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This tutorial will cover how to create an archive from a folder or files on Windows using 7-Zip, a free open source program.
The first thing that you need to know is what an archive is. An archive is a file that is created by combining multiple files (or a folder) into one file. Archive files are also usually compressed. The most popular archive formats are .zip and .tar.gz (also known as .tgz).
NOTE: IF YOU ARE CREATING AN AN ARCHIVE THAT WILL BECOME A FOLDER ON A WEB SERVER BE SURE TO ARCHIVE A FOLDER AND NOT ALL OF THE FILES WITHIN THE FOLDER. The difference is in how the archive will be extracted. When you archive a folder and then extract the archive on a web server you get the folder that was archived. HOWEVER, when you create an archive from a group of files when the archive is extracted those files are placed in whatever folder the archive was uploaded to.
Using 7-Zip to Create an Archive on Microsoft Windows
1. First, if you have not already done so you will need to download and install 7-Zip. As 7-Zip is free and open source it can be downloaded at no charge from:
http://www.7-zip.org/
2. Locate the folder to be archived or navigate to the folder where the files to be archived are located.
Note: Skip step 3 if you are creating an archive of a folder.
3. Select the folder or files to be archived. If you want to select all of the files in a folder you can simply press Ctrl + A (the Control key and the + key) on your keyboard or go to the Edit menu (Windows 9x, 2000, XP) or the Organize menu (Windows Vista) and choose Select All. To select only some of the files in a folder single-click on one of the files and then press and hold down the Ctrl key and single-click on each of the remaining files that you wish to select.
4. Then WITHOUT deselecting the files right-click on one of them or if archiving a folder right click on it. (It could be any one of the selected files; it does not matter.) After right-clicking you should see 7-Zip in the menu. Click on 7-Zip and then you should see another menu. Then click on Add to “name of parent folder.zip” (where “name of parent folder” is the name of the folder or the folder that the files are stored in).
5. This will create a ZIP file (.zip) of the files that you selected and put it in the same folder as the files or if you created an archive of a folder it will place the archive in the same location as the folder that was archived. You are now ready to email this file or upload it to the Internet!
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Tips and Instructions 
