Why do we zip files? Large files and packages of multiple documents are often "zipped" into one file so that they can easily be downloaded from thejanitorialstore.com to your computer. Zipped files are actually condensed so that the file size is smaller. A software program is used to compress one or more files into a "zipped" file. To read and/or work with the file you have to download it to your computer and then unzip it.
To unzip files you need a zip program: Winzip (http://www.winzip.com/) is very popular and costs around $30.00. Another popular program is Stuffit (http://www.stuffit.com/win/index.html). There are also several free unzip programs available. Go to your favorite search engine and look for "free unzip programs" or "free unzip software". The free programs will most likely not have all of the capabilities of a program that you buy; however, if you are just using the program to unzip files it may be all that you need. Windows XP has a built in program to unzip files.
How to Unzip Files:
If you are using Windows XP.
After you have downloaded the file to your computer, double click on the file and a window panel will open up with thumbnails of the contents of the zipped file (The zipped file will look like a folder with a zipper on it). Then to access these files extract them by clicking on the "Extract All Files" link under the Folder Tasks pane.
Clicking on the extract all will bring up the extraction wizard. The first click on the wizard will bring up a welcome screen. Just click next.
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The next screen gives you a choice of where you want the unzipped files. Make sure you have the files are unzipped where you can easily find them. Hit next and your files will be unzipped.
Unzipping Files with Winzip
Unzipping files with Winzip or another unzip program is similar to the above steps. Each program is a little different, but following are the basic steps.
Double click on the zipped file you want to open. The following screen will come up.
Click next. On the next screen you will get several options of what to do with the file:
Click the top button that says to unzip or install. The next screen will ask you where on your computer to put the unzipped files. If you do not want to use the default location, click on the "select different folder" button. You may want to save the files to your desktop to unzip them and then move them to a location where you can always find the files.
Once you have indicated where you want the unzipped files to go, click next and your files will be unzipped. You can then click close on the winzip wizard. The folder where your files are located will automatically open and you should be able to see the unzipped files.