What are my download format options?

Updated: March 30, 2011

Applies To: Windows Home Server 2011

There are two options for downloading files. Choose the option that fits your needs:

• Self-extracting executable file (.exe)

  A self-extracting executable file is a file that you can download that combines the decompression (executable) program with the compressed files. When you run the executable program, it automatically decompresses the compressed files (self-extracting). This is a common way to distribute compressed data without worrying about whether the recipient has the right decompression utility.

  Note

  This option supports Unicode characters.

• Windows Compressed (zipped) folder

  Zipping a file creates a compressed version of the file that is smaller than the original file. The zipped version of the file has a .zip file extension. File types that are reduced the most by zipping are text-oriented file types, such as .txt, .doc, .xls, and graphics files that use non-compressed file types such as .bmp. Some graphic files, such as .jpg and .gif files, already use compression, and the file size is reduced very little by zipping. Also, a Word document that contains a lot of graphics is not reduced as much as a document that is mostly text.

  Note

  This option provides limited support for international file names.

Before the actual download begins, the exe or zip file is created. Depending on the number of files and the total size of the files to be downloaded, this may take several minutes. After the download file is created, downloading the file occurs in the background. This allows you to continue working while the download process completes.