How to open a zip package?

How to extract (unpack) files from a zip package?

How to find files inside all zip packages?

How to compress (pack) files?

What to do in the main BigSpeed Zipper window?

What to do in the Zip Finder window?

What to do in the Zip Downloader window?

What to do in the Zip Taskmaster window?

How to register?

License agreement

Notes

How to open a zip package

How to extract files?

• Open a zip package as described here.
• If you want to extract only part of the package, select the files you want to extract in the right pane.
• If you want to extract to another folder, choose it in the left pane.
• If you want to change some of the extraction options, open the "Options|Extraction" dialog box and set the appropriate selections.
• Click on the button with the left green arrow to start the extraction operation.

How to find files?

• If you are in the main window, click the Tools|Zip Finder menu item.
• In the Zip Finder window click the Find button.
• In the resulting Find what dialog box set the appropriate options.
• Click Find Now to start the search.

• View a file: Select the desired file in the list of found files and click the View button.
• Launch a file: Select the desired file in the list of found files and click Launch button.
• Extract a file - Only if the file is located in Zip archive: Select the desired file in the list of found files and click Extract button.
• Open Zip archive containing  the found file: Point to the desired file in the list of found files and right click. Select Open Zip Container.

How to compress (pack) files?

• If you wish to compress files into existing package, first open zip file.
• Browse the folders in the left pane and select the files you want to compress.
• Set the compression options - optional.
• Click on then button with the right red arrow to start the compression operation.

Main window

   Submenu File

• File|Open - open the currently selected file. If this file is a zip package, you will see its content in the right pane. If it is not a zip file, it will be open in the associated program. This command is applicable only when exactly one file is selected in the left pane.
• File|Compress - compress the curently selected files. If there is an open zip package already, the files will be packed to that zip, otherwise you will be prompted for the name for a new zip file.
• File|Last zip packages - list the last used zip files to reopen
• File|Exit - exit from BigSpeed Zipper

   Submenu Zip

   The items in this submenu are enabled only when there is an open Zip package.

• Zip|Extract all files - extract all files from the opened zip package to the current folder in the left pane
• Zip|Extract selected files - extract only the selected files from the opened zip package to the current folder in the left pane
• Zip|Launch selected file - execute or open the currently selected file in the opened zip package
• Zip|Delete selected files - remove the selected files from the opened zip package
• Zip|View comment - view the comment stored in the zip file, if any
• Zip|Close - Close the opened zip package
• Zip|Synchronize with folder - keep the various copies of your files, compressed in zip and uncompressed in folder, up to date.
• Zip|Create Self Extracting Package - convert the opened zip package to executable (.EXE) file

   Submenu Tools

• Tools|Zip Finder - activate the zip searching tool
• Tools|Zip Downloader - activate the zip downloading tool
• Tools|Upload file to FTP - use FTP protocol to upload a file to FTP server
• Tools|E-Mail file via SMTP - use SMTP server to send a file to email address
• Tools|Split file - Split a file into smaller files
• Tools|Join files - Join several split files to the original file
• Tools|Repair zip package - restore the structure of a damaged zip package

   Submenu Options

• Options|General - activate a dialog for common options
• Options|Extraction - show a dialog with options related to extraction operations
• Options|Compression - show a dialog with options related to compression operations
• Options|Associate with zip files - points to the Windows that the zip files must be opened by BigSpeed Zipper

   Submenu Help

• Help|Contents - show the main help index
• Help|Personalize - enter here your name to make this copy of BigSpeed Zipper personal to you
• Help|Ordering Information - learn how you can order the registered version of BigSpeed Zipper
• Help|License agreement - show the license agreement
• Help|BigSpeedSoft Home Page - point your web browser to the net home of BigSpeedSoft
• Help|About - show the version of the program and the status of registration

Zip Finder

• Find - activate the find options dialog for starting the search
• Extract - extract the currently selected file in the list
• Launch - launch the currently selected file in the list
• View - list the contents of currently selected file in the list
• Help - show help information

Zip Downloader

• Download - activate the URL dialog for starting the download
• Stop - interrupt the current download session
• Explore - opens the downloaded zip package in a new BigSpeed Zipper instance
• Extract - extract the currently selected file in the list
• Launch - launch the currently selected file in the list
• View - list the contents of currently selected file in the list
• Help - show help information

Zip Taskmaster

• Launch - run the selected task
• New - create new task and add it to the list
• Edit - edit the selected task
• Delete - remove the selected task from the list
• Shortcut - create a shortcut on the desktop to the selected task
• Help - show help information

Extraction options dialog

• The Overwrite Existing Files check box determines whether the existing files will be overwritten by files from the archive.
• If Skip Older Files check box is checked, files with newer date/time on the disk will not be overwritten.
• The Use Folder Names check box determines whether folder names stored in the archive will be used. You will probably want to check this option for most extract operations. If this option is checked, any folder names stored in the archive will be appended to the destination folder, which is the current folder in the left pane. If this option is not checked, all files will be extracted to the target folder, regardless of the folder tree in the archive.
• To see this dialog at any unzipping, check the Show this dialog before any extraction operation

Compression options dialog

In this dialog you can set various options affected the compression operations.

In the Update Mode group you have 3 choices:

• Add files - all selected files will be added to the zip package, regardless if they already exist there.
• Freshen files - only these of selected files will be added, which have older copies in the archive.
• Update files - the compression operation will add these of selected files, which are new for the package or have older copy inside.

• Stored-no compression - there is no compression, files are stored in their original size.
• Fast compression - lowest level of compression at highest speed is applied.
• Normal compression - middle level of compression at middle speed is applied.
• Max compression - highest level of compression at lowest speed is applied.

• In Password field type the password to be used if you wish files to be encrypted.
• If Hide check box is checked, the password characters will be masked with '*' character.
• If you check the check box Reset Archive Attribute, the archive attribute of the files which have been added to the zip contents will be turned off.

• No spanning - spanning is not allowed. This is the only choice when files are added to an existing zip package.
• Automatic - automatically prompt for another diskette when the diskette on which you are creating a Zip file is full.
• Custom size - create multiple volume zip archive with predefined volume size.



• The Volume size field settles the maximum size of the volume for the above option.



• In the Comment field enter the text of the comment to be stored in the zip file.
• To see this dialog at any zipping, check the Show this dialog before any compression operation.

Find options dialog

• In Named field, type all or part of the file's name, for example: *.txt
• In Containing Text field, type the text you will be searching for, for example: my document
• In Start Folder/Zip field type the folder or zip archive where to start the search, or select it using buttons Select Folder and Select Zip.
• If you want to search recursively in subfolders, check Include Subfolders.
• If you want the search to be case sensitive, check Case sensitive.
• If .exe files must be tested for self-extracting zip format, check Check .exe files for SFX Zip format.
• In Search in select a radio button to specify where the search will be done: only in zip archives, only in folders or both.
• In Show found text type the number of occurrences, which will be searched for.
• If you want to limit the number of searched files by date, select Between in Date group and type first and last date.
• If you want to limit the number of searched files by size, select At least or At most in Size group and specify size.

Notes

Historically file compression was introduced to make back up copies of existing folders and files and that is why they were called ARCHIVES.
Nowadays, via Internet, enormous amounts of files are transferred packed in zip files. That is why we refer to zip files as zip packages in most cases instead of archives.