Technical Query - Windows Shell

Grendel · February 2005

<div class="IPBDescription">Help a blind person</div> I'm trying to fix an irritating problem with a colleague's PC. He is blind, so what seems like a trivial problem to a sighted individual is significantly more problematic for him.

Essentially, when one right clicks on a File or Folder, the "Open" option does not appear at the top of the Context Menu. Instead it has "New" as the top option.

My query would be:

a) How would one change this order, customise the menu and generally sieze control of this obscure piece of virtual real-estate? This is under Windows XP.

Responses exhorting me to "poke at the registry" will be too vague. This is a university PC. Installing 3rd party software to fix it is not an ideal solution either.

Anyone able to help?

RustySpoon · February 2005

I doubt you really can modify any of that. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' />

I know you wouldn't want to install any new proggies, but try a custom shell.
Can't recall the name of any right now tho.

Marik_Steele · February 2005

The moment I read the word "blind" I was going to suggest purchasing an <a href='http://www.dansdata.com/ifeel.htm' target='_blank'>iFeel mouse made by Logitech</a>. They're somewhat rare because they're not made anymore, so when I saw the opportunity to get one recently, I got myself the cheaper one. All the reviews are right when they say they're mostly useless to the everyday computer user. But I can definitely imagine a person with poor or no eyesight appreciating the ability to feel the mouse respond when, for example, his mouse hovers from one option in the right-click menu to the next below it.

Unfortunately, yes, it <a href='http://www.immersion.com/consumer_electronics/applications/touchware/twDesktop.php' target='_blank'>does use 3rd party software</a> to activate the force feedback. <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/sad-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad-fix.gif' />

MonsieurEvil · February 2005

Hmm... What's odd about this is I cannot reproduce it. When I click on any file or folder on a couple test XP machines (running Pro, SP1 and SP2), I get the expected behavior, which is to have 'open' at the top and show it as bold. That bold just highlights whatever the 'double-click' operation is.

So my question for you is: do we see this on all well-known file types? I.e. if we click on a TXT file versus a DOC or EXE file, do we see the context menu order change? It sounds a bit like something has monkeyed with the shell open handlers for explorer (which we might be able to fix), but I honestly don't know of anything that would do this except some application that's been installed to sort of 'snap-in' to the explorer shell itself. It's certainly not expected behavior.

There's some (not very good) info about this at: <a href='http://whidbey.msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/shellcc/platform/shell/programmersguide/shell_int/shell_int_extending/extensionhandlers/contextmenuhandlers.asp' target='_blank'>http://whidbey.msdn.microsoft.com/library/...enuhandlers.asp</a>

and I'm digging further on my break...

Grendel · February 2005

Wahey the MonsE!

More information:

First of all, it appears that the default behaviour for the left click has been changed to <i>Search</i>. So the Search option is highlighted when one right clicks and also the Search Window pops up when one double clicks.

However, further investigation of my colleague's problem has revealed that this changed behaviour <b>only occurs within explorer</b>.

Specifically, if one DLCs or SRCs on a desktop icon, then they behave as though <i>Open</i> is the default action. However, the moment you enter "My Computer" or an explorer window, <i>Search</i> becomes the default action.

I suspect this is simply a matter of corrupt or messed with File Associations. I will poke further.

How's making money for Texan banks going MonsE?

Sub_zer0 · February 2005

Have you tryed e-mailing microsoft for help?

Jimmeh · February 2005

Format?

MonsieurEvil · February 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Grendel @ Feb 22 2005, 08:49 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Wahey the MonsE!

More information:

First of all, it appears that the default behaviour for the left click has been changed to <i>Search</i>. So the Search option is highlighted when one right clicks and also the Search Window pops up when one double clicks.

However, further investigation of my colleague's problem has revealed that this changed behaviour <b>only occurs within explorer</b>.

Specifically, if one DLCs or SRCs on a desktop icon, then they behave as though <i>Open</i> is the default action. However, the moment you enter "My Computer" or an explorer window, <i>Search</i> becomes the default action.

I suspect this is simply a matter of corrupt or messed with File Associations. I will poke further.

How's making money for Texan banks going MonsE?  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
Hiya Gren! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' />

File associations is a very interesting idea. Poking in there might show something.

You can also look at regedit in the following locations that explorer uses for context menus:

HKCR\*\shellex\contextmenuhandlers
HKCR\AllFileSystemObjects\shellex\contextmenuhandlers
HKCR\Folder\shellex\contextmenuhandlers
HKCR\Directory\shellex\contextmenuhandlers

And compare the settings here to a working machine to see if something (spyware? 3rd party add-on?) has jacked itself into the registry.

It was North Carolina banks! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /> Now I'm working for The Man...

Haze · February 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Sub zer0 @ Feb 22 2005, 11:26 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Have you tryed e-mailing microsoft for help?  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
MonsE <i>works</i> for Microsoft. .. right?

Thansal · February 2005

if by works you are talking about leading Bill Gates' elite Ninja Team (ussing Mech Suits) then yes.

Grendel · February 2005

It transpires that it was down to file associations being corrupted.

After much poking around and searching, I found a couple of registry fixes for lost file associations. Unfortunately, because the registries on PCs at this University are locked, we had to wait for one of the ACS (academic Computing Services) trolls to arrive.

They then fixed the PC with the files I had supplied my colleague with, then left without a word of thanks. (The problem had completely stumped them for two days).

Thanks to all who contributed and gave useful feedback. As far as MonsE is concerned, I insist you come and play tonight in the PT, if you can get permission from your wife.

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/marine.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='marine.gif' />

<span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'>Trivia Note: I applied for a position providing Desktop Support for ACS. I wasn't even given an interview. The reason that they supplied? Not enough experience. I'm 29 years old and the people who work at ACS are around 20. How do they <i>possibly</i> have more experience that me, without access to a flux capacitor? Meh.</span>

MonsieurEvil · February 2005

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Grendel @ Feb 23 2005, 07:41 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> It transpires that it was down to file associations being corrupted.

After much poking around and searching, I found a couple of registry fixes for lost file associations. Unfortunately, because the registries on PCs at this University are locked, we had to wait for one of the ACS (academic Computing Services) trolls to arrive.

They then fixed the PC with the files I had supplied my colleague with, then left without a word of thanks. (The problem had completely stumped them for two days).

Thanks to all who contributed and gave useful feedback. As far as MonsE is concerned, I insist you come and play tonight in the PT, if you can get permission from your wife.

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/marine.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='marine.gif' />

<span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'>Trivia Note: I applied for a position providing Desktop Support for ACS. I wasn't even given an interview. The reason that they supplied? Not enough experience. I'm 29 years old and the people who work at ACS are around 20. How do they <i>possibly</i> have more experience that me, without access to a flux capacitor? Meh.</span>  </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> 
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin-fix.gif' />

I really do need to get into the PT. I r nub.

Technical Query - Windows Shell

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