How to Compress & Split Files
High-quality multimedia, text documents taking hundreds of pages, and complex programs with graphics and sound often produce files that prove too big for convenient handling. Compressing these files into more compact Zip file archives makes them both take up less disk space and easier to transmit via email or Internet downloads. However, Zip archives for larger files may still be too big for convenient handling. Splitting the Zip file into smaller pieces makes each piece more manageable.
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Instructions
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Download, install and run a file compressor and splitter like the free 7-Zip. Commercial utilities include WinZip and ALZip.
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Open your file compressor and splitter. Browse to the location of the file that you want to compress and split by clicking the "File Up" button to open previous directories, or by double-clicking directories and folders to reveal their contents.
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Click on the file to select it.
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Click "Add" to display the Add to Archive dialog box.
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Enter a name for the zip archives in the "Archive" drop-down menu. Click "Browse" next to it to display the Browse dialog box. Navigate to the folder in which you want to store the archive and then click "Open" to accept your choice and close the Browse dialog box.
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Specify the size of each split Zip piece through the Split to Volumes drop-down menu.
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Choose other options as needed. For example, choose "7z" in the Archive Format drop-down for exceptionally large files. According to CNET.com, this format saves 40 percent space more than equivalent Zip files.
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Click "OK" to compress and split the files and close the Add to dialog box. The split Zip files appear in the location you specified, with the name of the archive followed by consecutively numbered extensions.
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