Copyright: (c) 1996 Nico Mak Computing, Inc


Welcome to the WinZip Wizard
WinZip Wizard

The WinZip Wizard feature simplifies the process of unzipping and installing software distributed in Zip files using the standard and familiar "wizard" interface.  Features include:

•	Fast access to Zip files you downloaded:  no need to use the Explorer or File Manager to hunt for the files you downloaded.  The Wizard lists the Zip files in your "Favorite Folders" by date, with the most recent files first, so you can quickly access the files you just downloaded.  A search feature will find any Zip files lost on your hard drive.

•	Automatic installation of software distributed in Zip files:  if a Zip file contains a "setup" or "install" program, the Wizard will unzip the files, run the installation program, and clean up temporary files.

•	Easy unzipping:  just click "Unzip Now" and the Wizard will unzip your file.  Under Windows 95 it will display the results in the Explorer, so you can start working with the new files right away.

•	Same easy-to-use interface on both Windows 95 and Windows 3.1.

•	The full WinZip Classic interface is only a click away.

The best way to learn the Wizard is to try and use it — just Click the Next button in the Wizard to proceed. Use the F1 key at any time to get help on a specific screen. Click on any of the subjects below for more information.

About Zip Files	Ordering Information
What is a Wizard?	License Agreement
WinZip Classic vs Wizard Interfaces	Support and Questions
Windows 3.1 & Windows 95 Wizard Differences	WinZip Classic Documentation


About Zip Files

What Is A ZIP File, Anyhow?

ZIP files are "archives" used for distributing and storing files. ZIP files contain one or more files. Usually the files "archived" in a ZIP are compressed to save space. ZIP files make it easy to group files and make transporting and copying these files faster.

Why Do People Use ZIP Files?

ZIP files save time and space, and make downloading software and transferring email attachments faster. Typical uses for ZIP files include:

•	Most files available on ftp sites, bulletin boards and electronic services like CompuServe are distributed as archives. Two benefits of using archives for electronic file distribution are that only one file transfer operation ("download") is required to obtain all related files, and file transfer time is minimized because the files in an archive are compressed.

•	It is often useful to send a group of related files to an associate. Rather than distributing individual files it is often easier to distribute the files as an archive to benefit from the file grouping and compression.

•	Some files are important but used infrequently. To save disk space simply compress these files into an archive when they are not used, and decompress them only when needed.

Where Does WinZip Fit In?

WinZip makes it easy for Windows and Windows 95 users to work with archives. WinZip features an intuitive point-and-click drag-and-drop interface for viewing, running, extracting, adding, deleting, and testing files in archives with a standard Windows interface. WinZip provides the same "friendly face" for all the aforementioned archive formats.


What is a Wizard?

A Wizard is a series of panels or pages in a special window that help the user through a task.  The Wizard look and feel is standardized, and is used throughout Windows 95 and many applications.  Wizards are especially useful for complex or infrequent tasks.


WinZip Wizard vs WinZip Classic Interface
WinZip Wizard vs. WinZip Classic Interface

Both the WinZip Classic and Wizard interfaces are included in all versions of WinZip.  One click switches from the Wizard to the Classic interface and vice versa.

•	The WinZip Wizard interface is ideal if you want to know as little about Zip files as possible or just "get started" with the files you downloaded.  The Wizard lets you click the "Next" button a few times, and presto, your files are unzipped and/or installed.  When you want to use more advanced zipping features, you can easily switch to classic mode.

•	The award-winning WinZip Classic interface, featuring tight integration with the Windows 95 shell and versatile drag and drop facilities, is great if you are comfortable using Windows and the Explorer, or want to use advanced zipping features.

Related Topics:

WinZip Classic Documentation


Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 Wizard Differences

Differences between the Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 versions of the Wizard:

•	The Windows 95 version of the Select Zip File panel uses a “listview” control.  This control is not available under Windows 3.1.  As a result, you can’t change the sort order under Windows 3.1 (files are always sorted by date, most recent first).

•	The Windows 95 version of the Unzip panel includes an option to run the Explorer after unzipping.  The Explorer does not run under Windows 3.1, so this option is not available.

•	The Windows 95 version of the Options dialog box is implemented as a property sheet, while the Windows 3.1 version is a flat dialog box.


Favorite Zip Folders

The WinZip Wizard automatically searches for Zip files in your Favorite Zip Folders.  The first time you run the Wizard, it searches for folders that are likely to contain Zip files, and adds these folders to your Favorite Zip Folders.  You can later add or remove folders from this list by clicking Options in the Wizard Welcome dialog box.


Select Zip File

Select a Zip file from the list, then click Next.  This list shows all the Zip files in all your Favorite Zip Folders.  You can sort the list by clicking on one of the column headers (for example, click on name to sort the files by name).

Click Search to automatically search for all Zip files on your hard disk, or to search for a specific Zip file yourself.


Unzip

Click Unzip Now to unzip all the files in the Zip to the selected folder.  Click Select different folder if you want to unzip the files to a different folder.  Normally WinZip prompts before overwriting any files on your hard disk with the same name as files in the Zip file, but you can change this default by clicking Overwrite matching files automatically.  Click Display file icons after unzipping to automatically open an Explorer window showing the unzipped files.  Click View Zip Documentation to view the documentation (readme.txt or file_id.diz) file contained in the Zip file.


Install

If a Zip file contains a SETUP or INSTALL program, the WinZip Wizard will perform these steps:

•	Unzip the software to a temporary directory

•	Run the SETUP or Install program

•	Delete any temporary files


Search

The WinZip Wizard can help you find Zip files if you don’t know exactly where they are.  Select Search hard disks on this PC to search your all hard drives on your PC (network disks and CD-ROM disks are not searched).  Select Search Favorite Folders to search for Zip files in your Favorite Zip Folders.  Select Search Disk to search a specified disk (for example, a floppy disk or CD-ROM).  Select Let Me Find It if you want to look for the file yourself.


Options

The Options dialog makes it easy to add, remove, and update your Favorite Zip Folders, specify a default unzip directory, and determine whether WinZip starts with the Wizard or Classic Interface.


Select Folder

There are three ways to select a folder:

•	Click on a folder in the Folders and disk drives Explorer style tree

•	Select from the Selected Folder drop-down combo box

•	Click New... and type the name of a new folder.