Your program won't unzip my files!  Why?

Q: I downloaded and installed your Unzip Wizard.  It was working fine for a while, but now when I unzip a file, The Unzip Wizard tells me that the file I am trying to unzip is not a ZIP file.

A: Trust me...  If the Wizard is telling you that you that the file you are trying to unzip is not a ZIP file, then believe him!  Not every file that you download from the Internet is a ZIP file.  Not every file that you receive as an email attachment is a ZIP file.  In fact, the odds are that if you receive an email attachment, it won't be a ZIP file.  It could be an Excel spreadsheet, or a text file, or a Microsoft Word document, of a bitmap graphic image, etc...

Q: Well how can I tell if the file I am trying to unzip is a ZIP file?

A: All ZIP filenames end with the 3 letters "ZIP".  If the file you are trying to unzip does not end with the letters "ZIP", then you do not have a ZIP file, and therefore The Unzip Wizard is not the program to be using with such a file.

Q: Whoops!  I didn't realize this was the case.  I thought every file that I got from the Internet was a ZIP file and that I needed The Unzip Wizard to view it.  I evidently did not know what I was doing, and now every time I try to open this non-ZIP file, The Unzip Wizard pops up.

A: First, assuming the file you are trying to open is saved to your hard disk, and assuming you know where the file is located (the drive letter and folder name), then open "My Computer" and open the folder that contains the file. Then, once you have found the file, SINGLE CLICK on the file. Do NOT double click the file! I repeat ...SINGLE CLICK on the file. Then, let go of the left mouse button, but keep the mouse perfectly still.  Next, press the SHIFT key on your keyboard with your left hand, and hold it down until I say "let go".  Now, with the arrow cursor hovering over the file, click the RIGHT mouse button just one time. A pop-up menu will appear. Now "let go" of the SHIFT key now. In the pop-up menu, LEFT mouse click on the "Open with" item.

You will then be greeted with a window, which is the very same window that you made the original blunder with. Your mistake was choosing The Unzip Wizard from the list of programs. Since the file you are trying to open is NOT a ZIP file, please STAY AWAY FROM THE UNZIP WIZARD in this list. Instead, scroll through the list of programs and find the corresponding program that you wish to associate with this particular file type. Make sure you have the "Always use this program to open these files" check box is CHECKED. Assuming you have made the correct program association, then click OK.

 
Q: None of your suggestions above apply to my case.  I know for a fact that I have a ZIP file, but your Unzip Wizard repeatedly fails to unzip the file.  What could be wrong?

A: Most likely the problem is that the ZIP file you are having trouble unzipping is damaged.  When you download ZIP files across the Internet, all kinds of bad things can happen to the ZIP file.  Your connection to the download site may have been terminated prematurely, and the ZIP file you now have is in fact incomplete.  If only one particular ZIP file is giving you trouble, and all other ZIP files on your computer work fine with The Unzip Wizard, then it is most likely a corrupt ZIP file.  I would suggest that you delete the ZIP file in question, and then re-download the ZIP file from the original source.  This normally solves the problem.

Q: I am trying to upload a file to my Palm Pilot.  The file was a ZIP file, and I thought that the Unzip Wizard would upload the file to my Palm Pilot.  I can't seem to make this work.  What's wrong?

A: We do not provide technical support for your handheld device. You should contact the Palm or Handspring Owner's Manual regarding uploading/installing files to your palm device.  We only provide technical support specifically related to unzipping ZIP files.  It is important that you understand the difference between a ZIP file (similar to a suitcase) and the extracted/unzipped files (the contents).  In your case, the file that you want to upload to your Palm device is NOT a ZIP file, but rather it is most likely a PDB file (the unpacked CONTENTS of the suitcase).  A ZIP file is like a suitcase.  A PDB file is a file that was EXTRACTED (unzipped) from the suitcase and is now a standalone file, ready for you to do whatever it is you need to do with it.  In the case of Palm files, you typically you launch the Palm Desktop Manager software, click the INSTALL button, and then browse to the folder where the UNzipped file is located on your harddrive.  Lastly, you "hot sync" your handheld device, which will upload/install the Palm file to your handheld device.

(Fine print legalese: Hey, if you even think about stealing portions of this page you better think again.  The Wizard will turn you into a toad with warts if you try to violate his Web realm).