Zip Files

[DiamondDesign]

I just downloaded the Unzip ThemAll that Helen shared.

What do you do with your zip files?

I have been keeping them in a separate "unzipped scrapbooking" file.

This means that I pay extra attention to my unzipping; which zip file was unzipped and what was the file tree in order to put it in the "same" spot on the unzipped side. As you can imagine, it makes me less likely to unzip everything.

My theory was if I accidentally messed up one of the files I could unzip it again and replace. I also thought this would give me a back up chance when TOU's replace each other in the designer's folder. I also thought this gave me a backup if my drive crashed, there would be another place that might survive.

NONE of these events has occurred. Of course most zips aren't compressed, so what I have actually done is doubled the amount of space that my digiscrapping pieces take. And I don't even touch half of it. Should I be deleting all of the zip files?

For that matter, how often do you purge your digiscrapping files?

[WenRob]

I am still fairly new to this but when I unzip something I put the zipped files into a folder called 'zips.' Then when I have a bunch of them I burn them to a disk and delete them off my computer.

[emst]

I personally open a new folder for each kit I unzip. I then trash the zip file, it just takes up way too much space to keep them. I only have about 6.5 GB left on my laptop and I have an external drive that I put all those folders in of kits that I don't really but keep thinking there might be something in one of them that I might want at some point. I do keep all the kits that I use on my external drive as well. Besides that I'm lucky that my DH has his computer and mine connected and he has tons more space on his and twice a week he backsup everything from my laptop to his computer so if mine should crash I have his computer plus my external drive for backup.

[goldscraps]

I use 7-zip. It has a test utility to test the zips for errors without actually unzipping them. If I'm going to use it right away, I unzip it and trash the zip file. But, if I'm going to use them sometime in the future, I test them and archive them onto my external HD until I need them.

[shavari]

Im pretty lucky .. I recently upgraded my PC and bought 750Gb hard disk space (2 hard drives, one 500G, one 250G) so I have ample space for everything. I usually burn my important files to CD once every 3 - 6 months .. but now they'll be going onto DVD's

To answer the question, I have a folder Digital Kits .. inside this I have folders by website, then folders by designer, then each designer names their kits and I put the zips in their own folder at the Designer name level.

eg: GDS Kits -> Andrea -> zips