Anyone who owns a computer has run into the problem of large files, and insufficient hard drive space at one time or another. You’ll soon find that applications and documents can quickly consume lots of space on your hard drive. Before you know it, your computer’s disk space is running low.
One of the most effective methods to combat limited disk space is to use a simple compression program. The function of such programs is to take large files and make them smaller without changing or losing any of the file information. This is done by using a complex set of algorithms and equations that reduce the size by reorganizing the “bits” of information in the file. When the compressed file is expanded, these “bits” of information are rearranged or expanded.
There are many different compression applications to choose from even though each program uses different algorithms for compression. Most compression levels across these applications are fairly comparable. A typical compression rate for a 100k Word document of all text is about 60%-90% of the original file size. This makes choosing your own favorite compression utility a matter of personal preference.
One of the most common and user-friendly compression programs is called PKZIP. It is freely available from www.PKware.com. The user interface combines functionality with ease of use by simplifying the compression terminology and using easily understood terms.
Another compression utility that is frequently used is called RAR. The RAR compression format is extremely useful in packing together large programs into one much smaller file. It spreads these large files out into several smaller ones that can be easily transferred or stored on individual floppy disks. The program is free to the public at www.RARsoft.com.
Another very popular shareware compression agent is called ARJ. It can be found at www.ARJsoft.com. It has all the same capabilities as both RAR and PKZIP, but it uses a different format and file extension.
Remember that you can only expand a file using the appropriate file extension, e.g. a .zip extension using PKZIP, the .arj extension when using ARJ, and the .rar extension with the RAR compression program. Most files available on the Internet come compressed in one of these formats, and there are various other compression formats from which to choose.
Compression allows us to save valuable disk space and time given the ever expanding files sizes and the continued use of online file transfer in the course of conducting business. Once you become familiar with common compression formats, you can cut large files down to size in just a matter of minutes