How to Unzip .ZIP files using PKunzip and Windows 3.x (Windows 3.0 - 3.11)

If, after considering the above, you still wish to learn how to use PKunzip under Windows 3.x, read on.

Basically, you need to do five things to unzip .ZIP files with PKunzip and Windows 3.x:

Note: You need only perform the first three actions in the following list ONCE.

1. Download the PKunzip program, pkunzip.exe.
2. Copy pkunzip.exe to your C:\DOS directory (a directory specified in your "path").
3. "Associate" pkunzip.exe with all files that end with a .ZIP extension. This will allow you to run the pkunzip program on a .ZIP file just by double clicking on the .ZIP file in the File Manager.
4. Create a new directory for each .ZIP file you wish to unzip and copy the .ZIP file in question into that directory.
5. From the File Manager, go to the directory you created in the previous step and double click on the .ZIP file in question.

Step-by-step Instructions

Execute These Commands Only Once

1. Download pkunzip.exe, the program that "unzips" (extracts the original files from) .ZIP files. You may also retrieve pkunzip.exe at this web site:

   http://ccic.ifcss.org/ftp-pub/software/dos/utils/

2. Double click on the File Manager icon in the Main group.

3. Using the File Manager, select the drive and directory into which pkunzip.exe was downloaded. For example, if pkunzip.exe was downloaded to c:\netscape, click on the C: drive and then double click on the netscape directory.

4. Click once on pkunzip.exe to select it. Don't double click it.

5. Click on File.

6. Click on Copy.

7. Fill in the dialog box with c:\dos and click on OK. (Note: You must copy pkunzip.exe to the c:\dos directory or another directory specified in your DOS "path".)

8. Still in the File Manager, Click on File.

9. Click on Associate....

10. Click on the Files with Extension: box, delete any text already there, and fill it in with:

    .zip

11. Click on the Associate With: box, delete any text already there, and fill it in with:

    c:\dos\pkunzip.exe

12. Click on OK.

    Execute These Commands Each Time You Wish to Unzip a .ZIP File

13. Still in the File Manager, click on File.

14. Click on Create Directory....

15. Fill in the dialog box with the name of the new directory you wish to create and click on OK. For our example, we will create a new directory called:

    c:\example

16. Click on the drive and directory to which you have downloaded the .ZIP file you wish to unzip. For this example, we will call that file game.zip.

17. Click once on game.zip to select it. DON'T DOUBLE CLICK ON IT!

18. Click on File.

19. Click on Copy.

20. Fill in the dialog box with c:\example and click on OK. This will copy game.zip to its new directory.

21. Click on the C: drive.

22. Click on the example directory.

23. Double click on game.zip to unzip it!

    Windows will "shell" to the DOS prompt. PKunzip will extract the files stored in game.zip. Windows will then return to the File Manager.

24. In the File Manager, click on Window and then Refresh to see the extracted files.

Why the Above Steps Work the Way they Do

If you are running the File Manager and you double click on a file that has an association, the associated program will run and load the file. For example, if you double click on a .DOC file, Word will start and load the file you double clicked on.

If you have the PKunzip program on your computer, you can associate all .ZIP files with the PKunzip program (see my instructions). You only need to do this once.

After that, all you need to do is go into the File Manager and double click on a .ZIP file. PKunzip will run and will "unzip" (decompress) the file and extract the stored files. Since PKunzip is a DOS program, Windows will "shell" to the DOS prompt, PKunzip will extract the files from the .ZIP archive, and then Windows will return from DOS prompt.

Be careful about where the .ZIP file is when you double click it. When you double click on a .ZIP file, the compressed files are extracted into the directory in which the .ZIP file exists. This could be unpleasant if that directory is, say, the C:\WINDOWS directory. All of the extracted files would be placed into the C:\WINDOWS directory and would get mixed up with the (usually) hundreds of files in there. Bummer.

It is best to first make a new directory, copy the .ZIP file into it (again, see my instructions), go into the new directory, and THEN double click on the .ZIP file. This way, the extracted files are all extracted into a directory created just for them - they can't get mixed up with other files.

Once you have the program files extracted from the .ZIP archive, you can use the Notepad or your favorite word processor to read any documentation that might have accompanied the program. Such documentation is often stored in a text file such as "readme.txt" or "readme.now" or "read.me".

Also, one of the extracted files should be the actual program you are interested in running (or an installation or setup program). For example, if you downloaded a game about sailing, and there is a file called "sail.exe" among the extracted files, it is probably the program that runs the game. Just double click on it from the File Manager to run the game. Remember, all files that end in .COM, .EXE, and .BAT are programs (in the DOS/Windows world).

Happy Unzipping!

Brock Wood