David Geer Talks Tech
Monday, August 01, 2005
Estimating how much zing you'll get out of .zip Courtesy of http://www.GeerCom.com.
Geer Communications - your on time technology writer!
Welcome!
A comment has been posted to a previous blog on .zip files asking:
"I wonder, if I can estimate the resulted .zip file size before compressing large folder? If I know I will not save any space then I will not spend my time for zipping! Please, advise. Thank you!" – Anonymous.
As you'll note from the WinZip FAQ linked above, it depends on the file type. If the file is a type that is already by nature a compressed file, you won't get much if any compression by putting it into a .zip file.
These file types include media files, certain encrypted data and database files and, of course, .zip files. There are exceptions such as the Bitmap file type, .BMP.
The good news is that most file types can be compressed a lot.
Your solution: see how many files of types that don't .zip well are in the folder. If the majority of them are, don't expect the world, though significant compression may still be possible on the files that do compress well. You can also try removing all files of the type that don't compress well from the folder, giving them their own folder, and compressing the folder from which you have removed those files.
Best,
David Geer - your on time technology writer!
Geer Communications
Geer Communications - your on time technology writer!
Welcome!
A comment has been posted to a previous blog on .zip files asking:
"I wonder, if I can estimate the resulted .zip file size before compressing large folder? If I know I will not save any space then I will not spend my time for zipping! Please, advise. Thank you!" – Anonymous.
As you'll note from the WinZip FAQ linked above, it depends on the file type. If the file is a type that is already by nature a compressed file, you won't get much if any compression by putting it into a .zip file.
These file types include media files, certain encrypted data and database files and, of course, .zip files. There are exceptions such as the Bitmap file type, .BMP.
The good news is that most file types can be compressed a lot.
Your solution: see how many files of types that don't .zip well are in the folder. If the majority of them are, don't expect the world, though significant compression may still be possible on the files that do compress well. You can also try removing all files of the type that don't compress well from the folder, giving them their own folder, and compressing the folder from which you have removed those files.
Best,
David Geer - your on time technology writer!
Geer Communications
Quick System Information Courtesy of http://www.GeerCom.com.
Geer Communications - your on time technology writer!
Welcome!
You can quickly find important specs and system information about a computer running Windows right from the desktop.
Right click on My Computer, left click on Properties and, behold, in System Properties under the General tab, we have lots of important information for you or your computer technician.
Under System, I see that my laptop is running Windows XP Professional – that's the Operating System, the most important software on your computer. I also find under System my version number (in this case, the year it came out) and the current Service Pack (a grouping of Operating System updates) that I am running.
Under Registered to, I see my name and a very important set of characters. These characters are my Operating System product key, which is a very important number to have, especially if you ever need to reload the Operating System (the software will ask you to input this key to prove you have a valid software license).
Next to Manufactured and Supported by: I have my hardware manufacturer's name (IBM), the make and model of computer chip (CPU) my computer runs, the chip's speed in GHz and the amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) I have. It is important to distinguish RAM from ROM (Read Only Memory). ROM is your hard drive; RAM is the memory for software that is currently running.
I also have a Support Information button. When I click it, a window opens with information on how to contact technical support for my brand of computer. Once you have the information you need, click OK to exit.
Best,
David Geer - your on time technology writer!
Geer Communications
Geer Communications - your on time technology writer!
Welcome!
You can quickly find important specs and system information about a computer running Windows right from the desktop.
Right click on My Computer, left click on Properties and, behold, in System Properties under the General tab, we have lots of important information for you or your computer technician.
Under System, I see that my laptop is running Windows XP Professional – that's the Operating System, the most important software on your computer. I also find under System my version number (in this case, the year it came out) and the current Service Pack (a grouping of Operating System updates) that I am running.
Under Registered to, I see my name and a very important set of characters. These characters are my Operating System product key, which is a very important number to have, especially if you ever need to reload the Operating System (the software will ask you to input this key to prove you have a valid software license).
Next to Manufactured and Supported by: I have my hardware manufacturer's name (IBM), the make and model of computer chip (CPU) my computer runs, the chip's speed in GHz and the amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) I have. It is important to distinguish RAM from ROM (Read Only Memory). ROM is your hard drive; RAM is the memory for software that is currently running.
I also have a Support Information button. When I click it, a window opens with information on how to contact technical support for my brand of computer. Once you have the information you need, click OK to exit.
Best,
David Geer - your on time technology writer!
Geer Communications
