- Working with Files, Folders, and Disks
- Viewing Files and Folders
- Navigating Folders
- Working with Libraries
- Searching for Files
- Creating New Folders
- Renaming Files and Folders
- Copying Files
- Moving Files
- Deleting Files
- Working with Compressed Folders
- Copying Files to Another Computer
- Backing Up Your Important Files
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Working with Compressed Folders
Really big files can be difficult to move or copy. They’re especially difficult to transfer to other users, whether by email or portable disk drive.
Fortunately, Windows includes a way to make big files smaller. Compressed folders take big files and compress their size, which makes them easier to copy or move. After the file has been transferred, you can then uncompress the file back to its original state.
Compressing a File
Compressing one or more files is a relatively easy task from within any Windows folder. Just follow these steps:
- Select the file(s) you want to compress.
- Right-click the file(s) to display the pop-up menu.
- Select Send to, Compressed (zipped) Folder.
Windows now creates a new folder that contains compressed versions of the file(s) you selected. (This folder is distinguished by a little zipper on the folder icon, as shown in Figure 5.4.) You can now copy, move, or email this folder, which is a lot smaller than the original file(s).
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Extracting Files from a Compressed Folder
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 7, this process is eased by the use of the Extraction Wizard. Follow these steps:
- Right-click the compressed folder to display the pop-up menu.
- Select Extract All.
- When the Extraction Wizard launches, select a location for the extracted files and then click the Extract button to complete the process.