When using IE if I click on a ZIP link I can only Save but not Open

[1human]

My turn to ask for some help because this one has me stumped.

.....

I have Windows98, IE6, and WinZip 8.0. Whenever I click on a link on a web page that points to a ZIP file, the "File Download" dialog box opens with the message "Would you like to open the file or save it to your computer?". However, I can only click on "Save" because the "Open" button is grayed out.

It makes no difference whether there is a check in the "Always ask before opening this type of file" box. This only happens with ZIP files. Other files (i.e. EXE files) will give me both the "Open" and "Save" option.

In Folder Options > File Types tab, if I select WinZip and Edit, the "Confirm open after download" is checked of course. This is why I get the "File Download" dialog box when I click on a ZIP link. If I uncheck it, the file automatically downloads and opens in WinZip. I don't want that. I want the option to either "Open" or "Save" because sometimes I merely want to view the contents of a ZIP file, but other times I want to save it to my hard drive.

I've been trying a number of different edits in the Registry to no avail. I'd be interested to hear from anyone else that has the same problem, or even better if someone can provide a solution. Thanks.

 

[1human]

I'd be interested to hear from others which options they are presented with and which OS, web browser, and ZIP utility they are using. Like this...

I'm using Windows 98, Internet Explorer 6.0, and WinZip 8.0.


When I click on an EXE link:

Open - YES
Save - YES


When I click on a ZIP link:

Open - NO (button is grayed out)
Save - YES

 

[RSMemphis]

Windows 2k/98, IE 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, Power Archiver 5.1 (the last free version)

Open and Save options are always offered. Never seen anything grayed out.

 

[1human]

Thanks RSMemphis.

 

[KB]

The "Open" button became grayed out for me after I installed the IE 6.0 security fixes. I believe it was part of Microsofts "fix" because of a hole in the IE browser that allowed a web administrer to fake the file andd extension of a downloaded file. So if you selected to open from its current location what looked like a Zip file and it was an exe file, it would run and cause a security risk.

 

[LongCoolMother]

<< The "Open" button became grayed out for me after I installed the IE 6.0 security fixes. I believe it was part of Microsofts "fix" because of a hole in the IE browser that allowed a web administrer to fake the file andd extension of a downloaded file. So if you selected to open from its current location what looked like a Zip file and it was an exe file, it would run and cause a security risk. >>



aha! yes, you got it. no wonder mine is grayed out so often...looks like updates arent always better

 

[1human]

Ah, thanks KB. That would make sense because I did just install some of the latest IE 6 Security updates. I knew I had the "Open" option before!! I was starting to wonder if I had imagined it. Hehe. I was trying to figure out what I had changed or added that would cause the "Open" button to be grayed out, and I hadn't considered the Security fixes. The timeframe makes perfect sense. I was hoping I could change it back by editing some Registry entries, but so far no luck. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to live with it.

Thanks again KB -- you're the first to provide an explanation. It's not a solution, but at least it answers the question, "why?". I was going crazy trying to figure this out, and nobody seemed have any answers... until now that is. Hehe. I'd give you a prize if I had one.