Right-Click Menu HELL

[Gurm]

Ok, this is driving me up the WALL.

Something that I install routinely is eating my right-click menus for lunch.

I don't know what it is.

But whatever it is, it KILLS the right-click menus.

I've lost half the items that ought to be on there (like I use VDMSound for DOS games, it's just POOF gone), and the items that ARE there seldom work (winzip's menu gets confused, editplus just doesn't do anything, open with sometimes just farts out).

I have NO idea what program is doing this to me, and short of reinstalling and watching VERY carefully I don't know how to find out.

This makes me *sniff* sad.

Anyone know how to fix right-click menus? Or a utility that can do so?

- Gurm

P.S. Reinstalling the apps/utils that originally added the menu items does NOT help, it's that messed up.

[Jammrock]

The reg key for the right-click menu is at:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

and here:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex

and here:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shellex

and here:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shellex

and here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shel lex

and here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Drive\shellex

and here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Folder\shellex

Look in all the main sub keys, like ContextMenuHandler and whatnot for a list of all the available right-click features.

Don't know of any tool that does it for you.

Jammrock

[Guru]

Should be added to the FAQ! Since this is not a unusual problem!

[MP]

I had a similar problem once with a Symantec product. I think it was Norton Anti-Virus, but could have also been Cleansweep or WinFax, can't remember for sure. Anyway, this program had its own shell extension and after installing it I had lost access to several other right-click menus (WinZip, WinRar, ICQ,... even RunAs). All of these shell extensions were however properly listed in the registry. Removing the Symantec product's shell extension from HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers fixed the problem.

[Gurm]

Yeah, I found the problem. It's Picaview (from ACD Systems). It adds a thumbnail to the top-level right-click menu.

Sadly, to do so it hijacks all right-clicks... and improperly handles many of them.

I will miss it - it's a VERY useful little program.

- Gurm

[rubank]

Gurm,

there must be something else wrong if PicaView messes up your context menues. I run PicaView since several years and have never had that kind of problem, as you can see here

[thop]

i also used picaview and it didn't mess up anything. however i don't use it anymore.

[Gurm]

Rubank,

What OS? I didn't have this problem until XP SP1... it's a recent development.

I'm guessing they'll need a compatibility patch, but they seem to have discontinued active development on Picaview.

- Gurm

[Kruzin]

I have used pica-view on win98 and XP, and it has never hacked up my right-click menus...

[Gurm]

Ok, on a whim I just tried out the version of PicaView that came with the ACDSee 4.0 Powerpack Suite (there is no 5.0 Powerpack Suite, just a Powerpack and it doesn't include PicaView).

It's ... BETTER. It still messes up the menus a bit (a couple missing items) but not as much as the standalone PicaView.

Tres bizarre!

- Gurm

[rubank]

Gurm,

I´m running PicaView 2.0 on XP sp1 as well as 98SE.
Nemas problemas.

rubank

[Gurm]

Weird.

I've replicated the problem on two separate installs now.

As I said, the integrated ACDSee 4.0PPS version is better, but I'm still missing ONE item from the right-click... "run with VDMSound" for executable files.

I'm gonna try reinstalling VDMSound and see if that helps, but it probably won't - the registry entry for that option is still fine.

Frankly, I think that a simple tweak to PicaView to force it to NEVER hook right-clicks for filetypes it doesn't support might be very helpful.

- Gurm

[rubank]

Hmm, do you mean that PicaView hooks right-click to filetypes it doesn´t support?
Have never had that happen to me.
Maybe, if you have the full ACD suite there are plugins in your plugin folder that isn´t supported by PicaView?
If so, in the PicaView help file the supported extensions are listed. It might then be a solution to make a separate plugin folder for PicaView with the filetypes supported. You can specify any suitable folder.

rubank

[orangejulius]

Something that I install routinely is eating my right-click menus for lunch.

regmon

Frankly, I think that a simple tweak to PicaView to force it to NEVER hook right-clicks for filetypes it doesn't support might be very helpful.

Stronger permissions on the registry keys Jammrock mentioned?

Also might try <a href="http://www.contextmagic.com/instant-viewer/">Instant Thumbview</a> (198k) or <a href="http://www.contextmagic.com/image-viewer/">Context Thumbview</a> (107k).