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ACCESSING COMPRESSED FILE ATTACHMENTS

As part of a long-term program to manage space utilization on the University's e-mail servers, OCCS has implemented a technology called “Zip Mail." Currently, the program runs at regular intervals, identifying email messages more 120 days old that have file attachments, and compressing the attachments into .zip files. The files remain attached to the corresponding e-mail message and are readily accessible in the individual mailbox.

If you simply need to view the contents of the file attachment, right-click or double-click on the attachment and select View. This will allow you to preview the document in a file viewer.

Extracting/Unzipping a .zip File
Opening a .zip file and converting it back to its original file format is called "extracting" and/or “unzipping,” which is done through a special software application. The process runs differently according to the software application being used and the operating system of the PC.

Windows 2000/UltimateZip - Notes Client
For Windows 2000, which is the standard for University office PCs, the application UltimateZip is installed for working with .zip files. Using this application in conjunction with the Lotus Notes client is a two-step process.

  1. Right-click on the .zip file name and select Open. This will open an UltimateZip window with the file name displayed.
  2. Double-click on the file name to open the file in its original format.

Windows 2000/UltimateZip - Notes Browser
Using this application in conjunction with the Lotus Notes Browser is a five-step process.

  1. Right-click on the .zip file name and select Save Target As.
  2. Select a file-save location and click Save.
  3. When the Download complete window displays, click Open.
  4. This will open an UltimateZip window with the file name displayed.
  5. Double-click on the file name to open the file in its original format.

If you make changes to the file and need to save those changes, you should save the file to a directory on your PC or on the server. Be aware that this is a copy of the file and the zipped version remains attached to the e-mail.