# Cannot extract .dta.gz file in laptop with windows 8.1 OS

**URL:** <https://forum.ipums.org/t/cannot-extract-dta-gz-file-in-laptop-with-windows-8-1-os/807>\
**Category:** HEALTH SURVEYS\
**Created:** [February 19, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/cannot-extract-dta-gz-file-in-laptop-with-windows-8-1-os/807 "2015-02-19T01:07:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ilt2015MPC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c37758/32.png) [@ilt2015MPC](https://forum.ipums.org/u/ilt2015MPC)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/cannot-extract-dta-gz-file-in-laptop-with-windows-8-1-os/807/1 "2015-02-19T01:07:00Z")

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I’ve been able to open .dta.gz (Stata) files in a desktop with windows 7 OS and use it in STATA. However, in my personal laptop that has windows 8.1, when I right click the STATA file I downloaded from the IHIS, there is no choice to decompress the file. There is only the choice to compress the file. So I compress it, and again, right click the compressed folder and extract the contents. This extraction process produces the same .dta.gz file which is not readable in Stata. Has MPC had experience extracting .dta.gz file from a windows 8.1 OS? thanks!

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**Author:** ![Tim\_Moreland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@Tim\_Moreland](https://forum.ipums.org/u/Tim_Moreland)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/cannot-extract-dta-gz-file-in-laptop-with-windows-8-1-os/807/2 "2015-02-19T20:05:00Z")

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I have two recommendations. First, attempt the steps described [here](http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/zip-unzip-files) for unzipping a file in Windows 8. Alternatively, you could download decompression software such as [7-Zip](http://www.7-zip.org/). Once installed, you should be able to right-click and decompress the .dat.gz file.

Hope this helps.

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**Author:** ![ilt2015MPC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c37758/32.png) [@ilt2015MPC](https://forum.ipums.org/u/ilt2015MPC)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://forum.ipums.org/t/cannot-extract-dta-gz-file-in-laptop-with-windows-8-1-os/807/3 "2015-02-19T20:42:00Z")

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In response to the answer provided for the question I posed above, 7-Zip worked. It’s weird that Windows 8.1 does not see the .dta.gz downloaded from ihis as something to be extracted. I had to ‘open’ the file using 7-Zip. Thanks!