Files are getting bigger. If you want to transfer a really big file to another computer, you can run into all sorts of problems. If you're copying the file to floppy disk, the file might be too big to fit on a single floppy disk. If you're sending the file via e-mail, the file might be so big it exceeds your ISP's limits on attachment size. No matter how you look at it, big files are a bother. Fortunately, Windows XP includes a way to make big files smaller. Compressed folders take big files and compress them in size, which makes them easier to copy or move. After the file has been transferred, you uncompress the file to its original state. NOTE If you install a third-party compression program on your system, Windows removes Compressed Folders from the Send To menu and replaces it with a link to the new compression program. Compressing a FileCompressing a file is a relatively easy task from within any Windows folder. You can even compress multiple files into a single compressed folder. Just follow these simple steps:
That's it that's all you have to do! Windows creates a new folder, such as the one in Figure 3.18, which contains compressed versions of the file(s) you selected. You can now copy, move, or e-mail this folder, which is a lot smaller than the original file(s). Figure 3.18. A compressed folder notice the little "zipper" on the folder icon.The compressed folder is actually a file with a .zip extension, so it can be used with other compression/decompression programs, such as WinZip. You can add files to a compressed folder by dragging and dropping them onto the compressed folder icon. One thing to keep in mind about XP's compressed folders: Although the Extraction Wizard can extract multiple-disk .zip files, Windows XP cannot create multiple-disk files. If you need to create a compressed folder that's too big to fit on a single floppy disk, you have to use a third-party utility, such as WinZip. (By the way, you can download WinZip from www.winzip.com.) Extracting FilesNOTE If the compressed folder comprised a multiple-disk set, the Extraction Wizard prompts you to insert each disk in the set, as needed. The process of decompressing a file is actually an extraction process. That's because you extract the original file(s) from the compressed folder. In Windows XP, this process is eased by the use of the Extraction Wizard. This is how it works:
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