How do I use WinZip to process AOL e-mail attachments?

WinZip can be used to decode certain e-mail attachments (known as "MIME-encoded") that are not handled by AOL e-mail services.

When you install the current release of WinZip using the standard installation options, the installation procedure automatically associates WinZip with MIME-encoded files. This will allow you to open a MIME-encoded file with WinZip simply by double clicking it in My Computer or Windows Explorer. If you are not running the current release, we recommend that you obtain the upgrade to the current release before attempting to decode your e-mail attachment. To see what release of WinZip you have using the Classic interface, choose About WinZip... from the Help menu; using the WinZip Wizard, click About on the first Wizard screen.

Once you have the current release of WinZip installed, you can use it to decode the contents of MIME-encoded files, much as you would extract the contents of Zip files. Here is a quick example of how to decode files that are encoded within the .MIM file:

If you use the Classic interface

Open the MIME-encoded file by double clicking its name in My Computer or Windows Explorer. It will typically be in your AOL downloads folder.

In the main WinZip window, you should see a list of the encoded file(s) that are contained in the .MIM file. Select a file you'd like to decode by single clicking it, and then press the Extract button on the toolbar or choose Extract from the Actions menu.

In the Extract dialog box that appears, use the "Folders/drives" window to navigate to the folder where you want the decoded copy of the file to go, and then click the Extract button. This will decode the file and place it in the folder you specified.

If you use the WinZip Wizard

Open the MIME-encoded file by double clicking its name in My Computer or Windows Explorer. It will typically be in your AOL downloads folder.

Click Next in the Welcome panel.

Click Next again in the Select Activity panel.

In the Unzip panel, use Select different folder to browse to the folder where you want the decoded file(s) to be stored, then click Unzip Now. This will decode the file(s) encoded in the MIME file and place them in the folder you specified. If you checked the option to Display file icons after unzipping, WinZip will automatically open the folder containing the decoded files. Just double click each file to view its contents.

For more information on downloading e-mail attachments from AOL, look in AOL's Help area