Chapter 17
Each new release of Windows includes more file management capabilities. Microsoft Windows XP Explorer enables you to perform nearly every function required to work with the files on your computer. One recent addition to Windows is the capability to compress your data files to take less space and transfer more quickly online. In this chapter we examine this built-in Windows tool and then take a look at the added file compression features of the third-party tool WinZip.
For reasons that can only be understood by the perpetrators themselves, an increasing number of hackers seem determined to generate computer viruses at an accelerating pace. Windows XP does have some features (such as firewalls) that help protect against infiltration by potentially damaging programs such as viruses, worms, and Trojan horses; however, your system can still be vulnerable. In addition to file compression, this chapter covers virus protection software created for Windows by third-party vendors, focusing specifically on the innovative McAfee VirusScan Online. File compression and virus protection are two important aspects of both file management and overall system management.