Tip #3573 - Zamzar
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Zamzar
If you use Web sites
to share your documents, movies, pictures and music files, you probably
know what it means to have to convert files. What do I mean by converting
files? Well, I mean, changing the format of a file from one to another.
Certain programs only accept certain file formats. Other times, it is
easier for you to have the file in a format, because that particular format
compresses the file to a smaller size.
For example, if I
have a .wav sound file and I need to be in an MP3 format, I would probably
have to download a shareware program to do this for me. That is because
I don't have a program on my PC that allows me to open up a file and save
it as an MP3. The shareware program might not convert the entire file
and it will more than likely prompt me to purchase the program, even though
this is the only time I want to convert from .wav to MP3.
If the program did
convert the entire program, I would have to uninstall it and it might
leave files behind, which would make for a slower computer for me. What
a crazy dilemma for such a simple conversion! Well, now you'll almost
never have to worry about going through this puzzle again. All you need
to do is visit Zamzar, which can be found here.
Zamzar is a Web site that performs file format conversions online. It’s
free, helpful and extremely simple to use. Let's check it out!
My example for this
tip is again, converting a .wav sound file to an MP3 format. I selected
the MP3 format, because I would like to upload this sound file to Xdrive.com,
which is an online backup service. (You can check that out here).
For sound files, Xdrive only accepts MP3s, so I have to convert the file
this way.
To begin:
1. Visit Zamzar and
you will be greeted by a page similar to this:
2. In the Step 1 area, select the original file you would like to convert
by selecting Browse. Then find the file and click OK.
I selected my .wav sound file.
If you would like, you can select more than one just by clicking Browse
again. However, the files must all be in the same format and under 100
MB in size. The files you have selected appear below the steps.
3. In the Step 2 area,
select what format you would like the output file to be in. I selected
the MP3 format. Choose what you want though.
4. In the Step 3 area, enter your e-mail address to where the output file
will be sent.
5. Finally, select
the Convert button.
A dialogue box will appear. Select OK to confirm and
begin your conversion.
6. A progress bar
will then appear below.
When the bar reaches
100 percent.
7. Zamzar says to wait approximately 24 hours for the e-mail to be received.
I received my e-mail, however, within one hour.
8. An e-mail should
be in your Inbox with a download link inside. If you received an e-mail,
skip to step number nine. If not, check your spam folder of your e-mail
service. If you still cannot find the e-mail, reconvert your file and
double check that you entered the correct e-mail address.
9. The e-mail message
should look similar to this:
Just select the link and follow the instructions to download the file.
Zamzar currently supports many picture, document, movie and sound formats.
It also supports some video formats that cell phones use. Zamzar may or
may not support your cell phone, depending on what model your cell phone
is. Zamzar is always adding new formats though and you can get the complete
list of formats here.
There you go. A simple way to convert practically any file!
Enjoy!
~ Neil Patel
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