Directory tree first
Folders and filenames from the archive appear in a projected directory tree. Explorer can enumerate them without first expanding the entire compressed payload.
Guides / File Explorer
Explorer workspace
Open a .cfs archive as a folder-like Windows File Explorer workspace.
Arqivexa uses Windows Projected File System to present the directory structure of a supported .cfs archive in Explorer. Files can appear in the workspace before all compressed payloads are expanded, and requested contents are supplied on demand.
01
What you see
An archive represented as an Explorer workspace.
Contents on request
When a file is opened, Arqivexa supplies the requested data from the archive. Projected File System refers to this as hydration.
Writable workspace
The projected folder is not intended to be only a preview. Supported changes can be committed back so the .cfs archive remains the persistent object.
02
Opening sequence
What happens from double-click to usable folder.
1. Identify the archive
Arqivexa opens a supported .cfs file and reads the metadata needed to represent its directory structure.
2. Start the projection
A managed ProjFS workspace is created so Windows can enumerate archive paths through normal filesystem calls.
3. Serve requested data
As Explorer or another application requests file contents, Arqivexa reads and decompresses the corresponding archive data into the projected workspace.
03
What this is not
A projected workspace is different from a virtual disk.
Arqivexa's folder-like interface resembles “mounting” from a user's point of view, but the current implementation is not a block device, disk image, or general filesystem driver. It is a ProjFS-backed workspace whose source of truth is a .cfs archive.
ProjFS-backed
Windows Projected File System supplies placeholders and callbacks for on-demand data rather than exposing a virtual disk sector interface.
Archive-backed
Compressed archive metadata and payloads remain the persistent data source behind the projected directory.
Lifecycle-managed
Closing the workspace gives Arqivexa a defined point to persist supported changes, validate state, and release the projection cleanly.
04
Next steps
Continue based on what you want to do.
Edit files in the workspace
See which file operations are part of the current editing workflow and where application compatibility can vary.
Understand ProjFS
Go deeper into placeholder enumeration, hydration, and the Windows mechanism behind the projected folder.
Open an existing .cfs file
Use the format-specific guide if you have a .cfs file and need to confirm compatibility or setup requirements.
Support scope
Current support is intentionally narrow.
Arqivexa 0.5.0 Stable targets Windows 11 x64. Writable archives require local NTFS storage and the Windows Projected File System feature. It does not claim to mount arbitrary ZIP, 7z, RAR or other archive formats as editable workspaces.