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Need Alternative to a Zip File

by lerxtjr
11 replies
When someone purchases, I need them to be able to download one file that then auto-extracts so that all the files are available....without unzipping them. I find too many people just don't know how to use unzip programs. So, what options are there bundling multiple files together (pdfs/mp3 files) so they download once and then all the files appear in whatever directory they saved to?
#alternative #file #zip
  • Profile picture of the author HA-Dave
    That's a bit of a toughy... what about self extracting files?

    Maybe - IExpress might work for you
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    • Profile picture of the author lerxtjr
      Well, it's a possibility...the other tricky part is that it has to work for pc and mac....or have two different downloads, one for each.
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  • Profile picture of the author HA-Dave
    Yeah, that's true, you would need to have that. You might also want to look at this java tip - http://www.javaworld.com/article/207...ting-jars.html - not sure if you'd choose it over separating out the d/ls, but it's worth a shot to look at. And I can't really vouch for the method, but it seems like it might be a fix if you're worried about the system incompatibilities.
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  • Profile picture of the author RobinInTexas
    Best solution would be to provide an instructional page on extracting zip files.

    I would more likely ask for a refund than download an executable from some strange website.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim Franklin
    You could use a software program, yes it would be two different downloads, but that could be managed, its not difficult.

    (from time to time I run into the what is a zip file how does that work)

    I scratch my head, thinking how are they doing to do business online if they do not know how to manage digital files?
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  • Profile picture of the author Edward Floyd
    I would say that including instructions on your download page for how to use the zip is the best method. Zips are so common these days that (with some instructions) people should know how to use them.

    There aren't really any alternatives if you want to send multiple files at once. You could try an installer, but that's just creating unnecessary mess, and the user probably still won't know where the files go.

    One more alternative that might work is a self extracting archive. These are .exes that extract themselves to a given location once you run them, which sounds close to what you want. You can Google how to make them but 7zip and winrar can make them: e.g. How to Use 7Zip to Create Self Extracting excutables: 5 Steps
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  • Profile picture of the author sagittarius
    I agree with those who suggested that you should place instructions on the download page with a link to Winrar's website, in case they don't have it. If they have Winrar installed in their system, they're more likely knowledgeable with uncompressing these type of files.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Evans
    To be honest, I find your question a bit odd.
    Both Windows and Mac now natively support ZIP files. On either of those operating systems, you can just double-click on a ZIP file to open it without having to download any extra software. I don't get why anyone would get confused by that.
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    • Profile picture of the author Edward Floyd
      Originally Posted by Nick Evans View Post

      To be honest, I find your question a bit odd.
      Both Windows and Mac now natively support ZIP files. On either of those operating systems, you can just double-click on a ZIP file to open it without having to download any extra software. I don't get why anyone would get confused by that.
      Yeah exactly, it's such a native part of Windows now. Unless someone your target audience is using older versions of Windows where zips still weren't built in... or there are a bunch of files in the zip that need to be extracted for everything to work and they are just double-clicking on .exes.
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  • Profile picture of the author wondercoder
    I would say rar is one of the best replacement for the zip file some people use tar too , but according to me zip is one of the best compression extension.
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  • Profile picture of the author lexo00
    I heard IExpress is pretty good.
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