3.   Downloading files

3.3   Why can't I run downloaded zip programs?

Many files are compressed to save disk space on the server (the computer providing the ftp service) and to give faster download speeds over the Net. The zip format is one of the most popular.

Before you can use a zipped file you must unzip it. The ever-popular PKZip and WinZip are regularly included on disks and CDs given away with computer magazines. You will find a wide range of utilities for uncompressing files on the main shareware sites (see section 3.5) and on ftp.demon.co.uk:

ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/mirrors/simtelnet/msdos/arcers/
ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/mirrors/simtelnet/win3/compress/
ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/mirrors/simtelnet/win95/compress/
ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/mirrors/simtelnet/winxp/compress/

File compression has the further advantage, that all related files making up a software package can be put into the one compressed file, thus ensuring that the downloader doesn't find after disconnecting that one or two required files haven't been downloaded.

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