Disable Windows Built-in Zip File Support

It used to be pretty easy to disable the built-in zip file support. Under Windows XP, you just excuted:

regsvr32 /u %WINDIR%\system32\zipfldr.dll

I have struggled constantly with disabling the built-in support under Vista and Windows 7. Most solutions I have tried just don't work. Finally, I have been able to accomplish this under both Vista and Window 7…

Here is how to disable zip support for Windows Vista:

1. Open Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID and delete the following keys:
   • {E88DCCE0-B7B3-11d1-A9F0-00AA0060FA31}
   • {0CD7A5C0-9F37-11CE-AE65-08002B2E1262}
3. On 64-bit systems, you'll also need to navigate to delete the two previous keys under the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID as well.
4. Restart Windows.

The process to disable zip support for Windows 7 is similar to Vista in terms of deleting the same registry keys. But due to additional built-in protections, you must first change ownership of the keys to your user account, which also must be an administrative account.

1. Open Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID and perform steps 3-7 for each of the two keys:
   • {E88DCCE0-B7B3-11d1-A9F0-00AA0060FA31}
   • {0CD7A5C0-9F37-11CE-AE65-08002B2E1262}
3. Right-click on the key and select “Permissions…”. Click “Advanced” and then the “Ownership” tab.
4. Select your user account from the list.
5. Check the box next to “Replace owner on sub-containers and objects”. Click “OK”.
6. In the “Security” tab, select your user account and grant Full Control. Click “OK” to apply the permissions settings.
7. Delete the registry key.
8. On 64-bit systems, you'll also need to perform steps 3-7 for the two previous keys under the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Wow6432Node\CLSID as well.
9. Restart Windows.