An option to NOT show zip files as expanded in Windows 7 Explorer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter John Doe
  • Start date Start date
J

John Doe

I recently had trouble recognizing the fact that a download was
actually a compressed file. Not likely to happen again, but maybe
an option to prevent Windows Explorer from showing compressed
files as ordinary folders (with subfolders shown) might be worth a
try. I do have file extensions shown, but that didn't help. The
zipped folder icon looks the same as a regular icon to me.

The problem occurred when I mistakenly tried moving some of the
subfolders in the zipped file (shown as a regular folder). Windows
had to extract everything in those folders that were being moved
to the destination and it took about ten times longer than it
should have like when using 7-zip.

Is there an option to prevent compressed files from by default
showing as regular folder trees in Windows 7 Explorer? I'm
using Classic Explorer.

Thanks.
 
John Doe wrote, On 5/5/2014 3:08 AM:
I recently had trouble recognizing the fact that a download was
actually a compressed file. Not likely to happen again, but maybe
an option to prevent Windows Explorer from showing compressed
files as ordinary folders (with subfolders shown) might be worth a
try. I do have file extensions shown, but that didn't help. The
zipped folder icon looks the same as a regular icon to me.

The problem occurred when I mistakenly tried moving some of the
subfolders in the zipped file (shown as a regular folder). Windows
had to extract everything in those folders that were being moved
to the destination and it took about ten times longer than it
should have like when using 7-zip.

Is there an option to prevent compressed files from by default
showing as regular folder trees in Windows 7 Explorer? I'm
using Classic Explorer.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

The zipped folder icon is different. If not visible, reconfigure Win7's
Windows Explorer to show larger icons. Once done, you should notice the
zipped folder icon has a 'zipper' :)
 
Install a real ZIP program. The limited ZIP
functionality in XP+ is nice for people who
don't understand ZIP files, but personally I
find it very confusing. It's too easy to open
a file and then forget that it's actually
inside a ZIP. If you install an actual
ZIP program you can then assign ZIP files
to that.


|I recently had trouble recognizing the fact that a download was
| actually a compressed file. Not likely to happen again, but maybe
| an option to prevent Windows Explorer from showing compressed
| files as ordinary folders (with subfolders shown) might be worth a
| try. I do have file extensions shown, but that didn't help. The
| zipped folder icon looks the same as a regular icon to me.
|
| The problem occurred when I mistakenly tried moving some of the
| subfolders in the zipped file (shown as a regular folder). Windows
| had to extract everything in those folders that were being moved
| to the destination and it took about ten times longer than it
| should have like when using 7-zip.
|
| Is there an option to prevent compressed files from by default
| showing as regular folder trees in Windows 7 Explorer? I'm
| using Classic Explorer.
|
| Thanks.
 
John said:
I recently had trouble recognizing the fact that a download was
actually a compressed file. Not likely to happen again, but maybe
an option to prevent Windows Explorer from showing compressed
files as ordinary folders (with subfolders shown) might be worth a
try. I do have file extensions shown, but that didn't help. The
zipped folder icon looks the same as a regular icon to me.

The problem occurred when I mistakenly tried moving some of the
subfolders in the zipped file (shown as a regular folder). Windows
had to extract everything in those folders that were being moved
to the destination and it took about ten times longer than it
should have like when using 7-zip.

Is there an option to prevent compressed files from by default
showing as regular folder trees in Windows 7 Explorer? I'm
using Classic Explorer.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Recipe here. Includes .reg files for turning it on and off.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/13619-zip-folders-enable-disable-windows-explorer-view.html

Paul
 
Mayayana said:
Install a real ZIP program.
Click to expand...

As originally mentioned, I have a real ZIP program. The problem
was (before Paul's apparent solution) that Windows was showing
downloaded zip files as folder trees. I don't need the confusion.
Whenever I download a compressed file, I extract it. For some
strange reason, Windows shows compressed files as folder trees,
but worse than that is when you mistakenly try to move contained
folders. It takes forever, like 10 times as long to extract the
files that way.

Anyways... The simple solution will be to keep Windows Explorer
from showing compressed files as folder trees, as in Paul's
reference/citation...

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/13619-zip-folders-enable-disable-windows-explorer-view.html

It's at least worth a try. I can't recall ever needing to look
into a downloaded zip file before extracting it. There is no risk,
so I just extract the thing. And it usually needs to be extracted
anyway.
 
...winston said:
John Doe wrote:

The zipped folder icon is different. If not visible,
reconfigure Win7's Windows Explorer to show larger icons. Once
done, you should notice the zipped folder icon has a 'zipper' :)
Click to expand...

How do you know it's a folder? How do you know it's not a
compressed single file?

If Microsoft is going to confuse the issue without giving me a
simple option to turn it off, it should at least warn me when
moving subfolders within the compressed file structure. You know,
like "Would you like to extract to the destination?" And if it
can't find the programmer to warn me that the folders/files being
moved are going to be extracted, it could at least warn me that it
will take 10 times longer than a real ZIP program to extract the
files to the destination. That was the main problem. The
move/extraction thing tied up my system for so long I thought it
was failing.
 
John Doe wrote, On 5/5/2014 12:58 PM:
How do you know it's a folder? How do you know it's not a
compressed single file?

If Microsoft is going to confuse the issue without giving me a
simple option to turn it off, it should at least warn me when
moving subfolders within the compressed file structure. You know,
like "Would you like to extract to the destination?" And if it
can't find the programmer to warn me that the folders/files being
moved are going to be extracted, it could at least warn me that it
will take 10 times longer than a real ZIP program to extract the
files to the destination. That was the main problem. The
move/extraction thing tied up my system for so long I thought it
was failing.
Click to expand...


It is what it is. One can also look at the file type...for a zipped
folder it shows 'Compressed (zipped) Folder'.
 
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