Should i delete compressed files

The compression program will pack the selected file or subfolder into the same folder where the original file is located. When you extract a zip package, the extracted file is usually stored in a separate folder. After extraction, you can delete the zip file if you wish. Zipping programs do not usually delete the original package after extraction.

When you wish to extract a zip file, save it to a folder. Then, right-click the package and select Extract All. Next, select the folder where you want to extract the package. The program will suggest a folder to you. If you want to extract to that folder, click Extract. If you want to change the folder, click Browse and then select the folder you want. Then proceed by clicking Extract.

Depending on the operating system and installed programs, you may not be able to compress and extract files in the way described hereinabove. Compression programs that are not operating system-specific — like 7-Zip, which is used in some environments — may work differently. More Less. Communities Get Support. Sign in Sign in Sign in corporate. Browse Search. Ask a question. User profile for user: bcpankratz bcpankratz. Just hit extract and a folder will be created that has all of the zipped files in it.

There are a bunch of programs out there that offer additional functions for zip files, but one of the most lightweight, feature-packed, and efficient is 7-Zip. Click that link to be taken to their website and download the latest version of the program. Installation is straightforward, just accept the license agreement and click next until 7-Zip is installed.

After that, you should be able to highlight files, right-click them, and add them to a zip archive with 7-Zip. Remember to use a strong password, so brute force and dictionary attacks become useless.

ZipCrypto vs. ZipCrypto is weak but has fewer compatibility issues. AES is much stronger but only works with newer systems or with those that have 7-Zip installed.

Try to choose AES when possible. Encrypting file names — Sometimes file names can be just as important as the contents inside of a file. Other times, maybe not.

That problem can be solved by creating a self-extracting archive, giving you the best of both worlds. If, for some reason, you NEED to use a. A self-extracting archive is nothing more than a usual zip file, but with an.

Executing the file will automatically start the extraction process. Advantages — There are two big advantages to self-extracting archives.

First, you can utilize the. Double-click the. Other than that little caveat, self-extracting archives are great. Say you have a 1GB file, and want to put it on two CDs. A CD can hold MB of data, so you would need two discs. But, how do you split up your file so it can fit on to those two discs? Note that you cannot create a self-extracting archive if you choose to split your archive like this.

Encryption, however, is still possible. To open a split archive, all of the pieces must be in the same location. Compress Old Files is a feature of the Disk Cleanup tool cleanmgr. What it does is take files that have not been accessed for a specified number of days and compress them to save disk space. This wasn't a bad idea when hard drives were small and expensive, but it's not such a good idea now.

The files that benefit most from compression are things like Microsoft Office files, and these are already compressed as standard when saved in the new Office and OpenOffice file formats. The files that take up most room -- sound, image and video files with extensions such as jpg, mp3 and avi -- are already compressed.