory.
3. Click the OK button. The "Add" dialog box shows up.
4. Make the "Include subfolders" option checked.
5. Select one directory and double click on it. The files and subdirectories show up.
6. Click the "Add with wildcards" button. All files and subdirectories will be added to the ZIP file.
7. Look at c:\temp\test2.zip. This is the ZIP file that contains the selected directory.
Extracting Zip Files
1. Run WinZIP and select menu File > Open Archive. The "Open Archive" dialog box shows up.
2. Select a ZIP file, like c:\temp\test1.zip, and click the OK button. The ZIP file will be opened inside WinZip window.
3. Select menu Actions > Extract. The Extract dialog box shows up.
4. Select a directory where you want the files to extracted to, for example c:\temp.
5. Click the Extract button. All the files in the ZIP will be extract to c:\temp.
Setting Passwords in Zip Files
To stop other people extract files out of your ZIP files, you can set up a password in a ZIP file. Here is how:
1. Run WinZip and select menu File > New Archive. The "New Archive" dialog box shows up.
2. Enter test3.zip as the file name for the new ZIP file in c:\temp directory.
3. Click the OK button. The "Add" dialog box shows up.
4. Click the Password button. The "Password" dialog box shows up.
5. Enter a password and click the OK button. WinZip will ask the password again for confirmation.
6. Continue with the "Add" dialog box to finish adding files/directories to the ZIP file.
7. Look at the compressed files in WinZip window, you should see a "+" sign at the end of each file name. "+" is an indicator that this file is password protected.
8. Close WinZip and run WinZip again.
9. Select menu File > Open Archive. The "Open Archive" dialog box shows up.
10. Select a ZIP file, like c:\temp\test1.zip, and click the OK button. The ZIP file will be opened inside WinZip window.
11. Select menu Actions > Extract. The Extract dialog box shows up.
12. Select a directory where you want the files to extracted to, for example c:\temp.
13. Click the Extract button. The "Password" dialog box shows up.
14. Enter the same password you used when creating this ZIP file and click the OK button.
15. Continue with the extracting process to finish extract compressed files.
Creating a Zip File on Multiple Discs
WinZip also allows you to create a ZIP on diskette. If the ZIP file is larger than a single diskette, it will span onto multiple diskettes. Creating ZIP files on diskettes are useful if you have computers that are not connected, and want to moves files through diskettes.
Suppose that I have a sample music file, my_music.mp3. Its file size is 4713 KB. Here are the steps to compress it onto multiple diskettes:
0. Insert a formatted blank diskette into the computer.
1. Run WinZip and select menu File > New Archive. The "New Archive" dialog box shows up.
2. Enter a:\my_music.zip as the file name for the new ZIP file.
3. Click the OK button. The "Add" dialog box shows up.
4. Make sure that "Multiple disk spanning" is selected.
5. Select the music file, my_music.pm3 and click the "Add" button.
6. WinZip will start to write the ZIP file to the first diskette.
7. When the first diskette is full, it will prompt you to insert the second diskette.
8. WinZip will continue to write the ZIP file on 4 diskettes. You should write down the numbers on the diskettes and keep them together as a set.
9. Exit WinZip.
When you need to restore the music file to another computer, you need to follow there steps:
0. Insert the first diskette into the computer.
1. Run WinZIP and select menu File > Open Archive. The "Open Archive" dialog box shows up.
2. Select the ZIP file, a:\my_music.zip, and click the OK button. The ZIP file will be opened inside WinZip window.
3. Select menu Actions > Extract. The Extract dialog box shows up.
4. Select a directory where you want the files to extracted to, for example c:\temp.
5. Click the Extract button. WinZIP will start to read the ZIP file from the first diskette.
6. When the first diskette is done, it will ask for the second diskette.
7. WinZip will continue to read the entire ZIP file from all 4 diskettes.
8. Exit WinZip.
Windows Explorer Context Menu
Winzip can be configured with a number of options in the Windows Explorer context menu. There menu options provide you short cuts to different WinRAR functions. Let's setup some of them and do some tests.
1. Run WinZIP and select menu Options > Configuration. The configuration dialog box shows up.
2. Click the Explorer Enhancements tab and make the following context menu commands checked:
- Add to Zip...
- Add to <file name>.zip
- Extract to...
- Extract to here
- Extract to <folder name>
- Create Self-Extractor(.EXE)
3. Click the OK button and exit WinZip.
4. Run Start > Accessories > Windows Explorer.
5. Locate a directory name that you want to compress into a ZIP file.
6. Right mouse click on the directory name. The context menu shows up. You should see "WinZip" is listed there as a submenu entry.
7. Select context menu WinZip > Add to <file name>.zip. The selected directory will be compressed into a ZIP file. The new ZIP file will be located in the current directory.
8. Delete the compressed directory and keep the ZIP file.
9. Locate the newly created ZIP file and select context menu WinZip > Extract to here. The compressed directory will be extract out of the ZIP file.
Conclusion
WinZip is nice tool to compress files into ZIP files to save space on the hard disk. You should also compress files if you want to send them as emails to save communication time and mail box space.
Context menu options are nice short cuts to create or extract ZIP files.
Password protection is a good feature to help you protect your privacy.
Spanning a ZIP file to multiple diskettes is useful to move large files on diskettes.
What is Winzip 
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