IT Tips - March 2012

It Tips – March

                                                                             

Let’s March right into this month’s IT Tip. Oh boy, that was punny.

What’s Inside:

Tech Section

·   Windows Tips

o   Compress, or “zip” a file

o   Quickly Access Applications (Windows  7 only)

Windows Tips

It’s been a little while since we’ve delved into the intricacies that make Windows so versatile. This month I want to go over a couple handy Windows features that may help you be a bit more productive. Who doesn’t want to be more productive? In fact, stop reading this tip and get back to work… Just kidding – please don’t leave.

Compress, or “zip” a file

You may be asking yourself, “what the heck does ’zip a file’ mean?” First I’ll explain a couple uses for zipped files, and then I’ll explain how to perform this sacred technique.

There may be times that you need to send someone several files in an email. Wouldn’t it be much easier to send a single file containing those files than tediously attaching them one-by-one? This can be achieved by compressing or “zipping” multiple files into a single zip file. You can then simply attach that zip file to your email. The recipient then opens it up and your files are inside.

You may also run into a situation where a file you need to email is too large. Most email servers will have a file size limit (ours is 10MB). Some file types can be compressed quite a bit. This can be very helpful if you have a document that is just a little over the email file size limit.

In the old days you needed to buy software to accomplish this. Fortunately, those days are long gone and Windows has native zip functionality.

Here’s how:

Select the file(s) that you wish to zip

Right click on the file or files, mouse over “Send to” and click “Compressed (zipped) folder”

 Windows will now create a new zip file containing the file or files that you selected!



Notice the new file has a little folder with a zipper icon – that is your new zip file!



You can now rename the zip file if need be, and it’s ready to go!

File types that shrink a lot when zipped:

Earlier I mentioned that certain file types respond well to compression. Conversely, some file types don’t compress much, if at all. Generally documents, such as Word and Excel files, will compress significantly when zipped. Media files, like JPEG, GIF and video files will not compress much as they’re already compressed internally. If you’re looking to zip a file to reduce its size then you won’t have much luck with pictures and videos.

As you can see, zipping the Excel documents in my example has reduced their file size quite a bit:

Things to note:

·    While zipping can significantly reduce file size, it’s not magic. Don’t try to cram down massive files and email them. As I said before: you won’t be able to email files over 10MB. So that 100MB PowerPoint you might have isn’t going to shrink nearly enough to be emailed. Always examine your file’s size before attaching it to an email. (For more information about examining files please see the IT Tip from June 2011 HERE)

·    You may be concerned about sending Zip files to other users and their ability to open them. To put it simply: as long as they’re not using VERY antiquated systems there shouldn’t be an issue.

·    You can also zip a folder containing multiple files. Simply follow the steps above but right click on a folder and compress it.

Windows 7 only: Quickly access installed applications

“Hi Keith, I’m a long time reader but a first time writer. I dislike cluttering my Windows 7 taskbar with icons and loathe sifting through my desktop to find programs. Is there a better way to open them?” As a matter of fact, person I have yet again fabricated, there is. Though I will say, I’m a big fan of cluttering my taskbar with pinned applications…

Accessing installed applications in Windows 7 is actually very easy. Simply press the Windows Flag key (or click the Start bubble) and type the first few letters of your desired application. For example, you could tap [flag] and type “exce” like this:

This can be pretty handy once you get the hang of it. Eventually you’ll be able to start programs without even reaching for the mouse!

Have a great month, everyone!

-Keith

Please don’t hesitate to shoot me an email If you have a question that you think might make a good tip. Not only will I give you credit, but I won’t have to keep making up imaginary people asking me questions!