How to unzip/decompress attachments & some to practice on!

Buondì.

I’m back at home after the holidays (sad face).

But the Internet connection here in Bologna is WONDERFUL!

Attachments containing ebooks, which took ages to upload at the seaside, are done in a flash.

The joys of fast broadband, huh?

That said, computers can be anything but straightforward.

Several people have written to me to ask for help.

They’ve been scratching their heads about how to open the zipped/compressed attachments containing ‘The Tenses You Need To Speak Italian‘ and the ‘Italian Workout!’ series.

So today, I thought I’d focus on that part, rather than the actual language-learning.

Perhaps you’re ace with irregular verbs, but a duffer when it comes to technology?

Let’s see if we can fix that!

First of all, the basics.

You’ll know, I’m sure, that it’s possible to attach a FILE to an email.

That’s how you can send family photos, submit homework to your online teacher, or whatever.

And of course, if you attach multiple files, the process is the same.

Just repeated

You’ll be familiar with the idea of a FOLDER, I dare say.

A folder is a container for files.

The storage system on your computer, tablet or phone is organised in folders.

For example, when you download something, the file will likely be put in your ‘downloads’ folder.

Or when you delete a file, it may go temporarily to a folder that stores things you might want to recover.

My Windows PC has a ‘Recycle Bin’ icon on the desktop.

That’s a folder – it contains the files that I’ve decided I don’t want, but might still change my mind about!

OK, so a FILE is one item, whereas a FOLDER is a container for files.

Got that?

This is the important part – while we can attach a file to an email, we CAN’T attach a folder.

Go ahead, try it.

You can’t.

Why not?

Well, remember the old days, when we actually posted things?

Suppose you had wanted to post a single document.

In theory, you could have dispensed with the enevelope and just glued a stamp to the front of the document (remember stamps?)

As long as you had scrawled the address of the recipent across the first page, and remembered to drop it in a mailbox, it would probably have gotten there.

Like postcards!

But if you had had a bunch of documents, or postcards, you’d likely have put them in an envelope.

Still just the one stamp, because the postal service would be delivering just the one item.

And, as long as you had remembered to lick the flap on the envelope, everything should arrive together.

With me so far?

The enevelope is the FOLDER.

In the ones I send out, there might be an ebook and audio files.

Or a whole bunch of easy readers, at a special bargain price.

To attach it to an email, I need to ‘lick the flap’.

That’s called ‘compressing’ or ‘zipping’ the folder.

I’m basically telling the computer, look this is one thing, deliver it.

I’ll attach one compressed folder, which contains multiple files, just like the envelope with the documents inside.

Microseconds later, the post person rings on your doorbell, way over there in Australia or the USA, and hands you the envelope.

You sit down at your kitchen table and stare at it.

What next?

Ah yes, I remember how we did this, back in the day.

You get up and fetch a knife or letter opener, slit the end of the envelope and pull out the documents inside!

That’s the unzipping/decompressing part.

It’s so simple, it should be instinctive.

But, of course, if you’ve never done it before, it may NOT be simple.

Hence, this morning, I’ve added a question/answer to the FAQ in our new shop.

It’s the second of the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ in the list.

I’ll copy and paste it here, too.

But if it all looks TOO CONFUSING, skip ahead to the penultimate line, the part in bold..

You sent me a zipped/compressed folder. How do I open it?

Most of our ebooks come as a single .pdf file. To open it, just download it and click on it. Your device’s .pdf reader should do the rest.

But some of our older ebooks come with .mp3 audio files, so we’ll send you a zipped/compressed folder containing multiple files.

We also zip/compress ‘bundles’ of ebooks, for the sake of convenience.

In either case you need to download the attachment as normal, but then ‘unzip’ it, just like opening a bag to get at what’s inside!

This SHOULD be easy, but like most things that are easy only if you know how, it can trip you up.

There’s no need to buy any extra software to do this. As I said, it should be easy…

If you’re using a Windows PC here’s what Microsoft advises:

Locate the zipped folder that you want to unzip (extract) files or folders from.

Do one of the following:

To unzip a single file or folder, open the zipped folder, then drag the file or folder from the zipped folder to a new location.

To unzip all the contents of the zipped folder, press and hold (or right-click) the folder, select Extract All, and then follow the instructions.

For Mac users, the Lifewire site explains that…

Unzipping a file or folder couldn’t be easier. Double-click the zip file and the file or folder will be decompressed into the same folder the compressed file is in.

And if you’re using a smartphone or tablet?

Then honestly, I have no idea.

However, whatever the device you’re using, if you encounter any difficulties, just write to me and I’ll send you the files again, this time with no ‘bag’, so all you have to do is download them and open them as usual.

For help of this type, my email is at the bottom of every page on our website. Expect a reply within 24 hours, usually much sooner!
—

And now, some homework!

Here are some free sample chapters, all zipped/compressed folders that you can download for FREE.

Pick one or two, right click the links and choose ‘download’ or ‘save as’.

Then, have a go at locating the compressed folder and extracting its contents.

And techy types?

Please feel free to comment on this article to share your ‘killer tips’ with other club members!

• The Tenses You Need To Speak Italian
• Italian Workout! A1
• Italian Workout! A2
• Italian Workout! B1
• Italian Workout! B2
• Italian Workout! C1/2

Easter Sale!

Stock up today on online Italian lessons and/or ebooks for learning Italian to save 20%!

Copy and paste this coupon into the box in your shopping cart (where it says ‘Apply coupon’):

easter offer 2017

Italian lessons / ebooks can be bought in EUROS from onlineitalianclub.com, with payment through Paypal, here:

https://onlineitalianclub.com/shop/

Or from easyreaders.org in British pounds, with payment through Paypal, Amazon or bank transfer (if you have a UK bank account) here:

https://easyreaders.org/product-category/italian/

If you’re unsure what to do, check out the ‘how to use the coupon code’ page.

The explanations, pictures and links are for the club shop, but the process is identical in the new shop.

(Note that, once you’ve applied the coupon code and pressed the button, you won’t see the actual item cost change – you need to scroll down the page to see that your order total has been discounted.)

Summary:

• Coupon code easter offer 2017 gets you a 20% discount on lessons and ebooks
• It’s valid through 23/04/17
• There’s no min. or max. spend
• It can be used multiple times until the end of the offer on 23rd April 2017
• It applies to items on sale too (but cannot be used with other coupons you may have)