Disable zip file support

Does anyone know how to disable Vista's inbuilt zip file support so that they display as ordinary files?

Regards, Len

But zip files are not folder files. Zip files are archived compressed files. Since files in a zip or cab are compressed, the files can't be opened in the zip or cab. It's the mechanics of the compression technology.

"Len Norton" wrote:

Hi,

If you disable the native ability to read .zip files, then you won't be able to open them at all. If you want to display them as oridinary files, you need to unzip (decompress) them.

-- Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

"Len Norton"

Well for Windows XP, theirs a DLL that you can unregister. That is what I did. Then I installed WinZip 10 which I like a lot better. I installed Winzip 10 on Vista too, but I never unregistered the dll.

I will have to do some research to find that DLL and I don't know if it will be the same in Vista or not. One thing for sure (if your doing something similar to what I did), you want to unregister the DLL first before installing WinZip 10. Otherwise the unregistration of the DLL has a harmfull effect on WinZip (in that it takes away the icon... as to what the icon looks like).

Let me know if this is where your heading. When you do this, it speeds up the way your Windows Explorer works.

"Len Norton"

Maybe I didn't make myself clear.I want to disable Vista's inbuilt support of zip files so that they don't display as pseudo-folders but as an ordinary file of type "xxxxx.zip".I'll then use WinZip to do all the necessary extracting etc.You could do this in WinXP by unregistering the zipfldr.dll, but this doesn't work in Vista.

Regards, Len

"Len Norton"

so you don't want a icon? If that's the case, then delete the file association in File Types.

"Len Norton" wrote:

No, what I want is for the Explorer window to show the zip files in collating sequence along with the rest of the files.At the moment all the zip files are grouped at the start of the list, as if they were folders.Like this -aaa.zipbbb.zipzzz.zipaaa.txtbbb.exezzz.jpg

what I want is -aaa.txtaaa.zipbbb.exebbb.zipzzz.jpgzzz.zip

Regards, Len

Right click in the Explorer window, select arrange icons by name.

-- Jane, not plain ;) 64bit enabled ;)Batteries not included. Braincell on vacation."Len Norton"

No, that's what I have at the moment and it still groups all the zip files first.

Regards, Len

"Jane C"

you'll have to wait until someone figures out how to unregister zip files. Vista treats them as folders than actual files.

Has anyone tried to right-click before unregistering zipfldr.dll?

-Luke

Yes, I've tried as Administrator, but the problem is that the zipfldr.dll doesn't contain the necessary"DllUnregisterServer" function which is what gets executed when you enter"regsvr32 /u %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll"

Regards, Len

"Luke Fitzwater"

"Len Norton" wrote:

In earlier builds of Vista, "regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll" worked to turnoff the in-box Compressed Folders extension, just as it does onWindows 2003/XP and earlier.

Somewhere on or before build 5456, this ability stopped working. Thiswas bugged from the beta test group and was declared "will not fix -by design". (Feedback ID 157303 for anyone with access to see them.)

So I don't know exactly why it cannot be turned off, but it seems thatfor now it indeed cannot be turned off. Maybe its now a built-infunction of Explorer rather than an extension, and we're waiting forthem to surface a configuration policy for Explorer.

Alan Adams

Hello,

In current builds of Windows Vista zip files are no longer mixed with folders when being displayed in explorer, they are displayed as files as one would expect.

- JB

Vista Support FAQ
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

Okay, I wasn't sure. Microsoft will do what they can to make it harder... so that your forced to use their version.

"Len Norton"

Was that change after 5472? I am about to file a bug report about some strange 'folder access denied' errors when trying to zip files from a read-only network share, and I'm wondering if that's related to the way Vista is treating zip files (and that it may get fixed).

I guess I'll file the report anyways just in case, but the handling of zip files is definitely a bit odd in Vista.

-- George.

No, it was changed shortly after 5384.

This sounds like a permissions issue. Could you open all the files in all the folders that you were trying to zip via the network share?

It is definately slow.

- JB

Vista Support FAQ
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/

I filed the bug report, but then after doing some research discovered the cause - not Vista related, though the handling of the issue is awkward at best.

And since I'm not a beta tester I can't update my filed bug, but then again since I'm not a beta tester I'm not even sure they spend a lot of time looking at them :-)

In any case, it appears that Winzip gives the final ZIP file the same file permissions as the most restricted file in the same - one file, some sort of Intuit protection thing, didn't have 'Everyone' and 'Users' in the security list, only the one user that installed it. So the ZIP got the same restricted permission, and that kept it from being copies across a network share.

The awkward thing is that Vista throws up three error boxes - first some sort of 'administrator needed' box, then a User Account Control box, and finally the 'Folder Access Denied' box (note the use of the word 'folder', when in fact the access problem was with a 'file').

Hmmmm.

I think I know what you mean Len.

The zipped folder looks too much like an ordinary folder at some resolutions.

If it helps at all I append "zip" to the folder name to make it clearly distinguishable from folder(s) with a similar name.

It would seem handy to have an option to append "zip" to the file (oops) folder name of any zipped files (oops!) folders :)

Years ago I defaulted myself to have all extensions visible. It prevents confusion when you have the same document in .doc and .rtf, for instance, since MSWord will display the same icon. It also helps in avoiding some malwares that have a fictitious extension followed by .exe; if you have common extensions hidden, the .exe is hidden and the unknowing user (that'd be me) has a propensity to click on such things.

"deebs"

I can see that the icons are different, and I do indeed have "show extensions" turned on - so I don't get confused.It just irks me slightly that I can't just view ALL files in a simple collating sequence.Carrying this "grouping" idea to an extreme would mean that all the .bmp would be listed first, then the .exethen the .jpg, and so on.That's OK as an OPTION, but I'd like the choice.Geez, I'm turning into a grumpy old man . . :)

Regards, LenPS: I'm not sure what the performance impact is, either.Under WinXP displaying a folder with a large number (several hundred) of zip files took AGES unless you did the zipfldr tweak.

"deebs"