Surely every Windows user is familiar with the concept of "archive file" or simply "archive", as well as "archiving". Archiving is the process of compressing a file and placing it in another file with a special extension, from which you can then extract the contents (unzip or unzip).
Archives are a very useful thing. They help save disk space and make it easier to transfer or send large numbers of files. In the modern world, where in any electronics store you can buy a 4 TB hard drive for relatively affordable money, the issue of saving space by archiving is no longer so relevant. The time spent compressing and decompressing a large volume of files often simply does not justify the amount that the user saved on archiving. Of course, for long-term storage of large files, the archiver will help to save a noticeable amount of memory, but in everyday tasks, archives are most often used precisely to simplify the transfer and sending of files. It is much easier to copy to a USB flash drive or send by mail 1 large file instead of 200 small ones.
There are different archiving methods and applications for working with archives. You can even work in them without any additional software at all. Let's take a look at some of these applications.
How to zip a file or folder without programs
Since the days of Windows Vista, the Microsoft operating system has a built-in simple archiver capable of working with ZIP archives. You can either compress files or unpack them, and you do not need to download additional programs for this.
note: not all files are compressed equally efficiently. For example, trying to compress videos will have almost no effect, so there is no point in archiving them to save space.
How to unpack an archive in Windows without programs
Your archive must be in ZIP format, as this is the only format supported by the system without additional software. You just need to open the archive as a regular folder and copy files from it. Alternatively, right-click on the archive, select Extract all, and then tell the system where to put the unpacked files. As you can see, everything works as simply as possible. 
The built-in Windows archiver is perfect for those who need to quickly archive a file or folder without applications, regardless of the compression settings, archive password, its format, encryption algorithm, and so on. Simplicity decides in this case. Unfortunately, the disadvantage of the archiver in Windows Explorer is the inability to change any of the parameters. The archives will always be in ZIP format, you cannot password protect them or change the degree of protection. If you need to change these parameters, you will have to use third-party applications.
How to zip a file or folder in 7zip
7zip is our favorite archive program. Simple, free, functional, small and efficient. You can download 7zip from the official website for free. The installation procedure takes place in one click and takes a few seconds.
After installation, open the files or folder you want to zip in Explorer, right-click on them and select 7
zip - Add to archive.
A window will open where you can set the backup parameters. As you can see, there are many more options for archiving here than in the standard Windows Explorer. You already have access to the choice of the archive format (7z is used by default), the compression level, the number of streams, the option to split the archive into parts, create an SFX archive (it is also called a self-extracting archive that can extract files without the need for archivers) and even set a password with protection encryption. 
If you are a beginner, pay attention first of all to the parameter Compression level... The higher the level, the more space you save, but the computer will spend more time compressing. You can also select one of the formats in the list Archive format... Tip: the 7z format is more efficient at compressing files when archiving.
To then unpack the file on a computer without archivers at all (very old PCs, for example, which do not even have a built-in archiver), use SFX archiving, which will pack the files into an executable exe file.
Warning: Be very careful with SFX archives, as self-extracting archives from unknown sources often contain viruses. Make sure you trust the source of the file and also keep your antivirus enabled at all times.
If you need to protect files inside the archive, set a password in the window Encryption... In this case, to gain access to the contents of the archive, you will need to enter a password. By the way, this is one of the methods to put a password on a folder. You pack the files into a ZIP archive, after which you can open the archive like any folder, but the system will require a password to open or copy files.
The disadvantages of the 7zip archiver include the inability to create rar archives, which are very popular among the users of the WinRAR archiver. Although 7zip can handle RAR files (and large quantity other archive formats), it cannot create archives in RAR format. Otherwise, 7zip is an ideal application for working with archives, which will satisfy the needs of almost every user.
How to unzip a 7zip file
The principle is the same as for archiving. Press the right button on the archive, select 7 zip - Open archive... After that, just drag and drop its contents onto the folder window where you want to unzip the files.
How to zip a file or folder in WinRAR
WinRAR is essentially the same application as 7zip (if you do not delve into deeper nuances), it only knows how to work with RAR files (but does not support the creation of 7z archives). A big drawback of WinRAR for some will be the fact that this archiver is paid and you need to buy a license for it to work. You can try the demo to see what it can do.
- Go to WinRAR official website and click Download WinRAR.
- Install the application, after which the same items as for 7zip will appear in the context menu. The principle of working with WinRAR is exactly the same as with its free counterpart. Just right-click on a file or folder, select WinRAR - Add to archive... After that, select the archive format, compression ratio and other necessary parameters.
- Wait for the archiving procedure to complete.
In this article, we have only briefly described the principle of archiving files using the example of two applications. Their capabilities will be more than enough to work with the vast majority of common archive formats. If you wish, you can study the possibilities in more detail 7zipor WinRAR(did you know that these applications can be used to benchmark the processor?), but that's a topic for a separate article.
Don't know how to compress a folder with files to ZIP? You have come to the right place! Read this article and you will learn how to do it quickly, easily, effectively.
—Mail is not always likely to reach the recipient. Firstly, many mail services have restrictions, and it is not always possible to send even files weighing 100 MB. Secondly, if the user's traffic is charged (and this is not uncommon even today - for example, on the mobile Internet), every megabyte counts. And when the data is well packed, you can save a little on shipping costs.
Let's figure out how to archive content to a folder with a ZIP extension. Why zip? Because this is the most popular type of archives. In addition, even the standard Windows tools support it.
Zip using OS WINDOWS
You can apply this kind of compression on personal computers with different versions of Windows. The standard features of the OS from Microsoft involve the creation of zip archives.
- Select the file / folder to be archived and right-click. A system window will appear
- Do you see the Send item? Hover over and then click on "Compressed Zip Folder":
- As soon as you click on it, compression starts:
- The zipped file / folder will appear next to the original in ZIP format:
- Do you think there will be more explanations on how to make a ZIP archive in the traditional way? Nothing of the kind - on this the procedure can be considered complete. Does it allow you to achieve significant information compression? Judge for yourself. The size of the original folder with files is 6.26 MB, after compression - 5.15 MB.
ZIP archiving by WinRAR
If you compress bulky materials and want to do it as efficiently as possible, you should use the help of special utilities. For example, WinRAR is very popular in our country.
By the way, it not only quickly and efficiently compresses materials, but also can be used completely free of charge. So let's get started!
- After WinRAR has been installed on your computer, right-click on the selected files. You immediately see 4 new items with the image of packed books. We are interested in the first item "Add to archive":
In the window that appears, there is a great opportunity to configure the following parameters:
- Format. Which format should you give preference to? It's up to you, but when you need a ZIP, it is also in the list of extensions.
- Update method. For example, you can select "Replaced".
- Compression type. The higher the quality, the longer it will take to work. But the result will be maximum.
- Access to the file (setting a password, if necessary).
Also the WinRAR program offers several additional parameters. For example, backing up in the background, shutting down the PC after archiving is complete, creating a backup, adding a comment, and so on.
- And don't forget to click "OK" to start the process:
- It is quite expected that our compressed file will appear in the folder next to the original:
As you can see, there were no issues with archiving files here either.
Archiving with 7ZIP
And here is the third way of processing files, which boils down to archiving materials using 7zip. Many users will agree with the statement that it is one of the most advanced archivers available today. There is only one drawback - this program does not create RAR archives. But since we are interested in the ZIP format, the application is just right for us.
- Download 7ZIP on our website. After installing the software, the 7-Zip item will appear in the context menu. He will help us archive the files we need.
- We select "Add to archive". It will help us launch the settings window. As in the case of WinRAR, it is possible to specify the compression level, password, and make other settings. To start archiving, just click "OK".
We've covered 3 ways to archive ZIP files. Now you can not only do this without outside help, but also teach this simple craft to your friends. We wish you pleasant use!
Information technology has become not only an integral part of a person's daily life, but also a means of working. Many users of the Internet resource are used to find the necessary informative information, but also as a source for making a profit.
Every day we save a huge amount of useful information for study, work, leisure, therefore, the PC desktop, as a rule, is replete with many folders or individual file documents, which in difficult times is simply an impossible task to understand, and even more so to find the data we are interested in. Therefore, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with our recommendations on how to archive a folder and make it easier to use your device while freeing up additional space for another document.
That is why the question arises of creating a special archive in which you can find valuable information in a matter of minutes, at minimal cost. In addition, you can not only free your desktop or disk from numerous icons and shortcuts, but also free up computer memory, since archived files and folders are saved in a compressed form, which takes up less space than the original documents.
Naturally, every PC user has repeatedly come across such a concept as archiving. Despite the fact that the word itself sounds old-fashioned and intimidating, the process itself is extremely simple and rewarding. The procedure is represented by ordinary compression of files and folders that contain various kinds of documents.
Archiving is a must for those who are a regular user of e-mail, applications and programs, because you can reduce the size of any document or file.
So, for example, it is enough to zip a file containing an e-book and its size will be reduced several times, while maintaining the quality, text or existing images.
In our article, we will consider the existing types of archives, possible archiving methods, the ability to block compressed files in order to preserve confidential data, as well as various security measures that prevent other users from hacking. The archive icon looks like this.
Methods for archiving documents on the desktop
So, we will look at several ways to compress documents that are on the desktop, equipping the step-by-step guide with additional illustrations provided by screenshots.
You can archive the document you are interested in using a standard Windows function.
To begin with, the user must select a file, move the mouse cursor over it and press the right button, after which the following image will appear on the monitor. 
After that, the user should select the "Send" term to get the next image. 
In this case, we are interested in the "Compressed ZIP folder" tab. Click on this line and get the finished zipped document. 
A green arrow indicates an archive of a text document, which, however, will not differ from a compressed folder. As you can see, the archive icon is the same. After opening, the user will receive the following picture.
Compressed - 11 KB. Likewise, we reduce the size of larger files, freeing up space for other documents.
Functioning and advantages of the WinRar archiver
Typically, the Windows operating system is equipped with several programs used to compress files and documents. In addition to the ZIP archiver, the user can use WinRar, which is more common among PC owners. Although there are no significant differences between the presented analogs. In addition, it will be easier for you to extract the file from the archive later.
Initially, you need to right-click on the file selected by the user to be archived, and then select the "Add to archive" line. We see these actions in the screenshot.
After clicking on the selected tab, a window will appear on the monitor in front of you, in which the user can familiarize himself with all sorts of parameters available in the process of archiving a document, which are represented by several tabs.
In the "General settings" the user specifies the file name, possible extensions and applied compression methods, which are represented by the varieties of Normal, Good, Maximum, Fast and High-speed archiving.
In the "Advanced" line, the user will learn how to put a password on the winrar archive, thanks to which he can ensure the security and confidentiality of the selected data. When choosing a password, it is better to use a memorable set of letters and numbers so that you do not forget yourself later. In addition, this tab is equipped with settings to compress the file document, and after archiving, use the automatic shutdown of your PC.
We'll look at the Options tab while providing step-by-step instructions on how to unzip the file. This line provides the user with the ability not only to remove the password from the winrar archive, but also to send an unnecessary document to the trash can, send it by mail or make it available to other users.
Winrar archive backup
In the "Files" tab, the user can choose the most appropriate access to the files in the archive and process them at his own discretion. In addition, the compression of documents can be selective, depending on the wishes of the user.
When compressing files, you can use the backup option, which will help the owner of the PC save additional copies of the materials if he is sure that they will be useful in the future, and their loss will become an irreparable loss for the owner. You can also choose the time in order to mark when this or that document got into the archive, and the last visit was made to view the saved documentation. These parameters in the settings allow the user to unzip the archive and carry out all kinds of manipulations with the saved documents, which in no way affect the quality or quantity of compressed informative data.
In addition, any archive and the document saved in it can be equipped with an additional comment, thanks to the functionality of the "Comment" tab. After you fill in all the necessary and interesting fields, click on the "OK" button, after which the compression process will begin.
The advantages of archiving by using the winrar program are obvious. Proof of this fact are the images provided below, regarding the size of the folder "before" and "after" compression.
How to extract the file from the archive
Often users are faced with the problem of how to unzip a zip file, because they need to get compressed informative data in its original form. In addition, during the archiving of a file document, in most cases, the user enters a special code name, which is a password, and over time may simply forget it. In this case, we, as a rule, begin to sort out in our mind the possible combinations of letters and numbers, and, as a rule, the result turns out to be rather deplorable, since access to the archive remains closed.
In order to remove the password from the rar archive, you must use a special program that you can find on the global network. You need to enter Archive Password Recovery in the search box. It is this application that selects possible passwords for the existing archive. Its interface is represented by the following image and is quite understandable even for novice PC users.
After activating the program, which must first be downloaded and installed on the device, it starts to guess the password. In this case, the amount of time spent can vary from a few seconds to half an hour. According to the conducted question among the users of the application, it was found that the hidden code of five numbers, for example, the combination 54693, Archive Password Recovery can "crack" in 5 minutes. So, for example, in this screenshot we see the result of the application functioning.
In addition, the server is used not only by PC owners, but also by other, no less popular today, gadgets.
Simplified document unzipping process
To open the archive with a password, you can use a simplified illustrated guide, which is represented by one screenshot, which includes the necessary steps to hack the content.
- To begin with, the user must install and open the service being used.
- Although English is the default language, you can choose whichever option you prefer. Therefore, at the next stage of work, change the program language in the settings, due to which you will significantly simplify the work with the parameters and activate the option menu.
- After opening the menu, a window with the following image will appear on the monitor. We recommend that you decide on the type of attack and select the "By dictionary" option, which will help you unzip the winrar file in the optimal time frame.
- After pressing the start key, the application will start working, and you just need to wait a few minutes until it completes. A simplified version of the functioning of the desired application is presented in the following screenshot, which, however, will be more acceptable for experienced computer scientists who repeatedly come across this issue.
The most common ways to decompress a file
Among programmers, there are several most common ways to unpack a file document, which can be sorted into the following list:
- The ability to unzip the rar file by using the applications installed by default and the operating system used by your PC.
- Archive Password Recovery software that you can install on your device and unpack previously compressed documentation.
- An alternative is the Hamster Lite Archiver service, which is in high demand among consumers as it has a free version. In addition, using this resource, you can unzip rar online, without directly installing it on your computer.
- Despite the fact that some archives can be damaged, the user can recover a compressed file document with minimal losses using the WinRAR application.
You can get more information on the pages of the global network. Also, the user can learn how to archive files for sending by mail, which is especially useful during work.
Chapter:Post navigation
Archiving is compressing files, and, accordingly, reducing it in size. Archiving is successfully used by webmasters who know how to create an archive and who place files on their sites. Users download files faster, because they are smaller, and the webmaster saves space on the server. You can also pack several files into one - very convenient.
By the way, how much will the file size decrease? As a result of archiving, the file can be reduced up to 8 times, it all depends on its type. Graphics and text files are best compressed. The compression ratio can be up to 4 times the original size. Program files, music and video files are compressed worse, since they are already compressed to some extent (eg .mp3).
What are archiving programs
The most popular and fast one is WinRaR. Its only drawback is that it is paid. You know, I don't want to give $ 29, so users bypass this minus by downloading the cracked version. We do not encourage downloading and using hacked programs, so let's move on to free programs.
By far the best free archiver option is 7-Zip. You can download it.
How to archive files using 7-Zip
As mentioned earlier, 7-Zip is a free archiver, which in some tests is only slightly inferior to its paid counterpart. Have you downloaded and installed it? Let's start archiving.
This example will show you how to create a zip archive. To archive any file or folder, just right-click on it. The following context menu will appear:
Hover over 7-Zip. A drop-down menu will appear where you need to select. "Add to" The name of your file.zip "" "(or Add to" The name of your file.zip "in the English version).
In my example, I am archiving the Folder folder. Depending on the size of the folder or file, a window may appear showing the archiving process. It shows the speed of archiving, how much time is left until the end, how many files are being archived.
After the end, a new file should appear with an icon like this:
This is our zipped file or folder. Now you have learned the whole process of creating an archive, but it would be nice to learn how to unpack it. To unpack the archive, right-click on it, in the context menu, select 7-Zip / Unpack here or / Unpack in “Archive name \”, whichever method you need.
Go to 7-Zip File Manager and select a folder or file from which you want to make a self-extracting archive (SFX archive). We do it as shown below:
Click "Add". A window will open in front of you, in which we need to set the 7z archive format, as well as the "Create SFX-archive" checkbox. Click OK.
After completing the archiving, we will get such a self-extracting archive, which is launched by double-clicking:
Archiving is a process during which source files and folders are compressed according to certain algorithms of the archiving program. This creates another file, already packed.
Why Archive?
Users of personal computers began to archive files and folders already in the eighties of the XX century. At that time, the available resources for storing data were small, hard drives allowed storing 10, 20 and 40 megabytes (MB) of information. Therefore, the problem arose of how to store a large amount of data. Compression (archiving) of data was performed.
In addition to this, the means of data transmission that existed at that time (floppy disks and modem communication lines) made it difficult to transfer information from computer to computer. Floppy disks made it possible to record 360 Kilobytes (Kb), 720 (Kb), 1.2 (Mb) and 1.44 (Mb) information. I had to compress the original program with an archiver and split the archive into several parts according to the size of floppy disks. At the time, users carried them around in packs. The Internet was connected mainly via telephone lines, data transmission was carried out using a modem with a maximum speed of 56 Kilobytes per second. And then, this speed was purely theoretical. Accordingly, large files were transferred for hours! We got out of the situation by transferring files already in a compressed form.
As time went on, the power of computers increased rapidly. It became possible to store large amounts of data, but so did the needs, so today archiving remains a relevant process.
Archiving purposes
The following purposes of archiving files can be distinguished:
- Creation of an information archive.
- Transferring large files over communication channels.
Let's dwell on the third point in more detail. Often there is a practical task for a friend by attaching it to a letter. If the file size is larger than the allowed size for attached files (depending on the mail service where you have your mailbox), then the transferred file can be archived (compressed) and already compressed to attach and transfer. Upon receipt of such a file, it must be unpacked, and the already unpacked file should be used for its intended purpose. Although today there are already other methods - using file services or ftp servers.
File transfer scheme with archiving
Installing and configuring 7-Zip
To archive a file you need an archiver program.
Fast archiving with 7-Zip
Right-click on the file or folder that you want to archive and in the menu that appears, select the item "7-Zip", the sub-item "Add to ... zip" (Add to archive ... zip). A compressed zip file will be created based on the selected file, folder, or group of objects in the same folder as the original file.
Archive files in zip format are the most common, but 7-Zip archiver has its own compressed data format - 7z. It often outperforms popular zip in compression efficiency. But at the same time, zip archives are unpacked almost everywhere, and for the 7z format you will need an archiver that supports this compression format.
Archiving with password and other parameters in 7-Zip
For the resulting archive, you can set a password for subsequent unpacking, the level of data compression and the maximum size of the archive in order to split it into several parts. To do this, right-click on the file to be archived and select “7-Zip”, “Add to archive ...” sub-item.
The backup settings window will open. In it you can specify the name of the archive that will be created, the size of the archive part, the compression level and fill in the fields "enter password" and "repeat password" to set a password for unpacking the archive.
It is not necessary to change the default parameters, set only what you need. By pressing the button, an archive file will be created.
Archiving videos, music and pictures
It should be noted that in order to reduce the amount of occupied space on the hard disk It makes no sense to archive videos of various formats (for example, avi, wmv, mpeg, mp4), mp3 music files, photos in jpeg, gif, png formats! These formats already contain compressed data. Sometimes it is convenient to archive a large number of specified files into one file and store in this form a backup copy of your collection.
| Like |
