Delete, Add, Enable and Disable Context Menu Items: Utilities

[DiracDeBroglie]

I've found 2 rather general purpose tools/utilities, that is: ShellMenuView and ShellExView for editing the CMIs in Win7. So, I got some questions.
1) Are there any "better" tools than those 2?
2) Are there any tools which combine Shell and Shell Extension editing in only ONE tool?
3) Are there any Win 7 build-in tools (Command line or GUI)?

regards, johan

 

[Alejandro85]

Those 2 programs are very good (from a reputated developer "nirsoft"), maybe there are alternatives but I don't know any one really, but would be nice that both be merged into one as they do almost the same thing

Windows 7 hasn't any built-in thing for such an edit. There was a good dialog in folder options, but MS has the "great" idea to remove it, it was present up to WinXP only. From now on, you have to use third party tools or manual registry editing. I myself just go directly to the registry and modify there.

 

[DiracDeBroglie]

Ok Alejandro, thanks for the info. BTW, do know any web sites/links which you consider as having very useful tips&tricks for editing the CMIs in the registry? As for that good dialog in WinXP, was that in the home, professional, or any other edition? I got also the WinXP home edition but couldn't find any CMI dialog box (yet).
Thanks in advance, J

 

[Alejandro85]

Here are a few links that found with the basic and not so basic about context menu editing in the registry:
Manage the context-menu entries for files, folders, drives and Namespace objects
How to Clean Up Your Messy Windows Context Menu - How-To Geek
Customize the Right Click Menu in Windows 7

While some may label as WinXP, it really applies to Vista, 7 and 8 too, and part of it to earlier versions too.

In XP, the context menu editor was in: Windows Explorer => Tools menu => Folder options => File Types tab.
The very same dialog still exist on Win7, but the file types tabs has been removed. The "Default Programs" control panel applet is a poor substitute of the full fledged dialog, and if you go directly to the registry, you can do a few more things that even the dialog can't handle.
Just take caution when toying with the registry and take a backup or restore point, just in case.

 

[DiracDeBroglie]

Alejandro, thanks for the links and tips. I couldn't open the 3rd link, though; some error occurred in my browser.
Indeed, in Win7 the File Types tab in Folder Options in not present anymore. Fortunately, I've already got rid of the CM clutter by editing the registry; all went well. (Took a while though, because I had to use Find in the regedit.exe to get to all CM Items that I wanted to disable.)
Regards, j