I’ve got a .zip file that was somehow turned into a .avi file and I can’t turn it back. The only procedure I know to do this is to type “.zip” to the end of the name, but it doesn’t work on files that are associated with something.
All you have to do is rename the file and change the .avi extension to a .zip. Right-click the file icon and click Rename. It will warn you that changing the extension may make the file unuseable. Ignore that and click OK to accept the change.
I tried that, but all it’s doing is changing School Projects - History to School Projects - History.zip without changing the file type. “.zip” just becomes part of the title. When I select rename, the .avi file extension doesn’t appear.
P.S. this is also kind of important come Monday at 3pm. I’m kind of freaking out.
In the Windows Explorer go to Tool/“Folder Options…” on the menu. Click onto the “View” tab on the dialogue that opens. In the list of options there should be one that says something like “Hide extensions for known file types”. Uncheck that.
This should allow you access to rename the extension as well as the title of the file. If you prefer the original view you can hide the extensions again by reversing the procedure.
Ummm…are you sure it was a .zip file to begin with? In any case, you can force it to open with any application you choose. Shift + right-click the file and select Open With… and choose the application to open the file with, presumably WinZip, in this case.
Whew. Got it. Thanks guys.
Q.E.D.'s solution will work fine. I think I may know why doing a rename isn’t working for you, however. Open Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer!). Choose Tools, Folder Options, the View tab, and uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types.” Then click “Apply to all folders.” Now you should be able to do the rename.
This applies to Windows Explorer under WinXP - it might be buried on another menu in an earlier version, so you might have to do some hunting to find it.