RE: Unzipping file for icon packager

Try to open the file with winzip or icon packager. If the icon packager opens then load the icons and then apply icons.

Make a folder in your C drive, call it something like windowblind icons, when you download the Icon package, click save and go to the folder you named. Double click on the zip file and open it to that folder, sometimes there will only be one ip file in it, sometimes many icons and a ip file. They scatter all over so get ready to put them in a folder. Double click on the ip file and it will bring up the icon packager, and the icons will be loaded. Once you have clicked on the ip file do not move it from that location, or it will be lost (I know this from experience)so pick a folder where you want to keep them. I use the extras for changing the Start menu folders that Icon packager can't load. I hope I didn't confuse you.

ok, now i am really confused!
Is that why my icons are all over the place ...in my document and program files and unzipped. Should i delete them all and start over with a new file like you said. I always found winzip confusing.
Thanks

Are you using XP? XP has a built-in zip/unzip feature which is nice...I use that to unzip my d/l files. I asks you where you want to unzip your files to, and creates a folder there.

Really....
So what happened to mine???

It sounds like you might have your .zip files associated with Winzip. If you right-click on the zip file, then go to "Open With..", if you see "Compressed (zipped) folders"...that is the XP version of unzipping. I had the same problem when I installed Stuffit.

so now what should i do...What did you do?

What I do is look in the zip file. If it has a IP file in it I extract it and double click it. Iconpackager sends a copy to the theme folder in it's program file. If the zip file has icons and the theme file I rename the .zip file to .ip and double click it. I'm not sure what darco is saying about not deleting the downloaded file cause iconpackager makes a copy of it in the theme folder.

On XP, if you want to reassign the .zip format to be opened by XP's own zip program (instead of Winzip):

- Go to your control panel (thru start menu)
- double-click on Folder Options (new window opens)
- select the File Types tab
- scroll down to ZIP and select it
- below that in 'Details for ZIP extension' click on the Change button
- in the 'Open With' window, under Recommended Programs, select "Compressed (zipped) Folders" AND
- make sure you checkmark the "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" which is just below.
- click OK

Now, whenever you have a zip file...just double click the zip, it'll show you what's inside, you can either extract to the same folder, or tell windows where you want to extract...in the case of the iconpackager, you can navigate to the themes folder. XP should create a new folder for it there.

Sorry...that's a little long winded, and there are easier ways to do it...but that should get your zip files associated with the XP program...you can always choose to open a zip with Winzip any time.

hope that helps somehow!

Hi,
I didn't say anything about not deleting the downloaded file , just don't move it from the folder that you double clicked it to load it into Icon Packager, I have WinZip and it took me a while to learn to use it so I never bothered to use XP's zip file and I am not sure how it works. I moved some of the ip files that I loaded into Icon Packager and they were installed and listed and the next time I went back they were gone. I finally realized that it was because I moved them to a different folder. Now when I download them I open them where I want to keep that folder, and it makes a shortcut folder in Programs/Object Desktop/Icon Packager/themes. That is only the sets that come in Winzip. Most of the time when I download they self load into Icon Packager and make a folder there with either just the ip file or the icons and a ip file. They are the easy ones. Once I opened the WinZip in Icon packager and they went all over the place. That is why I download the Zipped ones to a separate folder now. That was hard to explain, sorry if I confused you, I almost un-installed IconPackager after that weekend from Hell. I found it very confusing in the beginning, but I have it down now. I hope they never update it or I will be lost.

ama02,
That is a good explanation of how to use Windows zip, If I ever need to. I copied it for future reference. Does it open all WinZip files? If I ever wanted to open something with WinZip again would I just right click and select open with WinZip? By the way, will it open a StuffIt file?

XP's version will open any .zip file...and you are correct, that you can choose to open those with your WinZip program by right-clicking and selecting "Open With". It won't open .sit files, those can be extracted using the freeware Stuffit Expander, which I have as well.

ama02,
Thanks for the reply, I hope Vtach understands what I was trying to explain, I wasn't as articulate as you were in explaining it. Maybe he will let us know if he is successful!

Ok, i fixed the XP Zip and made it my default. So do i still need to have winzip on my PC? Thanks for all the help and insight and yes it can be really confusing at times. I have files all over the place, ones that are zip and some are unzipped. A lot of doubles i am thinking of just deleting everything and starting over.
Should i download Stuffit? Is it better and easier than winzip? Thanks again for the help.

I haven't found much need for stuffit on this site. I think it is manly used for a Mac, I could be wrong. The only time I used it was for opening some Wallpaper from BlueSky Heart that came in Stuffit, it also was hard to understand and it took over my WinZip files and became my default un-zipper. The next time I tried to use WinZip, which is quite often, it said it was no longer my default Zip file and I nearly freaked, but then I took it back and haven't used Stuffit since then.

Thank you for all the help!

Darco, same here...I only use Stuffit Expander for extracting walls from BSH (awesome site btw). Vtach, if you DL Stuffit, or any zipping program, it *should* ask you (during install) which file types you want to associate with it...I just deselect everything, then sort it out later (or you can go into the program's properties and make adjustments there). I had a similar problem with the beta version of Paint Shop Pro...had to deselect all the file types, otherwise everything was stuck with it.

Good luck with IP!

ama02,
You are right, BSH is awesome, some of the best walls I have seen. Did you get her Icons? Great Icons also.. converted to Windows XP, they have to be used individually, but still my favorite.