Zipped folders

[carlton23]

Can you please explain what they are all about? I`m still trying to get the hang of this PC lark.

[rojash]

Many many moons ago, somebody thought it would be a good idea to develop a means of compressing files so that they could be archived, carried around on floppy disks, etc.
The most popular method of doing this was to create a compressed file which was called a zip file. Later, it was decided that it would be even more useful if you could zip up folders and their subfolders, retaining the directory structure, so that (for example) you could zip up (compress) an entire collection of folders, send them (for example) to someone else, and that person would then be able to uncompress the files and recover the entire folder with all its contents, including other folders, which would also contain all their original contents, including folders.

This was extremely useful, but you needed a special program in order to compress (zip) and uncompress (unzip) the files. Not very long ago, Microsoft decided it would be a good idea if Windows could do the same job. In doing so, they decided to present the zip files just as if they had already been unzipped.

So, when you see a zipped folder and all it's contents in Windows Explorer, what you are really doing is looking inside a single file that has been compressed.

[trish432]

I`m not very well up on this, but I think zipped folders are done in that form, as they take less space and are easier to upload/download.
You need something like 7zip or winrar to open them.

[rojash]

"You need something like 7zip or winrar to open them. "

Not if you have Windows XP or Vista

[edward7897]

The most popular method of doing this was to create a compressed file which was called a zip file. Later, it was decided that it would be even more useful if you could zip up folders and their sub folders, retaining the directory structure, so that (for example) you could zip up (compress) an entire collection of folders, send them (for example) to someone else, and that person would then be able to uncompressed the files and recover the entire folder with all its contents, including other folders, which would also contain all their original contents, including folders. for further assistance visit http://www.iyogi.co.uk

[carlton23]

That`s cleared it up, thank you to all.

[ChuckFickens]

Huh....

so edward7897 has just copied and pasted rojash's (excellent) answer and put a link to the (crappy) Iyogi site on the end..... what's the point of that!

[smith134]

What kind of zip file you want to open? There are lots of un-zip software to decompress them.
As mentioned by rojash 7 zip can able to decompress maximum number of zip format.

[rojash]

... and then smith134, who is part of the same iyogi mob, types some irrelevant gibberish, and attributes trish432's mention of 7zip to me.

Ah, Chuck, as we say in Greece "Ti na kanoume?"

[trish432]

So edward7897 is another one to add to the ever growing list!