vTip #37 - Using WinZip to send attachments with email

Why would I need to zip files before sending them in an email?

If you (or the person you are sending to) are using Outlook 2002 (XP) for your email, it will block attachments with the extension .exe. You can get around this by either using a program like WinZip or by changing the security options in Outlook.

If you use MSN/Hotmail you might also want to use WinZip for emailing attachments. We have noticed that MSN/Hotmail has been corrupting attachments to email.

How to compress attachments while composing messages

You can use the technique described here to compress attachments while composing messages using Outlook, Eudora, Netscape Mail, and other programs that allow you to attach files using the standard Windows "File Open" dialog box. This technique does not require a MAPI-compatible e-mail program.

  1. Open the dialog box you normally use to attach files:
  • In Outlook: choose File from the Insert menu.
  • In Eudora: choose Attach File from the Message menu.
  • In Netscape: choose Attach and then File from the File menu.
  • In AOL: click the Attachments, then the Attach buttons.
  1. Using the standard Open File dialog box, locate the file you wish to attach.
  2. Position the mouse pointer over the filename in the dialog box, then click the right mouse button and choose Add to filename.zip from the pop-up menu (note: the filename shown in the menu entry will be the same name as the file you selected). This will create a new Zip file with the same name as the file you selected; for example, it would create Budget01.zip from Budget01.xls.
  3. Click once on the name of the new Zip file to select it. This file will normally be at the end of the current directory listing.
  4. Click the Open or Insert button to attach the Zip file. You can delete the Zip file after attaching it.

 

Click the image to download WinZip 8.1 Download WinZip 8.1

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