Authored by Tracy Clark

Situation: A classmate has asked you to send several files via e-mail, rather than save those files on a floppy/Zip disk and then giving him or her the disk. Do you really have to attach these files one by one? Or is there a way to send them together?

That's where WinZip can help. WinZip is a utility that allows users to collect multiple files and package -- or "zip" them -- into one larger file. This capability is especially useful for sending copies of websites or other tightly-integrated materials for which presence of ALL files is necessary for successful use/operation. It's also a big help for recipients of "zipped" files because they know that nothing has been lose -- unless, of course, the sender forgot to include a file or two in the larger zipped file (that's a different problem entirely!)

Zipping files, using the WinZip Wizard...

1. Open WinZip by double-clicking its icon on the desktop of the Dell PC. The following window will appear:

2. Using your mouse, click on the I Agree button. The main WinZip window will open:

3. Because we will use the Wizard, locate -- and click on -- the Wizard button on the far right. The Welcome window will appear:

4. Because we will use the Wizard, click on Next. The Select Activity window will appear:

5. Choose Create a new Zip file (shown above), and click on Next. The Choose Zip Name window will appear:

6. Unless the files you wish to work with are located in the My Documents folder on your machine's C drive -- the default setting -- click on the Browse button, located immediately underneath the File name box. A window titled New Archive will appear:

7. Select the appropriate drive from the Save in box; then select the appropriate file or folder. Shown below is a folder called "oldally," saved to a Zip disk (the Dell PC's Zip drive has been assigned the letter D):

We will now "zip" this folder and email it to the individual who has requested it.

8. Double-click on "oldally." The following window will appear:

9. Give the Zip folder you are about to create a name. For simplicity's sake, we will keep the name for our example "oldally."

10. Click OK. The Choose Zip Name window will appear, but now with our choices specified:

11. Click Next. The Select Files window will appear:

12. To add specific files, click on Add files. To add specific folders, click on Add folders. In either case, you will then be prompted to specify files/folders.

13. Because the folder for our example is located in the D drive, we will select the D drive. The folders from the D drive will then appear separately, as illustrated below:

14. Scroll down until you find the file you wish to include in the Zip folder. Then double-click, to select and open that file. If you are ready to include a single file, skip to Step 16. Because the files for our sample task are contained in a folder within a folder, we must first select that internal folder.

15. With the folder to be zipped selected, click OK. The Select Files window will appear, with your choices indicated:

16. Click on Add files and/or Add folders, and repeat the resulting processes, until all desired files/folder have been included. Then click on Zip Now. You will see each file and/or folder as it is "zipped" into the larger folder, as shown below:

When zipping is complete, the following window will appear:

18. Click on the button that corresponds with what you would like to do after your files/folders have been zipped.

NOTE: At this time, the Mail this Zip file button doesn't seem to work on the Dell PC. Clicking on the Close button, and sending the Zip file via email as an attachment is more reliable.