How do I compress my music without losing data or quality?

I want to put my music, picture, and video files into archives or .RAR or .ZIP files and upload them for ease of access and storage in case of crashes or shut downs.





I need to know how do I archive these files into .RAR/.ZIP folders without losing any data or quality? I want everything to be EXACTLY or as close as possible to the same as the original files.





Also, what freeware could I use to accomplish all of this?How do I compress my music without losing data or quality?
Zip and rar, since they were designed to compress program files (where 1 bit changed would be disaster) don't lose any quality.





However, jpg files, mp3 files, etc., are already compressed. Zipping or raring them simply stores them - the resultant file is larger than the sum of the files in it (it's the files plus the catalog of the files).





You can use 7-zip or Zip Genius - both are free (totally different interfaces, but they do the same thing). WinRAR is shareware, it's not free.How do I compress my music without losing data or quality?
Zipping and Unzipping files will not lose any quality. The files will be exactly as they were before you compressed them. If you are using Windows XP or Vista you don't even need any additional software. Both have a built-in compression utility. Simply Right Click a file/folder and select Send To %26gt; Compressed (zipped) Folder.