Introduction & Opening | WinZip Basics, Interface, & Wizard | Opening and Closing Archives
Creating Archives & Adding Files | Extracting and Creating Favorites
Viewing File Contents and Checkout | Outside Resources

WinZip Basics:
The easiest way to zip or unzip files is via your mouse. If you have downloaded a zip file, right-click on the file. Assuming you have WinZip or a similar program installed, the menu will provide options for unzipping. Similarly, to create an archive, select a folder or group of files and then right-click. If a zip program in installed, you'll see an option to add the files to an archive.

These two options should cover all of your needs, but there's a lot more you can do.

The WinZip Interface:
The WinZip interface has three different levels. On the top is the menu bar with the following items: New, Open, Extract, Favorites, Add, Extract, View, Checkout, and Wizard.

The second level consists of a toolbar with the following icons: New (a folder that is rocketing around the earth), Open (a folder with a blue arrow), Favorites (a zipped up heart), Add (a folder with a file next to it and an arrow pointing from the file to the folder), Extract (a folder with a file next to it and an arrow pointing from the folder to the file), View (a green globe or ball with glasses on it), Checkout (a folder with a Program Group in front of it, and Wizard (a dark blue ball or globe with stars whizzing around it).

The third level is the window where the files in the archive are contained. There are column headings above the portion of the window where the files are contained. Listed in these headings are: Name, Modified, Size, Ratio, Packed, and Path. Below are the descriptions of each.

· Name-Lists names of all the files in the archive.
· Modified-Date in which the file was last modified.
· Size-The total size in KB (kilobytes) of the file.
· Ratio-Percentage of the file that was packed.
· Packed-The compressed size of the file.
· Path-The location of the file on the computer.

Using the WinZip Wizard:
A quick way to get yourself up and running with WinZip is to use its Wizard feature, which is a Windows style wizard that allows you to perform common WinZip tasks without having to go through all the details. To start the WinZip wizard, you can follow either one of the following steps:

1.) Click on the File Menu on the menu bar, and select Wizard, or
2.) Click on the Wizard icon on the toolbar.

Once you have done one of those two steps, you will get the WinZip Wizard's Welcome Window. Here you will be told that the WinZip Wizard basically automates the most common tasks performed in WinZip. It will also suggest using the Options button to the right to change your Favorite Zip Folders, which will be covered later, and other options.

To proceed to the next step in the Wizard, click the Next Button. Before moving on, you will notice that the WinZip Wizard feature is quite similar to other Wizard features in other applications. This is consistent with the Windows WYSIWYG format.

Moving on to the next screen, you will be asked to Select an Activity. That will be followed by several radio buttons for tasks that you can do. Since you are going to be creating an archive for the first time, click on the option that says, "Create a New Zip file", and click the Next Button.

The next window will contain a field where you will enter a filename for your archive. So in the File name field, type in a filename, and then click the Next Button. The next window, the Select Files window, asks you to select a file or group of files to store in your archive. Below that appears three buttons. Two of them are active, and they are: Add files and Add folders.

For the purposes of this exercise, click on the Add files button, and select a file from a directory that you are using. Then click the ZipNow button to zip up the files you have chosen to archive. When the ZipNow button is clicked, WinZip will zip your archive. Upon completing, WinZip will inform you that your archive has been zipped. You are finished. If you'd like to see if everything worked right, you may proceed to the Opening An Archive in WinZip section.

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