Zip file blocked, but no Unblock in properties?

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I'm running XP/SP2 on a few machines here at the office, and they all exhibit
this behavior - attempting to open certain zip files generates the 'windows
is blocking files for your protection' popup, BUT when right-clicking on the
zip file to get the properties, there is NO unblock button!

Can someone explain how windows determins what zip files it will let me open?
The files in question are not downloaded off the web or saved attachments
from Outllook. They are from a Win CE device. Of course the files open just
fine using WinZip or WinRar. My guess is there is something causing windows
to flag them as 'dangerous'.

I have already tried using the policy manager to disable 'default risk level
for file attachments' and 'inclusion list for low file types'. Should I
disable everything in Attachment Manager'?? Before I changed anything there,
everything was set as 'Not Configured'. Will disabling everything risk much?

I need this functionality as customers may not have WinZip on their machines
and may just want to use the built in compressed folders ability of XP. The
fact that I have seen this on 3 different XP machines with SP2 really makes
me curious as to the mechanism of the Block/No Unblock button issue.
Blocking is turned on but there is no way to turn it off???
 
From: "photon209" <[email protected]>

| I'm running XP/SP2 on a few machines here at the office, and they all exhibit
| this behavior - attempting to open certain zip files generates the 'windows
| is blocking files for your protection' popup, BUT when right-clicking on the
| zip file to get the properties, there is NO unblock button!
|
| Can someone explain how windows determins what zip files it will let me open?
| The files in question are not downloaded off the web or saved attachments
| from Outllook. They are from a Win CE device. Of course the files open just
| fine using WinZip or WinRar. My guess is there is something causing windows
| to flag them as 'dangerous'.
|
| I have already tried using the policy manager to disable 'default risk level
| for file attachments' and 'inclusion list for low file types'. Should I
| disable everything in Attachment Manager'?? Before I changed anything there,
| everything was set as 'Not Configured'. Will disabling everything risk much?
|
| I need this functionality as customers may not have WinZip on their machines
| and may just want to use the built in compressed folders ability of XP. The
| fact that I have seen this on 3 different XP machines with SP2 really makes
| me curious as to the mechanism of the Block/No Unblock button issue.
| Blocking is turned on but there is no way to turn it off???

You need to define where the ZIP file is located. Network share, mapped drive, email, etc.
Additionally what AV software is being used.
 
The zip file is located on my primary hard disk, an NTFS drive.
It was created on a FAT32 drive, if that matters. I have also tried opening
it on a removeable USB drive (formatted as FAT32) with the same results.
I am suspicious about 'streams' being involved in this.

I found this on another XP group from Torgeir Bakken (MVP) :

"...
If you must/want to use IE to download the files, use the command line
tool Streams.exe to purge any streams from the files after they are
downloaded.

You can download Streams from here:
http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Streams.html

I suggest you put Streams.exe in the C:\Windows\System32\ folder to
have it in the path
...."

Upon running 'streams' on the zip file, it indicates there is no stream found.
Could the security be messed up because it's expecting there to be a stream?
Since the zip file was created with a zip library in our application, my
guess is there may be some issues with the specfics of the zip file that
windows flags as 'dangerous'. SInce WinZip opens the file correctly, that
file itself is fine, there is just something about it that windows flags -
I;d like a was to turn off that check or bypass the blocking. Ideally if I
could get some idea of what had to change in the creation of the file itself,
that would be the best solution, but my guess is it may be beyond me.

We are using Symantec AV. But the 'blocked' popup is from windows, not AV,
I think.

-ed
 
From: "photon209" <[email protected]>

|
| The zip file is located on my primary hard disk, an NTFS drive.
| It was created on a FAT32 drive, if that matters. I have also tried opening
| it on a removeable USB drive (formatted as FAT32) with the same results.
| I am suspicious about 'streams' being involved in this.
|
| I found this on another XP group from Torgeir Bakken (MVP) :
|
| "...
| If you must/want to use IE to download the files, use the command line
| tool Streams.exe to purge any streams from the files after they are
| downloaded.
|
| You can download Streams from here:
| http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Streams.html
|
| I suggest you put Streams.exe in the C:\Windows\System32\ folder to
| have it in the path
| ..."
|
| Upon running 'streams' on the zip file, it indicates there is no stream found.
| Could the security be messed up because it's expecting there to be a stream?
| Since the zip file was created with a zip library in our application, my
| guess is there may be some issues with the specfics of the zip file that
| windows flags as 'dangerous'. SInce WinZip opens the file correctly, that
| file itself is fine, there is just something about it that windows flags -
| I;d like a was to turn off that check or bypass the blocking. Ideally if I
| could get some idea of what had to change in the creation of the file itself,
| that would be the best solution, but my guess is it may be beyond me.
|
| We are using Symantec AV. But the 'blocked' popup is from windows, not AV,
| I think.
|
| -ed

You note that WinZIP opens the file OK. So what's the problem ? Use WinZip, I do.

BTW: FAT32 or NTFS has no bearing in this matter.
 
We have customers that may not wish to install winzip. They may wish to use
windows only.
 
From: "photon209" <[email protected]>

|
| We have customers that may not wish to install winzip. They may wish to use
| windows only.
|

Considering the limitations and failings of the OS as compared to WinZip or other commercial
archival program convince them otherwise. If they are your customers you must advise them
wisely.

I know WinZip has great enterprise pricing. One large company gets WinZip for ~$0.40 per
desktop.
 
Well, that's a fine work-around. I was hoping to get some info on how to
fix it.

cheers,
-ed
 
From: "photon209" <[email protected]>

|
| Well, that's a fine work-around. I was hoping to get some info on how to
| fix it.
|
| cheers,
| -ed
|

Microsoft might not consider it "broken" where a fix can be provided :-)

I couldn't find anything in TechNet nor the Knowledge Base.
 
I guess I just need to find some more info on the block/unblock mechanism.
If I can find out what the test is, perhaps I can figure out what's wrong
with the zip file I'm attempting to open. I am being asked to get this to
work, so the work-around will not be enough.
I don't see it as a probelm with microsoft's stuff (altho it is odd that the
files is blocked, but I don't get the unblock option), but rather something
about the contents of the zip files is causing the flag to be thrown. If I
can get that to not happen, all would be dandy.
As an exercise, I created a zip file with winzip of the same data on a pc,
then pasted the contents of the file into the non-working file using VS (as a
binary file) and the file then opens. So it doesn't appear to be something
in the file system, but rather the contents of the file itself.
 
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