Winzip and Windows XP problem, please help

[sanddrag]

I needed to get some zip files from this website and they wouldn't open with the "comrpessed folder" function of windows xp. It said they were corrupt or invalid when I double clicked, or when I tried to "extract all" by right clicking it said "no files found" This would only happen with files from this one particular website. For all the other zip files on my computer or from anywhere else, they work fine with "compressed folder" in Windows XP. So I got Winzip 10 and now the zip files from that one site open just fine. Except now all the zip files on my computer no longer open with the "compressed folder" function in Windows XP. Now it says it is corrupt or invalid for all of them.

Please help me make Windows XP open all my zip files again.

Thanks.

[Bill_Hancoc]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Some people would argue that you have 3 problems: the two mentioned, and the third - you are running Windows

Try uninstalling winzip 10 and/or system restore after you extract the files you need.


Sorry that had to be put in...The orignal post

[TechnocratiK]

Personally, I find IZArc (http://www.izarc.org/) does the trick for me - it will open most of the types of compressed archives in existence today, and it's free (like Linux free).

[Elgin Clock]

I also found that the generic zipping program included in windows failed and crashed during some operations.

My alternative: I installed WinZip for dealing with .zip files, and WinRar for dealing with .rar files.

I have only had one crash since then - better than the 5 I had in one week before I upgraded from a windows default zip program.

I believe MS tried and failed in some instances to bundle a zipping program in XP.
Too many eggs in one basket to speak.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Winzip has taken hold of your computer. This is one of the things to beware with Winzip. Although it is truly a great program for shareware. Some people are providing it with a chunk of spyware attached. If your computer is crashing or running slow, suspect that something came along with Winzip. Not all zipped files are the same which is why Windows was unable to open the file you needed. You should be able to go into "my computer", tools, folder options, file types and page down to the *.zip entry and change the association back to windows. This will give you the best of both worlds in that Winzip will still be installed when you need it. Scan for spyware with something like Spybot Search and Destroy, or one of the other shareware scan engines. You will be surprised what you find.

[sanddrag]

I got the winzip from download.com I checked the file type association and it is set to the windows "compressed folder" program thing. I even hit the restore to default button but still no change. I never had it set to use Winzip as default for zip files (I think it was an option during the install) Maybe I'll try uninstalling Winzip, and hopefully Windows will be able to open the zip files again.

When I got Windows XP, I thought it was the greatest thing that it could open zip files without Winzip. I got so accustomed to it, and then the one day it can't open one, I've got to get Winzip, and now that whole functionality of XP is taken away. I'm no better off now than I was with my old 98SE machine.

[Ken Leung]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

I got the winzip from download.com I checked the file type association and it is set to the windows "compressed folder" program thing. I even hit the restore to default button but still no change. I never had it set to use Winzip as default for zip files (I think it was an option during the install) Maybe I'll try uninstalling Winzip, and hopefully Windows will be able to open the zip files again.

When I got Windows XP, I thought it was the greatest thing that it could open zip files without Winzip. I got so accustomed to it, and then the one day it can't open one, I've got to get Winzip, and now that whole functionality of XP is taken away. I'm no better off now than I was with my old 98SE machine.

Not sure if this is what you are looking for. It seems like an obvious solution to me, but the fact that no one mentioned it makes me wonder if this is what you want.

Open "My Computer". At the top of the window choose "Tools" (among File, Edit, View, Favorites), and choose "Folder Options". Click the File Types tab, and scroll down to the bottom (mine is the very last) and click the extensions ZIP (File Types "Zip File"). At the space under that list, you can press the change button for "Opens with", and I believe you can choose "Compressed (zipped) Folders" among the programs.

I think "Compressed (zipped) Folders" is the default Window feature to view zip files. If not, the bottom line is, you can choose something else to open your zip files.

[sanddrag]

That was the very first thing I checked and as I said above, it was always set to "compressed folder" and never was set to Winzip.

[Marc P.]

When winzip is installed, one of the options during the installation is called "Winzip Shell integration"- it's handy because it adds Winzip functionality to right clicks and file associations, but if you want to get back to Compressed folders, it may be easier just to delete a registry key. All the standard warnings apply to editing the registry- if you delete the wrong entry or change something else, bad things can happen.

I have winzip installed here and just tested this. Click start, run, type in "regedit".

Under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, look for .zip, right click it export it first (to back it up in case something goes wrong), and then delete it. Close the registry editor, and the next time you double click a zip file, it will regenerate the .zip class in the registry with the default Compressed folders assocations.

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Marc P.

I have winzip installed here and just tested this. Click start, run, type in "regedit".

Under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, look for .zip, right click it export it first (to back it up in case something goes wrong), and then delete it. Close the registry editor, and the next time you double click a zip file, it will regenerate the .zip class in the registry with the default Compressed folders assocations.

OMG you are amazing! That worked like a charm! It not only allowed me to open my original files again, now I can open the ones from that site that I could never open before. I've gotten rid of Winzip because now I don't need it at all. I did have to restart my computer, but that registry fix worked great. Thanks so much!