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Thread ID: 49225	2004-09-13 04:41:00	Ged.com files and winzip	JJJJJ (528)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
271848	2004-09-13 04:41:00	Could someone tell me is it possable to zip a ged.com file? They are both file compressors but I cant see how they would work together. If they did would the result be a *.ged file or a *.zip ? And how would you open it? Jack	JJJJJ (528)
271849	2004-09-13 04:44:00	You can zip any file. With programs like Winzip, which is shareware, NOT free. From here http://www.winzip.com. It would end in .zip You would zip and unzip it with Winzip	Spacemannz (808)
271850	2004-09-13 04:50:00	Yes I can see that, But the ged file is compressed to the minimum and can only be opened in a genealogy program. If winzip compressed it more would the genealogy program still recognise the file. And the ged file has no executable so would winzip be able to unzip? Jack	JJJJJ (528)
271851	2004-09-13 04:53:00	> If winzip compressed it more would the genealogy program still recognise the file no >so would winzip be able to unzip? yes you could make an executable but that would make it bigger and every pc has a prog that can decompress zip's.	tweak'e (174)
271852	2004-09-13 05:02:00	No if Winzip zips a file no other program will read it unless it has the option. And Winzip if the file is compressed already and its a small file, Winzip would most probably not compress it any further. The file doesnt have to be an exe file for Winzip to compress it/ zip it. It can be a bunch of text files or a text file. Or any other file.	Spacemannz (808)
271853	2004-09-13 05:21:00	> Could someone tell me is it possable to zip a ged.com > file? Yes. > They are both file compressors but I cant see how > they would work together. If they did would the > result be a *.ged file or a *.zip ? The resultant file will be a *zip file which contains the *.ged file. > And how would you open it? You would open the zip file using Winzip, Power desk, WinRAR etc and then you would extract the file or files within the zip archive. Having extracted the gedcom file from the zip archive I guess you will open it with whatever family tree program you use. > Jack	Elephant (599)
271854	2004-09-13 09:41:00	This may be of interest to those who took the trouble to reply to my enquirey. Jack Firstly I should say that I write computer programs that read and write GEDCOM files - so I am very familiar with them. A number of things could be happening and it is not yet clear to me what the problem is. The process of "Zipping" creates a compressed file. "Unzipping" recreates the original file exactly. 1) A failure when unzipping the GEDCOM file would indicate that the zipped file is corrupt. If that is the case - go and get another copy from who ever sent it to you. (There are still some internet programs that are unreliable when sending large files.) 2) A failure when reading the unzipped GEDCOM file using Softkey's Family Tree program would indicate that the Gedcom file is a) incompatible with SoftKey or b) corrupt. To my mind the most likely thing (assuming you can successfully unzip the GEDCOM) is that it is incompatible with SoftKey. It may not be SoftKey's fault. The Gedcom standard is very complex and implementations vary widely. If you can find a Gedcom Toolbox that may be able to fix it. To see whether a Gedcom file is corrupt. Open the file in a text file editor eg "Notepad.exe" which is found in the Widows directory. If Notepad reports any unreadable characters, special characters or long lines then you know the file is corrupt. View the file in Notepad (with Word Wrap in the Format menu UNTICKED - ie no word wrap) The left most column should be a number, followed by a code (usually 4 letters, upper case) and possibly more text on the line. Every line should be of this format. So if there is a corrupt file - get another copy. If it is a GEDCOM file format error I would refer to SoftKey or find a 3rd party program that will fix it. If you want to send the zipped file to me I can validate it. Steve Nethercote Melbourne, Australia *** Oak Tree: A nut that stood its ground ***	JJJJJ (528)
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