[mindydee113]

I'll start by saying that I am no computer whiz by an means. I do allot of reading and am trying to figure my way around my computer. I've only had a computer for about a year (I know that is shocking, but I am really behind the times!) My operating system is Windows XP. I am starting to run out of disk space on my laptop and keep getting a pop up telling me so. I read about compressing files to save space, so I thought I would give it a try. I have downloaded a few shared files of books I like to read, I thought I would compress them until I have time to sit down and read them. I tried to compress one with winzip and now I am rather confused? I right clicked on the file in question and then clicked winzip>add to zip file. I also noticed another option when you right click on a file...send to>compressed (zipped)folder. Do these two options do the same thing? I clicked on the first option winzip>add to zip file. The file was added to winzip but the original file that I right clicked on is still there in the same place. Do I delete the original file and extract the one in winzip when I am ready to use it? I have a few folders I rarely refer to & they are taking up needed space, would I compress them in the same way.... right click>winzip>add to zip file? The book I originally referred to is listed in the winzip archive with a zip icon next to it, but I also see another folder in the archive with the same name. The second folder just has a folder next to it, no zip icon. Why would there be two folders? (I do share my computer with my kids, so god only knows what they may have clicked on in the past!) There is another folder in the archive that I do not recall putting in there. It also is just a plain folder with no zip icon next to it, should I delete these two folders as I'm not sure how they got into the winzip archive? Would that have any effect on the original file that is not located in winzip? What is the difference between a folder with a zipper on it and one that has the zip icon next to it (looks like a little drawer with a vice clamp around it), or is this just two ways of showing the same thing? I have not seen any folders with the zipper on them on my computer, I saw them in researching winzip on the internet. Just wondering if different computers mark zipped files in different fashions? Appreciate any information I can get. zipping and unzipping folders that aren't used frequently sounds like a great idea to me if you need to save space. Wish I had learned of it sooner, now I just need to figure out what I am doing! lol

p.s. - In case it matters, the version of winzip on my computer is 12.0. I got my laptop used from a family member & had a technician wipe it clean for me. He installed winzip for me along with a few other programs. I keep getting a message saying there is a new version of winzip, do I want to upgrade? I don't want to pay for it, so I guess I'll have to stick with 12.0 for now.

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Compressing them only makes a compressed files of the original it does not replace the original.

Compressing them will save some space but not much. If you have a cd or dvd burner on your labtop I would save them to a disk and once you are sure it was burned ok and readable I would delete the files you just burned from your computer. You can also use an USB key to save your important files but I personnaly prefer to do that on a cd or dvd.

One other thing you can try is to right click on your C: drive choose Properties and use the option at the bottom to Compress the data on C: but be warned your CPU will work harder after so to uncompress any files it needs to use before using it, also on the worst case scenario some already compress files on your computer might be damaged by compressing them again.

I have never used that option myself so do not know how much place you would save or the effect it does, I am just giving you advice base on what i have read not on personal experience.

[Alzeimer]

Compressing them only makes a compressed files of the original it does not replace the original.

Compressing them will save some space but not much. If you have a cd or dvd burner on your labtop I would save them to a disk and once you are sure it was burned ok and readable I would delete the files you just burned from your computer. You can also use an USB key to save your important files but I personnaly prefer to do that on a cd or dvd.

One other thing you can try is to right click on your C: drive choose Properties and use the option at the bottom to Compress the data on C: but be warned your CPU will work harder after so to uncompress any files it needs to use before using it, also on the worst case scenario some already compress files on your computer might be damaged by compressing them again.

I have never used that option myself so do not know how much place you would save or the effect it does, I am just giving you advice base on what i have read not on personal experience.

[phillipcorcoran]

Welcome, mindydee113 (I like the handle!)

Save yourself the hassle and possibility of screwing things up with compression by buying a USB external hard drive on which to store your own files instead of the internal drive. Put them on a DVD too as a backup. Then delete said files from your laptop's internal drive (making sure to empty recycle bin too if they go in there as you delete them). Just verify that the copying to external drive has worked, and that the DVD is readable before you delete from internal drive!

You can also use the external drive on which to create a disk-image of your entire internal drive, using free disk-imaging software. Buy a higher-capacity internal drive, fit it (very easy on a laptop), then restore the disk-mage to the new drive by booting the laptop from a rescue CD. Remove the CD, reboot, and your laptop should fire up into Windows just as before, only with much more free space to allow for future adding of applications.

You can get free disk-imaging software here (I use the commercial version myself and it's great, but the free version is fine for your needs and will do all that I've suggested above):

Macrium Reflect Free Edition:
http://www.macrium.com/ReflectFree.asp

Good luck

Phillip

PS - Winzip and similar are normally only used for making compressed archives of files for safe backup storage, or for internet conveyance - not usually for stuff you or the system need to access on a regular basis. When space gets that tight you really do need to think about a larger-capacity hard drive.

Edited by phillipcorcoran, 03 May 2010 - 09:30 AM.