Customer Service Center

 Zipping files offers some useful benefits, especially when it comes to sending files via email or attaching the files to a Service Request on the CSC. Zip files are not only compressed, oftentimes significantly, thus reducing file transfer times, but it also allows multiple files and even entire folder structures to be zipped into one easy-to-manage file.

All Microsoft Windows versions since Windows XP have zip file capabilities built in. Windows treats zip files similar to a folder.

1. To start zipping, open up Windows Explorer. You can do this by double-clicking the "My Computer" icon on your desktop, but the fastest way is to press "Windows-E" on your keyboard (Windows is the Windows logo key in between Ctrl and Alt on your keyboard).
2. Browse to the location where you want to create the zip file.
3. Right click in the folder, then choose "New > Compressed (zipped) folder":
   
4. Give the zip file a descriptive name, such as:
   
5. Double-click the zipfile to open it up.
6. Drag files and folders and any other needed content into the zip folder. Note that large files will take some time to transfer and compress into the zipfile. Please note that zipping does NOT affect your original files/folders-- they will remain at the original location along with the new location in the zip file.
7. You're done. The zip file can be archived or attached to emails or SRs as needed.

Mac OS X also has built-in zipping capabilities:

1. Open Finder.
2. Locate and select the file(s) you want to zip. To select multiple files, press the Command button on the keyboard while selecting the files.
3. Open the "File" menu and select "Compress". Please note that zipping does NOT affect your original files/folders-- they will remain at the original location along with the new location in the zip file.
4. Once the zipping completes, give the zip file a descriptive name.
5. You're done. The zip file can be archived or attached to emails or SRs as needed.

 Note: you can also consider using third party utilities to zip and unzip files, some of which offer more features, configurability and usability. An Internet search for "zip file utility" will bring up plenty of results.