Peazip File Compression --- How?

I've performed tons of Zip files extractions with IZArc2Go. However, I have very rarely zipped files with it. Yesterday I decided to see if I still remembered how to do it. Heck, I had trouble doing it even after reading an IZArc Tutorial. Then while I then could zip files with it, I had zero success getting it to actually compress files in the process.

I then looked around and found PeaZip Portable 6.1.0. Upon taking it for a spin, it immediately seemingly appeared very straightforward and easier than IZArc2Go. I conducted a test. To the best of my knowledge and interpretation of the GUI and Settings, I could swear that I set the settings to zip the file in 7Z format and Ultra compression.

Ssss SO ... WHY is it that test after test after test, while the file zipping is accomplished successfully ... there is absolutely NO compression? The zipped file size is the same as the orginal file. I even tried Zip format and Maximum compress settings. Still no dice.

What am I doing wrong? How do I get file compression to happen?

 

The amount of compression you get depends on the type of file that is being compressed.
You did not say anything about the file you were trying to compress. If it's already in a compressed form, it can not be compressed any further.

I suggest you try 7-Zip. The interface looks dated but it is very stable and easy to use.
If you choose to have 7-Zip integrated into the shell context menu, you can just right click on a .zip file and choose one of the 7-Zip options there.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/7_zip.html

 

Three or so weeks ago I had already tried ... uhhh, attempted to try 7-Zip. I didn't like it at all. I wasn't even able to figure out how to use it. I liked how PeaZip was pretty straightforward ... just drag & drop, set settings, click on OK and BAMM! Done. Well, except for that I didn't achieve compression like I thought would automatically happen every time.

Anyway, mjnc, you might be right. Cuz the thought did occur to me that maybe it was a case of that not necessarily everything you throw at those Compression Apps will be compressed even more.

Let's see ... the last test I conducted was zipping 3 folders of images of which their original collective file sizes total was around 67 Meg. The zipped file size was the same. I would have figured images WOULD have been able to be compressed. Before that, I also conducted some zipping tests with I believe some Docs.

I'll conduct more tests today. I'll take more detailed note of what type of files each test involves and what the compression verdict is with each one to see IF any of them yields any compression.

 

To confirm how all this works ...
(1) So I take it that for example, you can't just zip up several Software Apps Setup Files and expect them to be compressed more because those are already compressed, right?

(2) Another example --- Out of the many Wallpapers that I have, many of them were originally in a much bigger size both physically and in file size. I subsequently downsized them and of course resampled them in the process, yielding much smaller file sizes without losing resolution. So I take it that IF those Wallpapers had been left in their original huge file size versions ... compression WOULD have occurred when zipped? And now that I've already resampled them and squeezed out all the excess file size, that is why they can no longer be compressed any further?

 

Thanks, dr. moriarty ... mjnc.

 

Alright! Success! I zipped up 7 MS Word Docs --- 5 of 19KB and 2 of 20KB for a total of 135KB original file size. Using 7Z format and Ultra compression, the zipped file was compressed down to just 8.12KB.

I guess we can consider this issue resolved.

 

Curious...
Where those .doc files?

 

You lost me. What do you mean where are they?
Or did you mean "Were those .doc files?"
If so, yeah, they were .doc files. I have MS Office 2003.

 

Oops!
Yes, I meant were they .doc files.
Convert them to .docx and do the same. You'll notice the compression will (should) be less.

 

What with trying to watch the Olympics at the same time as messing around on the computer ... ohhh, I'll just take your word for it since I figured that's the direction you were going with your question and the logic makes sense.