In previous versions of the Windows OS, if you needed to create or open a .ZIP file you needed a 3rd party utility such as WinZip. Windows XP has a native ability open or create ZIP files, now known as 'Compressed Folders'.

To create a Compressed Folders, all you have to do is right-click and existing folder, select Send To > Compressed (zipped) Folder. If you need to prevent other people from viewing the contents of the these files, you can password protect the files in the Compress Folder.

Note: Compress Folder and ZIP file, uses a simple data encryption method that will only stop the casual computer user from viewing the file. If you need more security use a more sophisticated application like PGP or GnuPG....


To assign a password to a compressed folder:

    * Open the Windows Explorer, and find the compressed folder you want to password protect.
    * Double-click the compressed folder to open it.
    * From the File menu, select 'Add a Password...'.
    * Type in your password twice and press the OK button.

To remove the password compressed folder, just open it up select 'Remove Password...' from the File menu. Enter your current password, and press the OK button.