Related Pages
Help with ZIP Files
How to Get and Use 7-Zip (It's Simple and Free)

How to Make a ZIP File in Earlier Versions of Windows

There's no built-in support for making ZIP files in versions of Windows that preceded Windows XP. So, if you're using Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT or Windows 2000, then you need a special application to zip files. If you don't already have such a program, I recommend 7-Zip. It's simple and free.

One way that you can determine whether you already have software that makes ZIP files is to right-click on a file or folder and see, in the pop-up menu that appears, whether you have a listing for a program or an action which, when you hover over it, produces another pop-up menu with some kind of option to compress, archive, or zip.

WinZip isn't free anymore, but if you have it, here's how to make a ZIP file with WinZip:

Right-click on the file(s) or folder(s) that you want to zip;
Select Add to Zip;
Choose a file name for the ZIP file.