| Notes on ZIP files | Notes on EXE files |
"This may look complicated but believe me once youve done it a few times youll be able to set up a query set to run or import a template in 2-3 minutes without leaving your desk if you use the network connection to your server."
ZIP & EXE files provide a quick way of transferring many files in one go by zipping them into 1 file and compressing the data to reduce transfer times. You need to unpack them the other end. Winzip is a widely available program suitable for this purpose. Winzip can be downloaded from the web site www.winzip.com. Organisations are responsible for any costs.
Query sets & other downloads are provided in 2 forms
a) a *.ZIP file (where * is a wildcard representing the name of the file)
b) a *.EXE file
These files contain identical data but to access the *.ZIP files you need Winzip on one of your PCs. It is useful to have Winzip as you can use it for returning processed queries to PCAG by email, which is a lot quicker than by disc. (Or you could use our Packtosend software)
Ideally the PC being used to access the ZIP file should have Winzip loaded. On clicking the hyperlink to the file on the web page a dialogue box will open offering an option of Open this file from its current location or of Save this file to disc.
If Winzip is available on the PC you are accessing the internet with you can click the Open this file from its current location radio button and then ok. Winzip will run (You may need to click I agree if you have an evaluation version) and open up the file and display a list of the files packed into the Winzip file (Winzip should be configured to work in Winzip Classic mode). Then click Extract and choose a destination for the files in the Extract To box.
You can either extract to a blank floppy in your A: drive which you can then transfer to your clinical system server to upload the queries/template files into the clinical system or you can extract over the network to the server directly. With EMIS this should be to SERVER_NAME\\c:\Share(d)\ , which is located by clicking Network Neighbourhood in the dialogue box and continuing until you find the server on the network. (Where SERVER_NAME is the name of your server on the network)
All files should be extracted, overwriting existing files and the Use Folder names check box unchecked.
Click Extract and the files will be taken from the file you downloaded from the website and put on your chosen destination. See the individual clinical system instructions on how to proceed further.
If Winzip is not available on the PC you are using then click the Save this file to disc and download the file to a floppy disc. You will then need to put the floppy into the computer with Winzip and run Winzip to extract the files as above. This procedure can also be followed for practices receiving ZIP files via email attachment rather than directly from the website.
These files also contain the files but are slightly bigger and take a few seconds longer to download. This is because they also contain a program to extract the files without the necessity for Winzip. When you click on them a File download dialogue box will open, check the Run this program from its current location button and then ok. You may then get a security warning to which click Yes. The Winzip self extractor dialogue will open. Select the destination of the files as above, then click unzip and close when finished.
Those who are less trusting of PCAG may not like the idea of running programs downloaded from web sites and prefer to use Winzip. Needless to say PCAG computers are virus protected but there cannot be any absolute guarantee
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