How to Corner for WinZip
WinZip is a free utility that can be used to decompress (unzip) .zip files. What is a .zip file? A .zip file is like a suitcase that contains one or more files. The file or files are compressed so that the total size is smaller than they would be normally. If you are running Windows XP, then you do not need this program because Windows XP has a built in utility that performs the same functions. For more about this utility and how to use it, check out my Windows XP Zip File Utility page.
With the WinZip utility you can do two main things:
1. Extract Files; WinZip will take the files contained within a .zip file and
put them in any folder located on your hard drive.
2. Compress files; WinZip will take a
file or group of files that you select, and compress them into a single file.
Download the current
version
Installing the program
Extracting files
Creating a .zip file
Creating a self-extracting zip file
If you have never downloaded anything from the Internet before, or would just like to know what to expect, you can first check out my Downloading From The Internet page. Otherwise, just hit enter on the link to Download WinZip 9.0.
Installing the WinZip program is
like any normal installation process, but for your convenience, I have listed
the steps below for the installation process.
1. Hit enter on the WinZip90.exe file
that you downloaded to start the installation.
2. A dialog box will appear with three buttons, if you are not on the setup
button then tab to it and hit the space bar.
3. This will bring up the Where to install dialog, just tab to the OK button
and hit the space bar.
4. Then it will install the program.
When it is finished it will list the features with a next button, hit
the space bar on the next button.
5. The license agreement screen comes up, just tab to the yes button and hit
the space bar.
6. You will now be on the quick start
screen, just tab to the next button and hit the space bar.
7. Now you will be asked which way you want WinZip to start. You have WinZip Classic, and WinZip
Wizard. WinZip Classic is the default,
and this option can be changed later.
For instructions on how to do this, refer to the Change WinZip Startup
link above. To make things simpler,
leave it set at the default WinZip Classic, and tab to the next button and hit
the space bar.
8. Now it will ask you what type of setup you want, express or custom. Leave it on express, tab to the next button
and hit the space bar.
9. Now it wants to set up your archive associations, just tab to the next
button and hit the space bar.
10. Now the installation and setup is complete. Hit the space bar on the finish button and all windows will
automatically close. WinZip will
automatically startup. Just alt F4 to
exit the program.
Below I take you through the steps of decompressing, or unzipping a .zip file. WinZip gives you a few different options in accomplishing this task, and I will go through each option one at a time so you can choose which one is best for you.
The first thing you must do is to locate the .zip file on your computer. Once you are on the file you will hit the applications key to bring up the context menu, arrow down to WinZip, and hit the right arrow to give you several options that can be done, including the options of extracting files. There are four different options given that you can choose from to extract files. The four different options are discussed below one at a time with any instructions given if needed. I recommend reading through each option first so you can choose which option would be best for you.
The first option in the WinZip submenu of the context menu is extract to ... . This option gives you the most flexibility and will bring up the extract to dialog box. Below I will take you through the steps of using this option and also go through some of the items that are contained in the dialog box.
Using the Extract To ... Option:
1. Choose the Extract to ... option from the WinZip submenu of the context
menu. If you forgot how to get to this
point, refer to the steps outlined under the heading, Steps in extracting files from a .zip file.
2. The WinZip startup screen will appear, if you are not on the Use evaluation
version button, then arrow down to it and hit the space bar.
3. The extract to ... dialog box will appear and you should hear, WinZip extract
dialog, extract to: edit combo.
4. The extract to edit combo box is the place you can manually type in the
directory where you would like the files contained in the .zip file to be
put. The default directory in this box
is either the current directory that your .zip file is located, or the last
directory you extracted files to. It
archives each directory you extract files to, so in the future, you can just
arrow up and down when on this edit combo box and pick from one of the
directories you have used in the past.
If you want to manually type in the directory where you want the files
extracted to, do that now.
5. Tab one time and you will land on the show specified folder in the outline
below button. If you press this button,
it will take you directly to the place within the tree view located later in
this dialog, in accordance to the directory specified in the previous edit
combo box. This button does not have to
be activated.
6. Tab one time to land on a Create Folder button. This will let you create a folder in the current directory
specified in the previous edit combo box, and this will be where WinZip will
extract the files from the .zip file.
By pressing this button, a dialog will appear and you will be in an edit
box ready to type the name of the folder you want to create. When finished typing in the name of the
folder, just tab to the OK button and hit the space bar.
7. Now tab one time, and what you land on depends on the version of windows you
are running. If you are running windows
XP go to step 8, but if you are running any other version of windows, skip to
step 9.
8. By tabbing one time you will hear, toolbar submenu. You have a listing of four items with radio
buttons. Which of these four items is
selected will determine how the tree view is displayed that comes later in this
dialog. Arrow up and down to see what
your selections are, and to see which is selected by default. If you want to change the selection, then
arrow to the one you want and hit the space bar on the radio button to select
it.
9. Tab one time and you will land in a tree view of the directory of your
computer. You should hear, extract to
dir tree view, my computer open. Now if
you are running windows XP, then you might hear something a little different.
10. If you entered the directory path in the edit box that was in the beginning
of this dialog box, then you can just tab to the extract button and hit the
space bar. If not, then arrow up and
down in the tree view, right arrowing to open directories when needed, to find
the folder in which you want to extract the files.
11. Once you have found the folder in which you want to extract the files in
the tree view, then just tab to the extract button and hit the space bar.
12. Your done! Your files have been
extracted to the folder in which you specified.
The next option in the WinZip submenu of the context menu is extract to here. This option is pretty self explanatory. By hitting enter on this option WinZip will automatically extract the files in the .zip file to the same directory that the .zip file is located. When you hit enter on this choice, The WinZip startup screen will appear. Just arrow down to the Use Evaluation Version Button, if not already on it, and press the space bar. You will automatically land back within the same directory on the .zip file. Any file or folder added to a directory is automatically put at the end of the directory until either the directory is refreshed, or you exit the directory and come back to it. At that time it will be listed among the other files and folders in accordance to how you have your folders organized. Alphabetical is the default. So once you are put back on the .zip file, if you want to access any of the files that were in the .zip file, just hit the end key to automatically be put at the end of the directory. If there were more than one file in the .zip file, and if the one you land on is not the one you are looking for, then just arrow up to look through the files until you find the one you are looking for!
The next option in the WinZip submenu of the context menu is extract to folder, and then states the directory. This option is pretty self explanatory. By hitting enter on this option, WinZip will create a folder with the same name as the .zip file, within the same directory as the .zip file is located, and automatically extract the .zip file in this folder. After hitting enter on this option, the WinZip startup screen will appear. Just arrow down to the Use Evaluation Version Button, if not already on it, and press the space bar. You will automatically land back within the same directory on the .zip file. Any file or folder added to a directory is automatically put at the end of the directory until either the directory is refreshed, or you exit the directory and come back to it. At that time it will be listed among the other files and folders in accordance to how you have your folders organized. Alphabetical is the default. To get to the folder that contains your extracted files, just hit the end key. This will put you on the newly created folder. Hit enter on the folder to open it up and put you in the list of files that were extracted.
NOTE: I have found that this option is not always listed in the WinZip submenu of the context menu. I have no answer why this option might be there, or might not be there. Of coarse, if this option is not listed, then you must choose from the three options above.
The final option in the WinZip submenu of the context menu is extract to folder submenu. This option is pretty self explanatory. By hitting enter on this option, it will bring up a list of directories that you have extracted files to in the past. This list will also include the current directory you are in, which is the directory that the .zip file is located. You just arrow up and down to select the one you want and hit enter. Each time you extract files to a different directory that is not in this list, then that new directory will be added to this list! After hitting enter on your selection, the WinZip startup screen will appear. Just arrow down to the Use Evaluation Version Button, if not already on it, and hit the space bar. At that time you will be put back in the same directory on the .zip file, and the extracted files will be located in the directory you selected from the list.
Below I take you through the steps of compressing, or creating a .zip file. WinZip gives you a few different options in accomplishing this task, and I will go through each option one at a time so you can choose which one is best for you.
The first thing you must do is to locate the files you want to include in your .zip file on your computer. Once you have located the files and have selected them, you will hit the applications key to bring up the context menu, arrow down to WinZip, and hit the right arrow to give you several options that can be done, including the option of adding to zip files. There are five different options given that you can choose from to compress files. The five different options are discussed below one at a time with any instructions given if needed. I recommend reading through each option first so you can choose which option would be best for you.
The first option in the WinZip submenu of the context menu is Add to zip file ... . This option gives you the most flexibility and will bring up the Add dialog box. Below I will take you through the steps of using this option.
Using the Add To Zip File ...
Option:
1. Choose the Add to zip file ... option from the WinZip submenu of the context
menu. If you forgot how to get to this
point, refer to the steps outlined under the heading, Steps in Creating a zip file out of your files.
2. The WinZip startup screen will appear, if you are not on the Use evaluation
version button, then arrow down to it and hit the space bar.
3. The add dialog box will appear and you should hear, add dialog, add to
archive: edit.
4. You are at the end of a edit box that contains the current directory where
you are currently located. This is so
the .zip file you create will automatically be put in the same directory that
you are currently located. You just
need to type in what you would like the file to be called. Make sure your file name ends with a .zip.
5. Now just tab to the add button and hit the space bar.
6. Now this will close out the dialog
and put you in the list view window of WinZip.
Just hit alt f4 to close out WinZip.
7. You will then land back in the directory you were previously which contains
the files you put in your .zip file.
Since newly created files are automatically put at the end of a
directory until it is either revisited or refreshed, you can just hit the End
key, and you should be put on your newly created .zip file.
8. your done!
The next option in the WinZip submenu of the context menu is add to current
directory.zip. For example, if the
files you are going to put into your .zip file is all located in My Documents,
then this option will automatically create and put the files in a zip file named
my documents.zip. This option is pretty
self explanatory. When you hit enter on
this choice, The WinZip startup screen will appear. Just arrow down to the Use Evaluation Version Button, if not
already on it, and press the space bar.
You will automatically land back within the same directory on one of the
files you chose to include in your .zip file.
Any file or folder added to a directory is automatically put at the end
of the directory until either the directory is refreshed, or you exit the
directory and come back to it. At that
time it will be listed among the other files and folders in accordance to how
you have your folders organized.
Alphabetical is the default. So
once you are put back on one of the files you included in the .zip file, if you
want to access the newly created .zip file, just hit the end key to
automatically be put at the end of the directory and on that file.
The next option in the WinZip submenu of the context menu is zip and email current directory.zip. This option is pretty self explanatory. When you hit enter on this choice, The WinZip startup screen will appear. Just arrow down to the Use Evaluation Version Button, if not already on it, and press the space bar. At that time WinZip is going to take the files you chose, and create a .zip file with the name of the folder in which these files are located, like My Documents. Then it is going to bring up a new email message window and put you in the to: edit field. The new .zip file has already been automatically attached to the new email. All you have to do is put in to who the message is going, the subject, and a message if you want. You are good to go, the message and file is all ready to be sent.
The next option in the WinZip submenu of the context menu is zip and email plus .... When you hit enter on this choice, The WinZip startup screen will appear. Just arrow down to the Use Evaluation Version Button, if not already on it, and press the space bar. This will bring up the zip and email plus dialog box. You will be put on the first of two radio buttons. With these radio buttons, you are letting WinZip know the name of which you want this new zip file to be called. The first radio button, the one in which you are automatically placed, contains an automatic pre determined name for the zip file you are creating. If you want to use this name, then just tab to the OK button and hit the space bar. If you want to type in and create your own name for the zip file, then just arrow down. This should automatically check the second radio button, and put you in an edit box. After typing in the name you want to call your new zip file, remember to put .zip after the name of the file, just tab to the OK button and hit the space bar. WinZip will take the files you have chosen, put them in a .zip file, and bring up a new email message window. Your .zip file is already attached to the email message. So all you need to do is put to who you want to send the email, put in a subject, and type a message if you want. Your done! The message with the .zip file attached is ready to be sent!
A self-extracting zip file is a file that will automatically unzip to a pre determined directory, which is defined by the creator of the file. You can only create a self-extracting zip file using an already pre existing .zip file. To learn how to create a .zip file, please refer to the section called Creating a .zip file.
To create a self-extracting zip file:
1. Locate the pre existing .zip file on your system.
2. Hit the applications key.
3. Arrow down to WinZip and hit the right arrow key, then up arrow to Create self
extractor and hit enter.
4. A dialog will come up if you are not running a registered version of WinZip,
just hit the space bar on the OK button.
5. The self-extracting dialog box will appear, you should hear, create self-extracting
zip file from: edit.
6. In this edit box, there will be listed the directory for the pre existing .zip
file you are using.
7. Tab a couple of times until you hear, default "unzip to" folder: edit.
8. This is the pre determined directory you want these files unzipped to. So, type in this directory.
9. Tab to the OK button and hit the space bar.
10. The self-extracting zip file has been created and will be put in the same directory
as the pre existing .zip is located. A self-extracting
zip file will have the same name as the pre existing .zip file, but instead of .zip
at the end of the filename, you will have .E X E.
11. Your done!