Windows XP allows you to quickly and easily create compressed folders so you no longer need to install a third party utility. To compress an existing folder simply right click, point to Send To, and click Compressed (zipped) folder.

For those of you who are concerned about security and do not want others viewing the contents of your compressed folder, rest assured there is a way that you can secure them. To increase security, you can assign a password to a compressed folder. This way any user that wants to view the contents must first supply the correct password.

You can assign a password to a compressed folder using the following steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer and My Computer.

2. Locate the compressed folder you want to assign a password to.
3. Double click the compressed folder to open it.
4. From the File menu click Add a password.
5. Type in the password twice and click OK.

If you need to remove the password simply open the compressed folder again and select Remove password from the File menu.