How to disable the Windows built-in zip functionality

Is there anyway to disable the built-in zip functionality without using other zip programs?

Try this article. Here's a short summary:

run the following command: regsvr32 /u %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll

Want to re-enable the built in zip capability, run the following command: regsvr32 %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll

Alex's answer describes how to disable zip folder support in Windows XP. Here is how to disable it for Windows Vista and Windows 7 (source).

Windows Vista

1. Open Registry Editor (go to Start Menu -> Run and type “regedit“).
2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID and delete the following keys:
   {E88DCCE0-B7B3-11d1-A9F0-00AA0060FA31} and
   {0CD7A5C0-9F37-11CE-AE65-08002B2E1262}.
3. Restart Windows and enjoy a life free from zip folders!

Windows 7

The process is similar to Vista in terms of deleting the same registry keys. However, due to additional protections built-in, you must first change ownership of the keys to your username, which must be an administrator account.

1. Open Registry Editor (go to Start Menu -> Run and type “regedit“).
2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID and perform steps 3-7 for each of the two keys:
   {E88DCCE0-B7B3-11d1-A9F0-00AA0060FA31} and
   {0CD7A5C0-9F37-11CE-AE65-08002B2E1262}.
3. Right-click on the key and select “Permissions…”. Click “Advanced” and then the “Owner” tab.
4. Select your username from the list.
5. Check the box next to “Replace owner on subcontainers and objects”. Click “OK”.
6. In the “Security” tab, select your username and grant Full Control. (If your username is not there, click “Add…”, type your username, then click “Check Names” and “OK”.) Click “OK” to apply the permissions settings.
7. Delete the registry key.
8. Repeat the process for the second key.
9. Restart Windows and enjoy a life free from zip folders!