Right click menu turned to old style

It happened today.
The menu that you get when you right click on something turned to old style menu (like the one found in XP). However not all of them. The old one pops up only when I right click on something not from Microsoft.
So when I right click on the Computer, or Recycle bin, or a folder the menu has modern look. But files, even files from Windows folder, get old look.

How could this have happened? What can I do to restore the modern look??

Two right click menus, for items next to each other:
Modern: http://i34.tinypic.com/11aao2g.png
Old style: http://i34.tinypic.com/29pant2.png

They're the same, just for different shortcuts. Computer has a different menu than others.

No, they're not. Look again. This time in pictures, I'm hovering over the last item. In windows 7 normally it has this faint blue transparent overlay. But in second picture when I'm right clicking shortcut to program, look at the last item as I hover my mouse over it.
It turns to white text with blue background (as it did in Windows XP).

Modern: http://i37.tinypic.com/118krrb.png
Old style: http://i35.tinypic.com/311th1u.png

Old style menu shows up for everything, but Windows shortcuts on desktop (My computer, Recycle bin etc.), and folders.

You have the same thing as I do. Nothing wrong.

Its not right, because it doesn't happen like that in two of my computers (only one, and only for couple of days).

I'm clearly marking for you in my pictures what I mean. Its the color and style of highlight (for some items, it looks like it is Windows XP menu).







Now, the System Restore has no points, I have no System Image, Repair install didn't work, is it Clean Install for me, or is there some magic file, that could fix this??

If you right click without highlighting the item you'll get the transparent style, if you highlight and right click the item you'll get the old style(blue background and white letters).

The same thing happens to me as the OP. I noticed it started to happen after I installed AVG 9.0 free version. And it only seems to go to the blue highlighted context menu when AVG is in there, like when I click on a file/folder that can be scanned.

But even in the start menu it changes when I click on different things. See attachments.

Also as mentioned above, it doesn't matter whether I click and highlight the item first or just right click

brummyfan said:

If you right click without highlighting the item you'll get the transparent style, if you highlight and right click the item you'll get the old style(blue background and white letters).

Click to expand...

I get nothing but transparent style regardless of the methodology - so that is not the answer.

Furthermore, I have never gotten an old XP style set of menus - unless the computer shuts Aero off for whatever reason.

I just tried it again - regardless of whether the item in question is highlighted or not, I get the same visual style on my context menu - the number of items is different, but the visual style is the same.

I think the OP has a point here - something is going weird with his system.

green98ls said:

The same thing happens to me as the OP. I noticed it started to happen after I installed AVG 9.0 free version. And it only seems to go to the blue highlighted context menu when AVG is in there, like when I click on a file/folder that can be scanned.

But even in the start menu it changes when I click on different things. See attachments.

Also as mentioned above, it doesn't matter whether I click and highlight the item first or just right click

Click to expand...

You may be onto something there - if you have a context menu item that is using older system calls, then the menu is forced to revert to the old system in order to be compatible with that one context menu item. So, it makes sense that, for the context menu item for certain things, where that particular entry exists, the system acts like aero has been turned off, whereas in reality it is only turned off for that particular context menu item.

Mikaka - perhaps it is the context menu item for ESET causing this to occur? Because I have WinRAR and Notepad++ so I know it is not either of those two, unless you happen to be running older versions....

johngalt said:

green98ls said:

The same thing happens to me as the OP. I noticed it started to happen after I installed AVG 9.0 free version. And it only seems to go to the blue highlighted context menu when AVG is in there, like when I click on a file/folder that can be scanned.

But even in the start menu it changes when I click on different things. See attachments.

Also as mentioned above, it doesn't matter whether I click and highlight the item first or just right click

Click to expand...

You may be onto something there - if you have a context menu item that is using older system calls, then the menu is forced to revert to the old system in order to be compatible with that one context menu item. So, it makes sense that, for the context menu item for certain things, where that particular entry exists, the system acts like aero has been turned off, whereas in reality it is only turned off for that particular context menu item.

Mikaka - perhaps it is the context menu item for ESET causing this to occur? Because I have WinRAR and Notepad++ so I know it is not either of those two, unless you happen to be running older versions....

Click to expand...

Good explanation John

And to further that explanation, I uninstalled AVG and my context menus went back to the new style without the blue highlighted.

So I would say the context menu will change depending on what programs you install.

I attached new pictures to show the difference

Yup - you get some rep for pointing out the difference with AVG installed.

In retrospect, it should have been obvious - but it was an easy enough mistake to say that it occurred in certain areas or with a certain methodology, whereas it is actually the context menu items themselves causing this.

EDIT - added the following

lol - my single instance of rep gave you three boxes - congrats!

johngalt said:

Yup - you get some rep for pointing out the difference with AVG installed.

In retrospect, it should have been obvious - but it was an easy enough mistake to say that it occurred in certain areas or with a certain methodology, whereas it is actually the context menu items themselves causing this.

EDIT - added the following

lol - my single instance of rep gave you three boxes - congrats!

Click to expand...

haha thanks, i seem to be on a roll lately since I just got the badge yesterday

Im wondering what other programs will cause the context menu change, whether it's just AV software or maybe since we're running 64 bit OS, and the programs are actually 32 bit

From my understanding of it, 32bit shell extensions don't work in 64bit OSs - I had a bit of trouble using more than a couple of them when I was first on Vista x64, then when I started testing Windows 7 64bit. In that time, many have come out with 64bit shell extensions, so I am able to use them - but a few have not, and I am stuck without them.

Ok its fixed, you were right, it was some application. I removed few of them so I don't know which one exacly was causing it.

Adobe AIR
Adobe Media Player
Notepad++

Thanks everyone.

Thanks green98ls,
Replacing AVG with Avira did the trick for me.

From here:
Why does my right click context menu have two styles? - Neowin Forums

Another way to get back the modern right-click menu without uninstalling the program is to turn off the shell extension using ShellExView.

iron2000 said:

From here:
Why does my right click context menu have two styles? - Neowin Forums

Another way to get back the modern right-click menu without uninstalling the program is to turn off the shell extension using ShellExView.

Click to expand...

Cool deal. Thanks.

DAP's (Download Accelerator Plus) "Shred File" context menu item also causes the old style menu problem.