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How to Zip Files with WinZip

- If you have one really big file, or lots of small files, it's better to squash them down in size.You do the squashing with a zipping programme. The most popular is called WinZip. It's so popular that you may even have it on your computer already. So popular that the Word spellchecker doesn't even give it a red wiggly line when you type it out!

To check if it's on your machine, click the Start button in the bottom left of your computer screen with the left mouse button. When the menu pops up, look for WinZip at the top. (But DON'T click it! You don't need to open the software up.)

As you can see, this computer has WinZip installed. If you can't see it on the Start menu, click on All Programs, and look for it there - again, don't open it!

If you don't have it, you can get it from the CD Rom of practically any computer magazine at your newsagents. Or download a free trial version from the internet. Just type WinZip into any search engine.

Zip a file you want to send to somebody else

When you want to send somebody else a big file (or more than one file), you can zip them up. First, you need to locate the file you want to send. So, do this:

• Double click the My Computer icon on your desktop
• Double click the icon for your Hard Drive (probably C:\)
• Navigate to the place where your file is
• In the image below, we've navigated to a folder called Downloads.

• Click on the file you want to zip with your Right mouse button, and a menu will appear
• Look for the WinZip item on the menu
• From the sub menu, choose Add to ...

You may then get a box popping up asking you whether you agree or disagree. Click I agree, and Winzip goes to work. Your file will be zipped up:

• Our file has now been zipped up. Note that it has the same name as the original file.

If you want to zip an entire folder, then do exactly the same as above.

Unzip a file that has been sent to you

To unzip a file that has been sent to you, or that you have downloaded from the internet, perhaps, do the following:

• Double click the My Computer icon on your desktop
• Double click the icon for your Hard Drive (probably C:\)
• Navigate to the place where you downloaded the Zipped file
• Locate the file you want to unzip
• Click on the zipped file with your right mouse button
• A menu pops up
• The easiest way to do it is to select the “Extract to . . . ” option, as in the image below

• Click the option with your left mouse button, and WinZip unpacks the file for you.

It's quite easy, once you get the hang of it. And it could save you a small amount of money in internet telephone bills!