How-To Tip of the Day: Win Zip

Good Afternoon:

Many of you have asked about creating or using Zip files as a way to compress and send documents via e-mail. This is especially useful when you are sending large documents (such as Publisher files or videos) or when you are sending multiple files in one e-mail (like when you are sending me or your dean your monthly reports).

I am a big fan of the Win Zip software. It's easy to use and free to try for the first 45 days or so. After that, it costs around $30 (which can be expensed); you can also try talking to your IT person about getting a free copy.

You can find other Zip software programs at The Free Site.

No matter what program you use, they all have some basic properties. Essentially, you have to create a Zip file (the equivalent of a new folder). Once you have named your folder and put it somewhere (Your Documents, H Drive, etc.), you then add the files to it that need to be compressed. Some programs will compress the files automatically; others, you will need to click somewhere or execute the file in order to compress it.

Some programs give you the option of making the file "executable"; meaning that the file that you send via e-mail can automatically be opened by the user and decompressed. Fair warning if you do not select that option, as the user will have to have the same software as you in order to access the files.

The help files for most of these programs should give you sufficient "how-to", but there are plenty available on the web for the use of these software. If you are using WinZip, a very good tutorial is avaialble at this website. A quick Google of "how to use Win zip" yields about 2 million results.