Time for me to help out another reader who has contacted me this week with their computer woes:
I have recently received a number of Emails and contained within them is a rectangular box with a small red cross in the corner. I find these will not open when clicking on them and it has been suggested that these are `Zip-files´ and without a special program I cannot open them.
Can you assist by suggesting a program I can look at for opening these files in Windows 98?
R. Rawlinson, via e-mail
Zip-files are one of most commonly used formats in the IT industry which have been around for so long that I can´t remember a time I wasn´t using them. Back when I was about 10 years old I remember using an old DOS utility `PKZIP´ to compress a load of files so they would fit on a low density floppy disc as they were only capable of storing around 0.7mb. You would have thought in the modern day of writable DVD´s which are capable of storing 4700mb that Zip files would have died a death but in reality they are more popular than ever.
The reason for their continued popularity is not only that they allow you to actually compress files to make them smaller but you can also clump a number of files together into one easy to manage package. These two advantages to the format make it extremely suitable for when you want to send a number of files via e-mail - If you wish to distribute a 100 files by e-mail it is a lot easier to send them all in one compressed package than to send them separately.
Fortunately there is a fair amount of choice when it comes to choosing a program to handle your needs when it comes to compressing and decompressing .zip files. Windows XP users should note that support for .zip files is supported by the Operating System so you won´t need any additional software to work with compressed files.
One of the most popular programs on the market is Winzip although personally I much prefer Winrar as it is able to handle a wider variety of compressed file formats and is a much smaller, less intrusive piece of software. It is worth noting that both of these programs are shareware so if you continue to use them after the trial period has elapsed you are expected to volunteer payment for them which is typically around £15 - The programs will continue to operate after the trial period but the honest ones amongst you will want to pay for the service you are receiving.
If you don´t fancy the idea of paying for shareware then there are also hundreds of lesser known, completely free of charge utilities available on the Internet such as AceZip although I haven´t had an opportunity to use any of these utilities in the past. If you´re feeling adventurous just type `Freeware zip manager´ into Google and take your pick from the scores of free utilities that present themselves to you.
No computer user should be without the ability the handle compressed files as it really is one of the most important facilities to have if you use the Internet and e-mail on a regular basis. If you are using an Operating System prior to Windows XP and don´t have any of the pieces of software mentioned above then do take a couple of minutes to get your machine sorted out now.
By: Computer Articles
