Automatic Zip Extractor - CodeProject

Image via CrunchBaseIntroduction to Article

Do you get annoyed when you have to do so many things just to open up a compressed file you just downloaded? You have to (Vista+):

1. Right-click
2. Click properties
3. Click Unblock
4. Click OK
5. Right-click
6. Extract all
7. Extract
8. Delete the .zip file

It's like so many other things in Windows, too much clicking and too many steps! Then, on XP machines, there's the problem that if the the zip file has a ton of files inside which aren't inside of a sub-folder, you get a hundred files extracted to the same directory as the zip file!
AutoExtractor unobtrusively sits in your system tray and monitors a directory you choose. It automatically pops up when new zip files are available and all you have to do is select the file(s) you want to extract and hit Enter and it Unblocks the zip file, extracts it to a directory with the same name as the zip file, deletes the zip file, opens the extracted folder, and hides itself back to the system tray again.
If you don't want it popping in your face every time a zip file is added to the folder, you can turn that option off in the settings and use a keystroke command Ctrl+K (or whatever key you choose) to pop up the window instead. It uses the Windows API's to ensure the window always pops up on top of other windows so you should be able to hit Ctrl+K+Enter and you get auto extraction!

Automatic Zip Extractor - CodeProject