Right Click Crashes Windows Explorer

Each time I attempt a right click to access the context menu Windows
Explorer crashes. This is true whether I use Explorer or PowerDesk Pro 7 as
my file manager. As a result I am unable to zip files, rename files or run
executables as the Administrtor. The error message I get is simply that
"Windows Explorer has stopped working." I suspected that possibly Norton
360 was the culprit, but I disabled Norton 360 and the problem persists. I
believe this problem did not start until I installed Vista's SP1. I am
running Vista Home Premium on a powerful MicroExpress machine with ample
RAM. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Terry,

This is most likely caused by a third-party shell extension. See "Method 2"
here:

Right-click is slow or weird behavior caused by context menu handlers:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/slowrightclick.htm

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com


"Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
news:770EB508-24DD-4B4D-9148-...
> Each time I attempt a right click to access the context menu Windows
> Explorer crashes. This is true whether I use Explorer or PowerDesk Pro 7
> as my file manager. As a result I am unable to zip files, rename files or
> run executables as the Administrtor. The error message I get is simply
> that "Windows Explorer has stopped working." I suspected that possibly
> Norton 360 was the culprit, but I disabled Norton 360 and the problem
> persists. I believe this problem did not start until I installed Vista's
> SP1. I am running Vista Home Premium on a powerful MicroExpress machine
> with ample RAM. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for the quick reply. Before I posted I tried ShellExView and
disabled all non-MS context menu handlers, but the problem continued
nonetheless. Any other ideas?


"Ramesh, MS-MVP" <ramesh@unknownhost> wrote in message
news:...
> Hi Terry,
>
> This is most likely caused by a third-party shell extension. See "Method
> 2" here:
>
> Right-click is slow or weird behavior caused by context menu handlers:
> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/slowrightclick.htm
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
> The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
> Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com
>
>
> "Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
> news:770EB508-24DD-4B4D-9148-...
>> Each time I attempt a right click to access the context menu Windows
>> Explorer crashes. This is true whether I use Explorer or PowerDesk Pro 7
>> as my file manager. As a result I am unable to zip files, rename files
>> or run executables as the Administrtor. The error message I get is
>> simply that "Windows Explorer has stopped working." I suspected that
>> possibly Norton 360 was the culprit, but I disabled Norton 360 and the
>> problem persists. I believe this problem did not start until I installed
>> Vista's SP1. I am running Vista Home Premium on a powerful MicroExpress
>> machine with ample RAM. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly
>> appreciated.
>
>

"Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Thank you for the quick reply. Before I posted I tried ShellExView and
> disabled all non-MS context menu handlers, but the problem continued
> nonetheless. Any other ideas?
>
>
> "Ramesh, MS-MVP" <ramesh@unknownhost> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Hi Terry,
>>
>> This is most likely caused by a third-party shell extension. See "Method
>> 2" here:
>>
>> Right-click is slow or weird behavior caused by context menu handlers:
>> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/slowrightclick.htm
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>>
>> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
>> The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
>> Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com
>>
>>
>> "Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
>> news:770EB508-24DD-4B4D-9148-...
>>> Each time I attempt a right click to access the context menu Windows
>>> Explorer crashes. This is true whether I use Explorer or PowerDesk Pro
>>> 7 as my file manager. As a result I am unable to zip files, rename
>>> files or run executables as the Administrtor. The error message I get
>>> is simply that "Windows Explorer has stopped working." I suspected that
>>> possibly Norton 360 was the culprit, but I disabled Norton 360 and the
>>> problem persists. I believe this problem did not start until I
>>> installed Vista's SP1. I am running Vista Home Premium on a powerful
>>> MicroExpress machine with ample RAM. Any ideas or suggestions would be
>>> greatly appreciated.
>>
>>
>
>

It is in fact a conflict between Power Desk 7 and Norton 360. See
http://community.norton.com/norton/b....id=15033#M607
Hope it helps.

I am familair with the Avanquest patch. However, to iinstall it I must be
acting as the Administrator. To run the patch as Administrator, I must be
able to right click. And all of of a sudden I am caught in a Catch-22: I
have no right-click functionality to run the patch that will restore
right-click functionality.

Is there a way to run the patch as Administrator without right-clicking?

BTW, I uninstalled PowerDesk; and I still had the same problem with Windows
Explorer -- no ability to right click, e.g., to change a file's name


"Stewart" <> wrote in message
news:BC7CA8D5-20CE-475B-8B83-...
> "Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Thank you for the quick reply. Before I posted I tried ShellExView and
>> disabled all non-MS context menu handlers, but the problem continued
>> nonetheless. Any other ideas?
>>
>>
>> "Ramesh, MS-MVP" <ramesh@unknownhost> wrote in message
>> news:...
>>> Hi Terry,
>>>
>>> This is most likely caused by a third-party shell extension. See "Method
>>> 2" here:
>>>
>>> Right-click is slow or weird behavior caused by context menu handlers:
>>> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/slowrightclick.htm
>>>
>>> --
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
>>> The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
>>> Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com
>>>
>>>
>>> "Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
>>> news:770EB508-24DD-4B4D-9148-...
>>>> Each time I attempt a right click to access the context menu Windows
>>>> Explorer crashes. This is true whether I use Explorer or PowerDesk Pro
>>>> 7 as my file manager. As a result I am unable to zip files, rename
>>>> files or run executables as the Administrtor. The error message I get
>>>> is simply that "Windows Explorer has stopped working." I suspected
>>>> that possibly Norton 360 was the culprit, but I disabled Norton 360 and
>>>> the problem persists. I believe this problem did not start until I
>>>> installed Vista's SP1. I am running Vista Home Premium on a powerful
>>>> MicroExpress machine with ample RAM. Any ideas or suggestions would be
>>>> greatly appreciated.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
> It is in fact a conflict between Power Desk 7 and Norton 360. See
> http://community.norton.com/norton/b....id=15033#M607
> Hope it helps.

Hi Terry,

What about other shell extensions (not only Context Menu handlers). Have you
tried temporarily disabling them as well?

Secondly, see if the Event Viewer provides any clue on the Windows Explorer
crash. Click Start, type eventvwr.msc. Check the Application and System logs
(match the date/time when the crash occurred.)

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com


"Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Thank you for the quick reply. Before I posted I tried ShellExView and
> disabled all non-MS context menu handlers, but the problem continued
> nonetheless. Any other ideas?
>
>
> "Ramesh, MS-MVP" <ramesh@unknownhost> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Hi Terry,
>>
>> This is most likely caused by a third-party shell extension. See "Method
>> 2" here:
>>
>> Right-click is slow or weird behavior caused by context menu handlers:
>> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/slowrightclick.htm
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>>
>> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
>> The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
>> Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com
>>
>>
>> "Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
>> news:770EB508-24DD-4B4D-9148-...
>>> Each time I attempt a right click to access the context menu Windows
>>> Explorer crashes. This is true whether I use Explorer or PowerDesk Pro
>>> 7 as my file manager. As a result I am unable to zip files, rename
>>> files or run executables as the Administrtor. The error message I get
>>> is simply that "Windows Explorer has stopped working." I suspected that
>>> possibly Norton 360 was the culprit, but I disabled Norton 360 and the
>>> problem persists. I believe this problem did not start until I
>>> installed Vista's SP1. I am running Vista Home Premium on a powerful
>>> MicroExpress machine with ample RAM. Any ideas or suggestions would be
>>> greatly appreciated.

Hi Terry,

What about other shell extensions (not only Context Menu handlers). Have you
tried temporarily disabling them as well?

Secondly, see if the Event Viewer provides any clue on the Windows Explorer
crash. Click Start, type eventvwr.msc. Check the Application and System logs
(match the date/time when the crash occurred.)

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com


"Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Thank you for the quick reply. Before I posted I tried ShellExView and
> disabled all non-MS context menu handlers, but the problem continued
> nonetheless. Any other ideas?
>
>
> "Ramesh, MS-MVP" <ramesh@unknownhost> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Hi Terry,
>>
>> This is most likely caused by a third-party shell extension. See "Method
>> 2" here:
>>
>> Right-click is slow or weird behavior caused by context menu handlers:
>> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/slowrightclick.htm
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>>
>> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
>> The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
>> Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com
>>
>>
>> "Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
>> news:770EB508-24DD-4B4D-9148-...
>>> Each time I attempt a right click to access the context menu Windows
>>> Explorer crashes. This is true whether I use Explorer or PowerDesk Pro
>>> 7 as my file manager. As a result I am unable to zip files, rename
>>> files or run executables as the Administrtor. The error message I get
>>> is simply that "Windows Explorer has stopped working." I suspected that
>>> possibly Norton 360 was the culprit, but I disabled Norton 360 and the
>>> problem persists. I believe this problem did not start until I
>>> installed Vista's SP1. I am running Vista Home Premium on a powerful
>>> MicroExpress machine with ample RAM. Any ideas or suggestions would be
>>> greatly appreciated.

Someone tipped me off to a simple fix. Using Regedit I changed Powerdesk
Menu to zPowerdesk Menu in
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Po werDesk Menu. Apparently
by doing this I insured that PowerDesk's Context Menus load last, and that
was all it took. Thank you for your attentitive responses.


"Ramesh, MS-MVP" <ramesh@unknownhost> wrote in message
news:...
> Hi Terry,
>
> What about other shell extensions (not only Context Menu handlers). Have
> you tried temporarily disabling them as well?
>
> Secondly, see if the Event Viewer provides any clue on the Windows
> Explorer crash. Click Start, type eventvwr.msc. Check the Application and
> System logs (match the date/time when the crash occurred.)
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
> The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
> Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com
>
>
> "Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Thank you for the quick reply. Before I posted I tried ShellExView and
>> disabled all non-MS context menu handlers, but the problem continued
>> nonetheless. Any other ideas?
>>
>>
>> "Ramesh, MS-MVP" <ramesh@unknownhost> wrote in message
>> news:...
>>> Hi Terry,
>>>
>>> This is most likely caused by a third-party shell extension. See "Method
>>> 2" here:
>>>
>>> Right-click is slow or weird behavior caused by context menu handlers:
>>> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/slowrightclick.htm
>>>
>>> --
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
>>> The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
>>> Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com
>>>
>>>
>>> "Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
>>> news:770EB508-24DD-4B4D-9148-...
>>>> Each time I attempt a right click to access the context menu Windows
>>>> Explorer crashes. This is true whether I use Explorer or PowerDesk Pro
>>>> 7 as my file manager. As a result I am unable to zip files, rename
>>>> files or run executables as the Administrtor. The error message I get
>>>> is simply that "Windows Explorer has stopped working." I suspected
>>>> that possibly Norton 360 was the culprit, but I disabled Norton 360 and
>>>> the problem persists. I believe this problem did not start until I
>>>> installed Vista's SP1. I am running Vista Home Premium on a powerful
>>>> MicroExpress machine with ample RAM. Any ideas or suggestions would be
>>>> greatly appreciated.
>
>

Interesting! So, it's the context menu handler shell extension in either
case. Wondering why troubleshooting using ShellExView did not isolate the
problem...

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com


"Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> Someone tipped me off to a simple fix. Using Regedit I changed Powerdesk
> Menu to zPowerdesk Menu in
> HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\Po werDesk Menu.
> Apparently by doing this I insured that PowerDesk's Context Menus load
> last, and that was all it took. Thank you for your attentitive responses.
>
>
> "Ramesh, MS-MVP" <ramesh@unknownhost> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Hi Terry,
>>
>> What about other shell extensions (not only Context Menu handlers). Have
>> you tried temporarily disabling them as well?
>>
>> Secondly, see if the Event Viewer provides any clue on the Windows
>> Explorer crash. Click Start, type eventvwr.msc. Check the Application and
>> System logs (match the date/time when the crash occurred.)
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>>
>> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
>> The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
>> Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com
>>
>>
>> "Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
>> news:...
>>> Thank you for the quick reply. Before I posted I tried ShellExView and
>>> disabled all non-MS context menu handlers, but the problem continued
>>> nonetheless. Any other ideas?
>>>
>>>
>>> "Ramesh, MS-MVP" <ramesh@unknownhost> wrote in message
>>> news:...
>>>> Hi Terry,
>>>>
>>>> This is most likely caused by a third-party shell extension. See
>>>> "Method 2" here:
>>>>
>>>> Right-click is slow or weird behavior caused by context menu handlers:
>>>> http://windowsxp.mvps.org/slowrightclick.htm
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
>>>> The Winhelponline Blog: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog
>>>> Windows® Troubleshooting: http://www.winhelponline.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Terry Smerling" <> wrote in message
>>>> news:770EB508-24DD-4B4D-9148-...
>>>>> Each time I attempt a right click to access the context menu Windows
>>>>> Explorer crashes. This is true whether I use Explorer or PowerDesk
>>>>> Pro 7 as my file manager. As a result I am unable to zip files,
>>>>> rename files or run executables as the Administrtor. The error
>>>>> message I get is simply that "Windows Explorer has stopped working."
>>>>> I suspected that possibly Norton 360 was the culprit, but I disabled
>>>>> Norton 360 and the problem persists. I believe this problem did not
>>>>> start until I installed Vista's SP1. I am running Vista Home Premium
>>>>> on a powerful MicroExpress machine with ample RAM. Any ideas or
>>>>> suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>>
>
>

I have a VERY similiar issue....Just installed SP1 and now right-clicking on the desktop backgroundfreezes the system for aprox 20 seconds.&nbsp; I might have to try ShellExView.Matthew


Post Originated from Vista Support Forums