-Brading Software Message Board
+--Forum: Mp3/Tag Studio Support and Bug Reports
+---Topic: Shell Extension loses top of RMB popup-menu started by dsperber
Posted by: dsperber on Aug. 06 2008,21:15
Having just finished doing total reinstalls of WinXP Pro on my two desktop machines, I noticed the same problem with both of them. For some reason the "top" of the popup menu (from RMB on items shown in Explorer) was missing! Oddly, when I RMB on items shown in the File Manager program I use (Power File Gold) which uses a very similar looking Explorer-like interface, sure enough the "missing" items appear in its RMB popup menu.
Having not noticed this early on in both installations, but having noticed it when both installations completed, I was sure it was caused by one of the application products I'd installed that provided some kind of extension to Shell by additional items on the Explorer RMB context menus. I have several such products which "enhance" the context menu.
Looking at the current RMB menu it was quite an accident that I picked MP3-Tag Studio as the first program to delve into, in particular the Options provided to see if I could turn off the Shell extension. And sure enough I could.
Imagine my surprise to see that the "missing" top of the context menu HAD NOW RETURNED!!! It was obviously MP3-Tag Studio's Shell Extension which had somehow caused the loss of the top of the menu. Just to be sure, I reactivated it and sure enough the menu was once again corrupted, and then I deactivated it again and sure enough the menu recovered its normal appearance.
Needless to say, I am now operating with Shell Extension DEACTIVATED.
See attached screenshot of the menu WITH ITS TOP. Since this forum only supports a single attachment I will post the second screenshot (WITHOUT ITS TOP) on the next post.
Posted by: dsperber on Aug. 06 2008,21:17
Here's the "bad" menu, with Shell Extension enabled and the top section of the RMB context menu missing.
Posted by: Magnus Brading on Sep. 05 2008,15:50
Very strange, I have no idea how that might happen.
Posted by: dsperber on Sep. 20 2008,09:42
Probably has something to do with the interaction of MP3-TS's shell interface and the other products I have installed which also insert their own shell interface.
Notice the non-Microsoft additions to the RMB popup menu, and where MP3-TS's line goes (when activated).
Nevertheless, there's no question that it is MP3-TS's shell interface being activated that results in the loss of the top section.
Even with all the other products installed as shown, it's only MP3-TS's activation that causes the damage. Turn off MP3-TS, and the damage disappears.
Posted by: Magnus Brading on Sep. 20 2008,23:31
What about if do don't install any other product that Mp3/Tag Studio, does it still happen? Otherwise it might still be some other program in combination with Mp3/Tag Studio that does it.
Posted by: dsperber on July 26 2009,15:11
Just a reminder about this one...
I had occasion to reinstall WinXP this past weekend, and when reinstalling MP3-Tag Studio I forgot that this didn't work right. So I checked the "shell extension" option.
And so once again, right-clicking on an INF file in Explorer failed to present the normal top items on the context menu... specifically "INSTALL".
I was temporarily baffled, until I remembered about this bug I first reported last year. Un-checking the "shell extension" once again brought back the top items in RMB, and I was able to do the INF install.
Looking over this forum I noticed that there has been another "shell extension" bug report, this time concerning a large list and UNDO.
So, if you're working on that other problem before converting the fixed 20 beta into a "final release", can you please work on this problem as well before wrapping things up.
Thanks.
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