
          H O W   T O   U N Z I P   Z I P P E D   F I L E S
          
          A zipped file is a file or a collection of files
          compressed into a smaller space. So, a zipped file is a
          compressed file, and people zip files to save hard drive
          space. Files that have a .ZIP extension are usually
          zipped using a program called PKZIP. Files with the .ZIP
          extension are unusable until you unzip them with a
          shareware program called PKUNZIP.EXE. In other words, you
          can't get to the goodies unless you unzip'em. It is
          usually best to unzip zipped files on the hard drive
          where they will have plenty of room to expand. It is not
          unusual for a zipped file to be one-half to one-third the
          size of the original file. When using a modem, you will
          find that most Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) store their
          files in zipped format.
          
          If you obtain the unzipping program from a shareware
          vendor, it may be in the form of a self-extracting file.
          A self-extracting file is also a compressed file. When a
          self-extracting file is run, other files pop out (or
          emerge) from it. It is best to run a self-extracting file
          from the hard drive, so it will have plenty of space to
          expand. Sometimes, if you try to run a self-extracting
          file from a floppy disk, the disk fills up before all the
          files can pop out. New computer users often make this
          mistake. If you make this mistake and do a directory on
          the disk, you will see that there is not enough space
          left on the floppy disk.
          
          If you order PKUNZIP from a shareware vendor and do a
          directory on the disk, you may see only one file called
          PKZ204G.EXE. The version number changes periodically. You
          will want the latest version to insure compatibility.
          This is a self-extracting file, so you will want to copy
          it to your hard drive before you run it. When you run the
          self-extracting program PKZ204G.EXE, a file called
          PKUNZIP.EXE will pop out of it, and other files, too. For
          our example you will want to have a copy of PKUNZIP.EXE
          on a floppy disk. For this example make a temporary
          directory on your hard drive called C:\TEMP. At the C>
          type:
          
                                cd \<ENTER>
          
          This takes you to the root directory of the C drive. Then
          make a directory using the MD command:
          
                                md \temp <ENTER>
          
          Now place a disk that contains PKUNZIP.EXE in the floppy
          drive A and type:
          
                         copy a:pkunzip.exe c:\temp <ENTER>
          
          PKUNZIP.EXE will be copied from the A drive to the TEMP
          subdirectory on the C drive. Next, copy the file or files
          that need to be unzipped to that directory. Put the disk
          which has the zipped file that you want to unzip in drive
          A and type:
          
                         copy a:filename.zip c:\temp <ENTER>
          
          In the above example filename is the name of the zipped
          file, and ZIP will be the extension. If there are
          numerous zipped files on the A drive that you wanted to
          unzip, you could copy them all to C:\TEMP by issuing the
          following command: COPY A:*.ZIP C:\TEMP <ENTER>. Note
          that PKUNZIP.EXE and the file or files that need to be
          unzipped are now in the same subdirectory (C:\TEMP) on
          the hard drive. Now switch over to C:\TEMP to unzip the
          file(s) with a .ZIP extension.
          
          At the C> type:
                         
                                cd \temp <ENTER>                  
             
          
                                dir <ENTER>
          
          When you issue the DIR command, you should see
          PKUNZIP.EXE and the file or files with the ZIP extension
          that you are going to unzip. Then type:
                                        
                                pkunzip filename <ENTER>
          
          In this example, filename is the name of the zipped file.
          If the file was named PINBALL.ZIP, you would have typed:
          PKUNZIP PINBALL <ENTER>. A file or files will pop out of
          the zipped file. ZIP-ITY-DO-DA! It's like popcorn. Those
          files explode out of the original file! Don't be alarmed
          if you see EXPLODING... or INFLATING... on your screen
          when you unzip. This is normal. You can then run the
          files that appear in the usual manner. You will not have
          to unzip them again. If you have room, you can copy the
          files to a floppy disk or somewhere else on your hard
          drive. You may want to delete the file with the .ZIP
          extension in C:\TEMP at this time to save room on your
          hard drive. 
          

          SUMMARY
          
          HOW TO UNZIP ZIPPED FILES
          
          1.      Make a directory on your hard drive using the MD
                  command.
          
          2.      Copy the file with the .ZIP extension (the file 
                  you want to unzip) to the directory you just made 
                  in Step 1.
          
          3.      Copy PKUNZIP.EXE to the directory you made in   
                  Step 1.
          
          4.      Change to the directory you made in Step 1. This
                  makes it the active directory. It should now
                  contain PKUNZIP.EXE and the file you want to    
                  unzip.
          
          5.      Type:
                           pkunzip filename <ENTER>
          
                  Note that filename is the name of the file that 
                  you want to unzip. This file will have a .ZIP
                  extension. For example, if you had a file called
                  CHESS.ZIP, you would type: PKUNZIP CHESS <ENTER>
          
          
          
          TIP
          
          You can unzip zipped files from any directory when
          PKUNZIP.EXE is in a directory that is in your computer's
          PATH. Then you can eliminate Step 3 above. Why not make
          a directory called C:\UTILS and copy PKUNZIP.EXE to it?
          For help on how to set your PATH, get my book, Learning
          DOS for the Complete Novice, 2nd edition, by Steven Woas,
          published by Celestial Press.

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