Why can't I extract the .dat file from the gz file with WinZip?

I can open the GZ file with WinZip, but when I try to extract the .dat file inside the gz file I get the following error message

Extracting to “(directory location I specified)”

Use Path: noOverlay Files: no

Could not create …aborting extract operation

Thank you.

While WinZip is supposed to be able to open .gz compressed files it has been know to dislike IPUMS files. I would recommend trying to decompress the file using the free software 7-zip. If you are still having decompression problems I recommend downloading the compressed file again, as there may have been an error during the download process.

I hope this helps.