Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Extracting files from a compressed folder

Because the files placed in a compressed folder automatically open in read-only mode, you may need to extract them (that is, decompress them) so that you can again edit their contents. To extract files from a compressed folder, follow these steps:

1. Open the window in Windows Explorer that contains the compressed folder whose files you want to extract.
2. Right-click the compressed folder (remember, its icon should sport a zipper down the front) and then click Extract All on its shortcut menu.
   If the Classic menus are displayed in the Explorer window, you can perform this step by clicking the compressed folder's icon and then choosing File → Extract All. If not, press Alt+FT.
   Windows 7 then opens an Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders dialog box, where you designate the folder into which the extracted files are to be copied.
3. (Optional) Replace the path and the filename of the compressed folder in the Files Will Be Extracted to This Folder text box with the pathname of the folder in which you want to store the extracted (decompressed) files.
   To browse to the folder in which you want the extracted files copied, click the Browse button, select the (destination) folder in the outline of your computer system, and click OK. To extract the files in their original compressed folder, don't replace the path and filename for the compressed folder that appears in this text box. Just be aware that the only way to recompress the files that you extract in the compressed folder is to first move them out of the folder and then move them back in!
4. Click the Extract button at the bottom of the Select a Destination and Extract Files dialog box to begin extracting the files.
   As soon as Windows 7 finishes extracting the files, it opens the destination folder displaying the uncompressed files.