What is WinZip, and how do I install it?

WinZip is a Windows-based program that allows you to compress files and open previously compressed files in the zip format.

WinZip has built-in support for most popular file compression and archive formats, including zip, gzip, BinHex (.hqx), cabinet (.cab), Unix compress, and tar. WinZip can also open the more seldom used ARJ, LZH, and ARC file formats, but requires that you obtain additional, external programs to do so.

WinZip is shareware, which means you will have to pay the software author if you decide to use it. It is not free software. See the file license.txt, which is included with the software, for specific details concerning using and paying for WinZip.

To install WinZip:

1. Download the software from: http://www.winzip.com/index.htm
2. To download, follow the instructions at that site. Note the name of the file as you download it.
   
   
3. Once you've downloaded the file, open Windows Explorer.
   
   
4. Open the folder on your hard drive where you saved the software. If you aren't sure where you saved the file, click Start and choose Find or Search, then Files or Folders... or All files and folders. Enter winzip as the file to find. Double-click the name of the downloaded file. A dialog box will open. Click Setup.
   
   
5. Another dialog box will appear. It will ask you where you want WinZip installed (c:\Program Files\WinZip is the default). Click OK. The Install Wizard will start.
   
   
6. Click Next. The next dialog box will ask you if you agree to the terms of the license agreement. Read the agreement before proceeding and click Yes.
   
   
7. You will be asked if you want the Wizard interface or the Classic interface. The Wizard interface is for beginners; the Classic interface is for more experienced users. (You can easily switch back and forth between the two different interfaces when running WinZip.) You will be asked more questions as the Installation Wizard proceeds, and you may make choices based on your personal preferences. When in doubt, select the default or recommended option(s).
   
   
8. When you are done, you will have shortcuts in your Start menu and/or your desktop, depending on the options you chose during the installation process. You can use these icons and shortcuts to launch WinZip. In addition, you will find that when you drag zip files around in Explorer, you will have the option of extracting the file's contents into the target folder rather than simply copying the file.

Also see:

• What are compressed or archived files, and how do I open them?
• In Unix, how do I create or decompress zip files?
• In WinZip for Windows, how do I zip files?
• In WinZip, how do I unzip files?
• What is WinRAR?