How do I stop using Winzip and let Windows handle .zip files natively?

Question

Anytime I download a .zip file or create a compressed folder, my PC makes it a Winzip file, which is no good because I don't want to pay their fee to get the full version (the version I have was a trial one I obtained when I had this one .zip file that needed it to work).

Basically, I just be able to have regular .zip files without them being Winzip.

Answer 1

If you're asking for a different compression utility, I recommend 7-Zip on Windows - it's free, and does more than Winzip.

Answer 2

Uninstall WinZip by going into "Programs and Features" (Vista / Windows 7) or "Add/Remove Programs" (XP). Unintalling WinZip should cause Windows to revert to it's native ZIP handling behavior. If the Windows ZIP handler doesn't meet your requirements, you can always install something else.