KK

I have a computer user who I would define as a “clicker”. He has been known to click anything that pops up on his screen. As you can imagine, this can cause major problems for tech support. I recently got a call from his office requesting help because he could not longer open .zip files. Apparently Adobe would try to open them. So I go to fix the problem.

Windows Vista comes with a built in extraction program for .zip files. You can browse .zip files and extract them. Nice feature. But what happens when you have a “clicker” who changes the default associations for .zip files? Annoying things. You could install something like winrar or winzip, but they usually come in trial format so you can’t easily continue to use them without paying or being harassed. Also, when it comes to user level support, sometimes it is easier to go with what they are familiar with. Unfortunately there isn’t an executable that can easily be found to point the associate back too. From my research I have found that the only exe you can use is explorer.exe. Weird huh? Below are the steps that will help you associate .zip files back to Vista default.

1) Start Button –> Default Programs –> Associate a file type or protocol with a program –> highlight .zip –> Change Program

2) Browse to C:\Windows\explorer.exe. Click Open. Close that window and .zip files should be accessible via Windows Explorer.

I hope this helps. If you know of a better way to reset it to default feel free to comment. Knowledge is power and all that jazz.

KK