Why Might I Need To Convert Files & How Can I Do It?
Many of the files on the Internet are plain text files known as ASCII, but some are stored in particular formats. These can be for particular wordprocessors or particular graphics packages. If the formats are for particular operating systems and you do not have that operating sytem then ignore the file, or if you desperately want it, look for it stored in a different format. Most wordprocessors and graphics packages are capable of translating files stored in other common formats. For instance Word For Windows is provided with a number of file translation facilities, and optional further facilities. These allow you to translate text files, files in the format of its main two competitors (WordPerfect & WordPro/AmiPro), and files in a variety of special formats, such as Rich Text Format. Similarly Paintshop Pro can deal with a variety of graphics files, and is able to convert files into .gif format, which is one of the dominant standards for graphics files used on the World Wide Web.Archived/Packed and Compressed/Zipped Files
Some files are compressed in order that they are smaller and thus take up less room on the host system and are faster to transfer. These can be unzipped or uncompressed using utilities such as pkunzip ("stuff it" is the Apple Macintosh alternative). Some files are archived or packed so that related files can all be kept inside one other file. Sometimes such files are created as a self-extracting executable file, which will unpack itself (this is typically the case with the downloadable versions of Netscape). Sometimes you will need to use specific utilities to unpack the files: for instance pkunpak.
Training report sheet