Another annoyance

By "annoyance", do you mean the problem or your question?

That's the default icon for a compressed archive. Windoze has a miserable builtin zip/unzip program that handles zip files for you. However, if you install a real zip/unzip program, such as 7zip:

not only will the icon change to something recognizable as a zip file, but you'll be able to zip and unzip a much wider assortment of compressed archives.

You don't SFAIK. What's wrong with it? The metaphor seems fine to me - you can open them as if they were folders without resorting to PKZip or the like.

-- Les Cargill

The XP Pro machine that died (ancient Enpower) didn't do that. Maybe it's machine-brand dependent? (This new box is Lenovo.)

I don't like the clutter... I like to make my own ;-) ...Jim Thompson

I have both WinZIP and WinRAR installed. I want the icon to go away ;-) ...Jim Thompson

Did you try right click, properties, open with ?

That's not the problem. They're showing in as Folders. I only want them to show as _files_. ...Jim Thompson

Something went wrong during the installation. You might want to try and repair either Winzip or WinRAR. Go to the Control Panel, find Winzip, and select "repair" if it's available.

If not, go to Windoze Explorer (right click on "start" and select "explore). Tools -> Folder Options -> File Types Scroll down to ZIP. It usually says "Compressed (zipped) folder". Hit "change" and select which program you want to have the ZIP file opened with. That should also change the icon.

I don't see why you don't like the standard icon. When dealing with zip folders/files, I don't double click on the zip file. I use right click on the zip file, and then select which zip program I want to use to extract it.

Crikey! It's NOT the icon that is the issue. The damned things are showing as FOLDERS, thoroughly cluttering up Explorer. They're NOT FOLDERS, they are FILES. ...Jim Thompson

Well, they look like folders with a zipper inside on my XP machine:

Is that what you're seeing? If I change to view -> details they look like files. Incidentally, compressed archives are folders, not files.

If you think that your XP install has somehow been corrupted, Microsoft fixit has an icon repair section: Online:

Download and install:

You may need to disable zipfldr.dll If you feel comfortable here is a link on how.

Tom

ControlPanel->FolderOptions

Select FileType Tab, Scroll to end for ZIP file and change the default program from "Comprressed (zipped) Folder" to something else.

Cheers

No, they are files. If you dig into the file allocation table you'll find that a ZIP'd archive is stored as a file. It's not in the directory table. Windows attempts to make life easier for the user by treating them like a folder. Not something I care for either, so I usually leave Windows showing details rather than icons.

A compressed archive my uncompress into both folders and files depending on its content, but the archive itself is just a file.

Argh. That didn't work. The check box that says "Always use the selected program to open this type of file" is greyed out and cannot be changed from the default "Compressed (zipped) folder". Although it would correctly execute 7Zip when changed, the icons remained a folder with a zipper inside. Sorry for the wrong suggestion.

Good god. That you'd have to go through this much trouble to disable being forcibly subjected to what "metaphor" others have decided in their infinite hubris is "best for you" is so pathetic.

I fear even Linux desktops are heading more and more in this direction of thinking "we know best how you should think" for the user. In fact, there is something deeper to this. This is becoming an entrenched cultural paradigm. In its political manifestation it is called "statism." The idea that nothing is individual. Everything, even how you f*ck, is ultimately political.

Pre-ordained abstractions are NOT helpful. The bare minimum of default abstraction is.

What works for me, on my existing Linux desktop, is that files and folders are shown as they exist on the machine, with correct depiction of their place within the / hierarchy. A .zip file is a .zip file. I must take an explicit action to invoke any further automagic on that .zip file, such as clicking it, which invokes a configurable action such as THEN displaying it as a folder, or I may explicitly right click it, select an action such as "extract here..." or "extract into folder ___".

What is useful, is that the OS has built-in the ability to extract said file when I explicitly direct it. But the user should make the choice of what action to take on a .zip or any file. There is never a correct default action for this, so there should be no default action.

When I have a computer pull the kind of shit that Jim's Windoze is doing, then I spend more time trying to figure out what is being hidden from me and how to disable it than working. And that makes the machine worse than useless.

Thanks a lot arrogant UI programmers who think they know best how I should think!

Feel better?

Yes.

:-D

-- _____________________ Mr.CRC snipped-for-privacy@REMOVETHISsbcglobal.net SuSE 10.3 Linux 2.6.22.17

You need to accociate zip files with Win Zip. IIRC there is an options tab that allows you to select this in WinZip (or it can be selected in installation and should be selected by a default install).

If you can't find an option to select then unistall Win Zip and then do a default install

You seem to pin all Windows' weirdness on "corruption" :-) Here's what I'm getting, in "Details" mode:

Really annoying.

Surely there's some way to force them showing under the Files section??? ...Jim Thompson