Webmaster's Tools

How can I ... Allow people to download files from my site?

All information stored in your computer or on your Website are stored in files. A file is a collection of data or information. Every file has a file name and a file extension.

A file extension identifies the file type. For example, Text (e.g. extension .txt, .html), Formated (e.g. .doc, .pdf), Compressed files (e.g. .sit, zip), Image (e.g. .gif, .jpg), Sound (e.g. .wav, .mid), etc. A partial listing of the most common files used today, their file extension and software needed to view, create, or manipulate these files is at File Formats & Extensions.

To allow your users to download file(s), from a Web page follow these instructions:

• On your PC, create a compressed folder (called a zip file). To create a compressed folder (or zip file):
  1. On the desktop, double-click My Computer, double-click the drive on which you want to create a compressed folder, and then, if you want to place the folder within another folder, double-click the folder.
  2. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Compressed Folder.
  3. The new folder appears with the temporary name, New Compressed Folder, selected.
  4. Type a name for the new folder, and then press ENTER.
• To add files or folders to a compressed folder:
  1. On the desktop, double-click My Computer, and then locate the compressed folder.
  2. Drag folders and files to the compressed folder to compress them.
  3. Add as many filles to the compressed folder as you need.

Next, you must include on your Web page the HTML code and instrutions on how to download a zip file. For example:

<A HREF="http://www.1stsitefree.com/getty-download.zip">
<img src="zip-ani.gif" height="36" width="34" alt="Zip"> To download this page as a zip file, place your pointer on the image to the right, then Right-Click your mouse, and select either Save Link or Save Target As depending on your browser</A>.

Which should look like this:

To download this page as a zip file, place your pointer on the image to the right, then Right-Click your mouse, and select either Save Link or Save Target As depending on your browser.

To extract files or folders from a compressed folder:
On the desktop, double-click My Computer, and then locate the compressed folder.

Do one of the following:

1. To extract a single file or folder, drag the file or folder from the compressed folder to a new location.
2. To extract all files or folders, right-click the compressed folder, and then click Extract All. In the Extract wizard, specify where you want the files extracted to.

For more information on zip files, see this page.

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