So far I've explained what a Zip file is and along the way given an outline introduction to downloading files from the Internet as well as where to put them on your system when they arrive.
Now I'm going to talk about what to do with these compressed program files, once they're unzipped, and how to install the software they contain. There are ways to take a look at the contents of a zip file before it's opened but it can be easy or tricky to do this depending on the program you use for unzipping these files. Also, it's not required that you do look inside first... just be sure to follow the Golden Rule of running an anti- virus check on any file download.
I mentioned in a previous article that I direct all my downloads to a folder named - Down. I'll assume you've done the same. When a zipped program file is opened it will contain a file with a name ending in xxxx.exe (the exe is the file type and it's an abbreviation for execute.) There might be other files as well of different types and it's important they all be kept together because they all form part of the program.
Bearing in mind that I have other zip files and downloaded files in my Down folder I don't want to mix anything up. For this reason I either transfer a file over to another folder before opening it, or open the file with the unzip utility and direct the unzipped contents to this other folder. This is why I use another folder for this purpose called - Dtemp.
So, lets move on to the point where we have a file or files sitting in this Dtemp folder and at least one .exe file. This is the important one. The next step depends on what happens when you double click on this .exe file and "launch" it.
If a window appears for the program itself and everything looks to be working ok then it means that the whole program is contained within the single file. Most likely it's a very simple program which requires no linkage to other parts of Windows, like the "Registry." This can also be the case where other files appeared with the exe file because the program needs them and they are all sitting in the same folder. In both cases, launching the execute file runs the program.
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