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 want to get the files out of 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 has 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 extract files. Make sure they go into a clean directory in a location that you can find, because, when you hit the Extract button, you'll have all of those files extracted from that zip file in that directory.

If you are not planning to use the Windows standard system, you'll need to choose another archive manager that can handle standard zip files. Learning to use it should be pretty simple. Always make sure that you are happy about where the program is planning to put the unzipped files, so they are neatly stored in a subdirectory rather than mixed in with other files.