How to Extract the files from an archive file

If you have just downloaded an install or large upgrade file from the SMF Downloads page, you need to extract the files from it so you can use it. The .zip file is probably going to be easy to use on any desktop computer you are using. Modern versions of Windows have the ability to open zip archive files, just like a folder. You can either right-click on the .zip file and choose "extract all" from the pop-up menu, or open the file, like any other folder, and copy or move the contents out of the archive and into another folder on your hard drive. If you choose to right click, The system will ask you where you want to drop the extracted files. Make sure they go into an empty directory, in a location that you can find, because, when you click the Extract button, all of the files will be extracted from the zip file in that directory.

If you are not planning to use the basic Windows archive handling feature, you will need to choose another archive manager that can handle standard zip files. Always make sure that you are happy about where the program is planning to put the unzipped files, so that they are neatly stored in a subdirectory, rather than mixed in with other files.