Uncompressing Your Downloaded Files

Uncompressing Your Downloaded File

The software downloaded from Seagull's download web page will have been stored in one of two formats. For more information on uncompressing the type you downloaded or need to download, read below.

Uncompressing Self-Extracting Executable Files

As with "ZIP" files, self-extracting executable files (or self-extracting "E-X-E" files, for short) are created using a data compression program. However, whereas zipped require a separate decompression program (such as PKUNZIP) in order to uncompress them, self-extracting EXEs uncompress themselves. This is made possible by the fact that the necessary decompression software is stored in the EXE file at compression time, right along with the compressed files. This way, all you need to do is run the EXE program itself in order to uncompress the stored components. The easiest way to run the EXE and thereby uncompress the stored file is to simply double-click on it from within the File Manager of Windows. Alternatively, you can "shell" to a DOS prompt, and then run the EXE simply by typing its name. Depending on whether you are running Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, you may then need to do the following:   Windows 3.1 Users After the EXE has run, and all the stored files have been extracted, the Windows File Manager will not automatically list the newly created files. To see these new files listed, you will first have to temporarily display the contents of a different directory. Next, simply switch back to the temporary directory containing your EXE and the newly extracted files will now be listed.   Windows 95 Users Unlike with Windows 3.1, Windows 95 will automatically update its list of files in a given directory. However, Windows 95 does not automatically close your DOS Window after the self-extracting EXE has finished running. Therefore, you will have to do so manually, either by clicking on the "X" in the upper right, or by double-clicking on the DOS icon in the upper left.

Uncompressing a "Zipped" File

"Zipped" files are files that have been compressed using a program called PKZIP. These files must subsequently be uncompressed using PKUNZIP (you will need to download this software off of the Internet). (PKUNZIP is "shareware," and therefore legally copyable.) Unlike most other downloaded files, PKUNZIP.EXE will be downloaded to you as an uncompressed "EXE" file, meaning it is ready to run without any preliminary uncompression. To uncompress your zip file, type the following, either at a DOS prompt or from within the Windows Run command prompt: PKUNZIP <filename> where <filename> represents the name of the file that you just downloaded. When you are done unzipping, you will have, in addition to the original zip file, a variety of other files needed to install your software.

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