Ok I just got a laptop Toshiba Satellite A135-S2276 with vista ofcourse... I had a file that was .jar saposed to be a java prog. WINDOWS views it as a zip file... So i choose "open with" and DESELECT the "use this prog. all the time" and click ok.... WELL what do you know now all .jar .zip /unknown are reassociated to to java with no way to switch it back as i dont know what program is used to open .zip to begin with... I'm talking about the internal windows prog. i dont want to insall new software... thanx in adv.

Oh Yea, and right clicking on the .zip file doesn't give any extraction options, Way to go Vista!! Wahoo I'm so glad you cant buy a comp with XP anymore...Ok Well if no can help can some 1 lead me in the right dirrection, this is kinda a big problem for a new comp.... as it is I cant EVEN extract a file unless I installed a new program... I know it would be an easy fix if I knew what program is used for this and where it wasI thought .jar files were FireFox extensions or themes ? ?

I SEE they also are java based as well.

Have you looked at MS's database for how to repair file associations in Vista ? ?Not just Firefox.

"JAR file is a file format based on the popular ZIP file format and is used for aggregating many files into one. A JAR file is essentially a zip file that contains an optional META-INF directory. A JAR file can be created by the command-line jar TOOL, or by using the java.util.jar API in the Java platform. There is no restriction on the name of a JAR file, it can be any legal file name on a particular platform.

In many cases, JAR files are not just simple archives of java classes files and/or resources. They are used as building blocks for applications and extensions. The META-INF directory, if it exists, is used to store package and extension configuration data, including security, versioning, extension and services. "Ok I dont know about .jar I know that my comp wants to open all extractaqble files with java now and that doesn't work real good. I checked MS website couldn't find much except if your computer came with Vista installed they wont help, DuH!!

I cant believe all the problems that are solved here this would be an easy fix with no solution...

moving to drastic measures looks enevitable, any way to do a system restore like XPWhen you go to the properties of a compressed file and choose the change the file association, you don't see anything like Compressed (zipped) Folders?

Can't say how well, this will work, but you could give it a try...
1. Download vistazip.reg, and save it to your desktop.
2. Double-click the vistazip.reg file, and then click Continue, Yes, and then OK when prompted.
3. Restart Windows (the change won't take effect until you do).
(More details found here.)

Also...having yet to use Vista, I don't know much about its System Restore, but you can take a look here...
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-windows-vista-system-restoreQuote

To access file associations, go Control Panel->Programs->Default Programs->Set Associations.