How to create an archive on a computer using special programs. Creating ZIP archives

In our age high technology users World Wide Web is getting bigger every day. Many of them are advanced users, and some are just beginning their acquaintance with the limitless possibilities of the Internet. Regular online presence means working with various files. One of the main tools for working with files is their archiving. The article will tell you how to archive files in zip and compress the file to a smaller size.

What is archiving?

Archiving files is a procedure in which original size any file is compressed to smaller volumes, while the quality of the files and the information they contain does not deteriorate or change. For example, if there is text file(let's say a book) is 1.5 MB in size, then using a special archiver program you can easily compress this volume to 150 KB. The benefit is obvious: the zipped file takes up much less space (in in this case 7 times), moreover, it can be sent by mail in one file.

Archiving can also be called packaging files into one element (folder or database). Let's give an example: let's say you need to send a large number of photographs to a friend. If you send them by email, then you will have to attach each photo separately. This process will take a lot of time, because loading of each image will begin only after loading the previous one. It will be much easier to send all the photos in one folder, and it is the archiver programs that are able to pack all the files into one element.

What is it used for?

The main reason for using archivers (programs that compress or pack files) is not only to save time when sending files, space on your hard drive, but also convenience in storing data. The advantage is that archived objects allow you to save a huge number of files in one folder, while the original elements can be safely deleted from the computer’s memory, because at the right time you can simply unpack the archive folder and use the files. This way you can save a significant amount of hard drive space, the main thing is to know how to archive a file in zip.

Overview of archiving programs

The most popular program- this is WinRar, it is built into Windows operating systems

And it is considered very effective in terms of the ratio of compression ratio to speed. It saves files in RAR or ZIP format. The advantage of this program is the ability additional protection in the form electronic signature to the archived folder, but there is also a drawback: WinRar is paid program. Below will be given effective way How to archive a file in zip format.

There is another equally convenient and practical archiver called 7-Zip. Unlike the first program, it is free and can be downloaded from the official website. 7-Zip is a very simple tool even for those who are not computer friendly.

What is the difference between archivers and each other?

There are many different programs archiving files. They differ in that each of them has its own methods for compressing and storing objects. For this reason, their effectiveness may vary, because one archiver is capable of compressing a file by 5 times, and another - by 10. Another difference is the format into which the archiver converts required file. Also, each program has its own design, so when adding an element to the archive using one program, we will see an icon that will be different from the icon of any other archiver program.

How to archive a file in zip format?

First of all, you need to clarify which archiver program is installed on your computer. To do this, you need to right-click on any file and in the list of actions that opens, find the add to archiver function. If in context menu If the "Add to archive" function is present, this means that you have WinRar installed.

The next step is to select one or more files to archive. To do this, you need to select all the elements with the mouse and right-click to open the Windows context menu. In the menu list, find the “Add to archive” item and click on it. This action should open the WinRar archiver program. In the archiving menu, you need to select settings in which you can specify the desired degree of file compression. It is worth considering that choosing the “maximum compression” method takes a little more time than the usual or high-speed methods.

After setting the compression settings, you can proceed to the window where you need to specify the name of the folder and the location of future archived files. Then you need to start the archiving process using the "ok" menu item. IN specified location archived items will appear: a folder or just compressed file.

How to open archived zip file format? It’s very simple: you need to select the archive folder by left-clicking, and then call up the action menu of the archiver program itself by right-clicking. A small window will appear with options; you need to select “extract to current folder” or “extract to...” depending on where you would like to save the extracted file.

Archiving Features

We answered the question “how to archive a file in zip?”, now let’s learn about some of the features of archiving. For example, when archiving photo, audio or video files, very little compression occurs in size. WITH text formats the situation is different. Let's look at how to archive pdf file in zip. You can use a standard archiver, or you can use various online tools to convert a file from one format to any other, including zip.

How to archive files in zip on MAC OS?

The methods for archiving files are slightly different from those used in Windows. You can create an archive folder on an Apple computer as follows: select files, then right-click to bring up the action menu and select “compress objects” in the window that opens. A folder with zipped files will appear in the same folder where the original files were located.

In order to unpack files, you need to install special software, which allows you to unzip files of any format. Then you need to select the archive folder, click on the right mouse button, and using installed program unpack the necessary elements. One of best programs, freely available in the AppStore, is Unarchiver.

Hello, dear friends!

The archive is a kind of dimensionless container where you can put as many folders, files and even other archives as you like. Today I will tell you how to create an archive on your computer.

Why is it needed?

Almost everyone who works with a computer has to deal with such a thing as archive. For example, when you need to send large number photos via file hosting while maintaining confidentiality. In general, there are a large number of situations when it is necessary to create an archive file:

• Increasing the level of information confidentiality;
• Additional protection from malware and viruses;
• Forwarding objects;
• Convenient storage of many files;
• Saving hard disk space.

Archive programs

To create archive files, special programs called archivers are used. Their main task is fast, maximum data compression. It is very important that not a single byte of information is lost during compression. In other words, the chosen method must be reversible, then the unpacked data will have the same quality as before the archiving procedure.

There are a huge variety of archiver applications. However, the most popular of them are the following:

1. WinZip
2. WinRAR
3. 7-Zip

Most of these software products have a rich set of different filters and compression methods in their arsenal. Many of them can split large objects into several archive volumes and set passwords for opening archives. Some applications have customized profiles.

Archive programs not only help you create an archived document, but also unpack it. Read about this in my article "".

How to create?

Each archiving application was originally created to work with one specific file format, but in order to be able to successfully compete in the market with similar products, they were endowed with functions for working with all types of archives. Therefore, for your purposes, you can install any archiver.

So let's get down to action. Select what you want to archive and right-click on it.

A context menu will open in which you will see commands for archiving data (they were placed there by the archiver program when installed on the PC). Choose from two commands:

1. using the first “ Add to archive...” a software window opens to set the necessary parameters.
2. second “ Add “current_folder_name.rar” to the archive” conducts this operation, using the default settings, and independently gives the name archive file(it consists of an extension according to the archiving format and the name of the current folder).

In the first case, you can independently choose the format, compression level, create a password, name the file, etc. Having finished all this, you need to click “Ok” to begin the packaging process. Upon completion of archiving, you will see a newly created archive document in the selected directory.

To create a self-extracting archive, you just need to check the box “Create SFX archive” in the section general settings"Archive name and parameters" window.

Read more about such archives in the article about.

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When you work for personal computer, very often there is a need to reduce the size of a file in order to save space on your hard drive or removable storage device. For example, you need to copy a file from one computer to another using a floppy disk. Or you need to send a large file by email. If you reduce its size, you save a lot of time, and if the Internet is not unlimited, then money. In such situations the best solution is to create a compressed file. How to create an archive? This is exactly what this file is called.

Definition

An archive is a single file that can contain many other files in a compressed form to save memory. To work with such data, there are special software products, called archivers. With their help, you can pack files, extract them, and also view the contents of these same archives. The process of compressing and packaging information is called archiving, and unpacking is called unarchiving.

Formats

There are several compressed file formats. The most common are RAR, ZIP, TAR, CAB. It is these three letters that become the extension of the compressed file. The format type affects the compression ratio. For example, a RAR archive weighs less than a ZIP archive. The format of the packed files also plays a role in efficiency. Some can be compressed by only two times, while others can be compressed by four or more. There are formats that are not compressed at all. How to create an archive using such a program?

The most convenient tool is the well-known archiver called WinRAR. With its help it is possible to create both ZIP and RAR archives. And it can view and unpack compressed files of other formats without any problems.

Sequence of actions

In order to answer the question of how to create RAR archive, you need to do some simple operations. To begin with, the necessary files are selected. If there are a lot of them, then it is convenient to use the mouse selection while holding down CTRL key on the keyboard. If you press CTRL+A, absolutely all files in this directory will be selected. If this method is somehow inconvenient, you can use the “File” menu of the archiver program. You must select the “Add” item, then in the window that appears, enter the name that the user wants to assign to the created archive. Here you can select the format: ZIP or RAR. The second one is installed by default because it compresses much better and most often there is no need to change it. In the case when you need to transfer the archive to another user, it is better to ask him in advance if he has a program that can work with the selected file format.

Multi-volume archives

Floppy disks are used less and less, but are still found. And if you need to write on them large archive, then it is created multi-volume. It consists of parts called volumes. How to create an archive of this type? To do this, you need to select 1475500 in the “Volume Size” section. This number means the size of the floppy disk. In this case, it is better to check the “For recovery” box to be able to restore the archive if suddenly the data in it is somehow damaged. After all, a floppy disk is not the most reliable storage device.

Self-extracting archives

It happens that a compressed file is unpacked on a computer, even if a special program is not installed. How to create a self-extracting archive? To do this, select the files for packaging, then, by right-clicking, select “Add to archive.” Important: this item is only available when installed. Then the format is also selected. In the parameters you need to indicate that this will be an SFX archive. All that remains is to click on the “OK” button and everything will be ready.

As can be seen from the above, the answer to the question of how to create an archive is not difficult. All you need is the appropriate software, a little patience and straight hands. But the consequences of acquiring skills are only positive: saving memory space, more free time when transferring files, convenience. You can also teach other beginners. After all, it will also be useful for them to know how to create an archive.

Almost every computer today has an archiver installed - a program that can compress and decompress files. Windows users systems for unknown reason give preference WinRAR archiver. As a matter of fact, I’m not against this product. It has a lot of advantages and one big drawback - it is paid. Today we will look at a program that is an excellent free alternative to WinRAR. We will talk about the program - 7-Zip. During the review process, we will create our own unpacking archive, and also set a password for our archive. And finally, let's try to compare: who compresses files better - 7-Zip or WinRAR.

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Before we start talking about 7-Zip, let's find out what an archiver is and why it is needed. An archiver is a program that is used to reduce the size of files. Today it is customary to archive almost all types of files with the exception of multimedia (music, video, graphics). In the case of the latter, it is a separate story. The fact is that modern multimedia files are already compressed material. Only their size is reduced by other programs.

Another use of archivers is to combine several files into one. For example, my article consists of a document in Word format and several graphic files. I decided to forward the article to a friend. You can, of course, attach all the files separately to an email, but you can simply add all the components of my article to the archive and send just one file by email, which will also be smaller in size compared to the non-archived version.

Actually, that's all. The archive has been created. In my case, the result was an archive called AIMP.zip. If you carefully examined the context menu, you probably noticed that it is possible to create an archive in 7z format. This format is a product of the developers of the 7-Zip archiver. His main characteristic is a higher compression ratio (compared to ZIP and even RAR). However, archive in this format It only makes sense if you are 100 percent sure that the recipient of the archive will subsequently have something to unpack it with.

Let me give you an example. operating system Windows XP immediately after installation is able to unpack archives into ZIP format, however, if you do not install additional software, which is our glorious 7-Zip archiver, then opening an archive in 7z format becomes impossible.

How to put a password on the archive?

Often it is necessary to implement at least minimal information protection. Despite the fact that today there are many programs for cracking archive passwords, password protection in many cases turns out to be an effective remedy against unauthorized access.

In addition, I would like to note that if your password contains numbers, letters, both lowercase and uppercase, and is longer than 10 characters, an attacker will need a lot of effort to guess the password.

To set a password for the archive, we will need to create it again. However, we will do this using the 7-Zip Manager. To open it, click on the “Start” button, then “All Programs” and look for the item with the same name as the program name.

Click on it and select “7-Zip” from the drop-down list File Manager" A new window will open.

We see the archiver control center. A significant part of the window is occupied by the most common file and folder explorer on your computer. I suggest going to the same folder where we previously created the archive and creating the archive again.

Also select all the files and click on big button at the top of the Add screen.

In a new window we get the opportunity to configure archiving.

I suggest just setting the value in the “Archive format” drop-down list to ZIP, and setting the compression level to “Maximum”. Now pay attention to the “Encryption” section. This is where the password is entered.

When you finish entering, just click the “Ok” button at the bottom of the window. The archive has been created and is password protected.

How to split a file into several parts?

I would like to tell you about one more useful function 7-Zip archiver. Suppose there is a need to create an archive and write it to a very ordinary three-inch floppy disk.

Of course, these same floppy disks are an anachronism in our advanced age of high technology. But the situation has so developed that there are many companies and organizations that have computers that are not the latest, equipped with three-inch floppy drives.
The main problem with floppy disks is their capacity. The fact is that they allow you to write to yourself no more than 1.44 megabytes. What to do if your archive is large? Break it into parts, each of which will exceed 1.44 MB.

To do this, we again create our archive using “7-Zip File Manager”. Click the “Add” button and in the already familiar window, turn your attention to the “Split into volumes of size (in bytes)” drop-down list.

Here we select the first item, which is to split the archive for the floppy drive. Click the “Ok” button and find that two files have appeared.

Each of these files can easily fit on a floppy disk. To then assemble and unpack the whole thing, it will be enough to copy the files from the floppy disks into one folder. Please note that to collect files you must have installed archiver 7-Zip.

In conclusion, I would like to say: pay as much attention as possible to free programs. Often, freely distributed software has much greater functionality, and it is almost always less demanding on computer hardware resources.

Best regards, Gosha Computer.

Zip is one of the most popular data compression and archiving formats. All files and folders that are stored in ZIP archive, have a .zip extension, so you can easily distinguish them from many others.

Despite the fact that on at the moment time, there are a large number of data compression algorithms that are more advanced and better than ZIP - it still holds its position and does not lose popularity.

Many archive programs support the .zip format, so you should not have any difficulties with unzipping. We compiled earlier, and all of them can open an archive with the .zip extension.

Creating a ZIP archive is not difficult. It all depends on the archiver you will use for this. In this article we will look at two ways to create a ZIP archive: using WinRAR and 7-Zip.

Creating a ZIP archive using WinRAR

Find the folder with necessary files(or files) that you will archive. For this example, I'll archive ten photos, so first I need to select them.

The only thing we need to change is the Archive format. Default in WinRAR program The format is RAR, but we need ZIP. Therefore, we simply check the box opposite it.

Creating a ZIP archive using 7-Zip

The 7-Zip archiver is more difficult to use because it has more various settings. I won’t talk about them in this article, because our goal now is simply to learn how to create ZIP archives.

Select the file(s) again and right-click on it. Now in the context menu we need the option “ 7-Zip", and then the familiar " Add to archive...».

Creating a ZIP archive using the 7-Zip program will take no longer than using the WinRAR archiver.

As a result, we will receive a similar archive that will open without problems in the above-mentioned 7-Zip and WinRAR, as well as in other similar archivers.