When you work at a personal computer, it is often necessary to reduce the size of a file in order to save space on your hard drive or removable drive. For example, you need to copy a file from one computer to another using a floppy disk. Or you need to send a large file by email. If you reduce its size, it saves a lot of time, and if the Internet is not unlimited, then money. In such situations, the best solution is to create a compressed file. How to create an archive? That is what this file is called.
Definition
An archive is a single file that can contain many other files in a compressed form to save memory. To work with such data, there are special software products called archivers. With their help, you can pack files, extract them, and view the contents of these archives. The process of compressing and packing information is called archiving, and unpacking is called unzipping.
Formats
There are several formats of compressed files. The most common are RAR, ZIP, TAR, CAB. These three letters become the extension of the compressed file. The type of format affects the degree of compression. For example, a RAR archive weighs less than a ZIP. The efficiency of the packaged file format also affects efficiency. Some may be squeezed in only two, and others in four or more. There are formats that do not compress at all. How to create an archive using such a program?
The most convenient tool is a well-known archiver called WinRAR. With its help it is possible to create both ZIP and RAR archives. And he can view and unpack compressed files of other formats without problems.
Sequencing
In order to answer the question of how to create a RAR archive, you need to do some simple operations. First, the necessary files are highlighted. If there are a lot of them, then it is convenient to use the selection with the mouse while holding down the CTRL key on the keyboard. If you press CTRL + A, then absolutely all files in this directory will be highlighted. If this method is inconvenient for something, then you can use the File menu of the archiver program. It is necessary to select the “Add” item, then in the window that appears, enter the name that the user wants to assign to the created archive. Here you can choose the format: ZIP or RAR. The second is installed by default, because it compresses much better, and most often there is no need to change it. In the case when you need to transfer the archive to another user, it is better to ask him in advance if he has a program capable of working with the selected file format.
Multi-volume archives
Floppy disks are used less and less, but are still found. And if you need to record a large archive on them, then it is created in a multi-volume format. It consists of parts called volumes. How to create an archive of this type? To do this, select 1475500 in the Volume Size section. This number indicates the size of the diskette. In this case, it is better to check the “For recovery” field to be able to restore the archive, if suddenly the data in it is somehow damaged. After all, a floppy disk is not the most reliable drive.
Self-extracting archives
It happens that a compressed file is unpacked on a computer, even if a special program is not installed. How to create a self-extracting archive? To do this, select the files for packaging, then, by pressing the right mouse button, select "Add to archive". Important: this item is only available when the WinRAR archiver is installed . Then the format is also selected. In the parameters you need to specify that it will be an SFX archive. It remains only to click on the "OK" button and everything will be ready.
As can be seen from the above, the answer to the question of how to create an archive is not complicated. All you need is appropriate software, a little patience and straight arms. But the consequences of acquiring skills are only positive: saving memory space, more free time when transferring files, convenience. And you can teach other beginners. After all, it will also be useful for them to know how to create an archive.