Zip files are nothing to be afraid of, they are just a compression of a bunch of files for easy download/upload. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a nice, easy, fast way of transporting files.

According to Wikipedia

ZIP is a fairly simple archive format that compresses every file separately. Compressing files separately allows for individual files to be retrieved without reading through other data; in theory, it may allow better compression by using different algorithms for different files.

Moving a lot of files from one computer to another can be quite cumbersome. Storing spreadsheets from an accounting program on a CD for transport to the accountant is sometimes difficult because of the size. Backing up your personal or business information is a necessity, but it is a pain.

In my opinion, the easiest way to accomplish these tasks and a myriad of others is with a .zip program.

• Some are free, like http://www.7-zip.org/
• And there is the one I use, WinZip (free trial, not freeware).

If you have large amounts of information that you need to transport or store, try using a .zip program. It is the simplest way to go.