surrealvortex Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 ?We know how Windows Explorer opens .zip files natively in the same explorer window and we are able to browse contents of zip folders like we do with any other folders. I was wondering if it is possible to open .rar and .7z files the same way by using some sort of plugin.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelinu Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 ?We know how Windows Explorer opens .zip files natively in the same explorer window and we are able to browse contents of zip folders like we do with any other folders. I was wondering if it is possible to open .rar and .7z files the same way by using some sort of plugin.? Try googling for a codec...its basically a software plugin that allows Windows to natively understand a different proprietary file type, and know what to do with it. Or, just use WinRar;);) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdood Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 It would actually be a shell namespace extension. I'm not aware of any, but at least now you know what to look for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin-uk Veteran Posted September 10, 2009 Veteran Share Posted September 10, 2009 I dont think anything exists to add native opening of winrar or 7z files, if there is post a link cos it'd be useful for me too :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surrealvortex Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 I tried both the suggestions above. Nothing in Google. :( Wonder why there is none though. There are so many software out there that do arcane tasks. This seems to be very useful. This idea just popped up when I could not choose Open With inside 7zip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarkhy Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I want this feature too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yusuf M. Veteran Posted September 10, 2009 Veteran Share Posted September 10, 2009 Unfortunately, there is no built-in support for the RAR or 7z file formats in Windows operating systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torrentthief Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 its a shame MS didn't license creating .zip files, rar file, .7z file and opening .rar and .7z files. The more functionality they add by default the less money people have to spend on seperate applications and .7z would become more of a standard. they added h264 and aac playback in WMP, shame they didnt add .mkv and .rar/.7z. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrosive23 Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 Just use 7zip it opens all formats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TokiToki Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 its a shame MS didn't license creating .zip files, rar file, .7z file and opening .rar and .7z files. The more functionality they add by default the less money people have to spend on seperate applications and .7z would become more of a standard. they added h264 and aac playback in WMP, shame they didnt add .mkv and .rar/.7z. Create zip files has been built into Windows since XP. Right click your selected files/folders, and choose Send To -> Compressed (zipped) folder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surrealvortex Posted September 11, 2009 Author Share Posted September 11, 2009 Just use 7zip it opens all formats. That is true. Thing is, as I mentioned a few posts back, the interface in 7zip lacks several essential features. For example, I have no idea how to "Open With" from within the 7zip interface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda X Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 Try googling for a codec...its basically a software plugin that allows Windows to natively understand a different proprietary file type, and know what to do with it. That's not at all what a codec is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aasum Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 Closest thing I can think of is WinMount which mounts rar's and others as a virtual drive. Only downside is you gotta pay for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda X Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 7-zip's open source. So if someone really wanted to do this and had the knowledge it could be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Ivamoto Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 I know this topic is quite old but nevertheless. My hobby is software developing and I created a shell namespace extension allows users to open different archives like 7Z and RAR directly in Windows Explorer. My NSE uses 7z.dll and unrar.dll so after installation Windows Explorer will be able to open a lot of archive file formats. All basic operations such as drag&drop and copy&paste are fully supported. NSE allows you to see thumbnails of files and previews in Preview Pane. You can extract archives, modify them or create new ones. If you prefer to use Windows Explorer as the primary file manager I think my tool can replace the most of additional compression programs. Home page of my project - tc4shell.com. I hope it will be useful for somebody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Veteran Posted September 6, 2016 Veteran Share Posted September 6, 2016 Welcome to Neowin. As you said, this thread is dated (to put it mildly). Please make a new thread with your questions/inquiries. Thanks Thread Closed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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