I am using Windows 8.1. When I right click on files in Windows Explorer, the context menu disappears after a second or so. It does so in a manner making it impossible to select any context menu items. This does not impact my task bar. I can't cut or copy files, or select to send them to Beyond Compare, Notepad++, etc. Please help.

I traced the problem back to an installation of Smith Micro StuffIt. It doesn't support right-click menus in Windows 8.1. It renders file context menus inoperable. It's a shame, I really like the product and would like to protect my investment in the license. When I uninstalled it, Windows Explorer would display context menus long enough that they could be clicked. I reinstalled StuffIt, the problem returned. I uninstalled a second time and it fixed again. I would like a fix that allows me to use StuffIt again.

• Marked as answer by Roger LuMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Friday, March 07, 2014 3:37 PM

I traced the problem back to an installation of Smith Micro StuffIt. It doesn't support right-click menus in Windows 8.1. It renders file context menus inoperable. It's a shame, I really like the product and would like to protect my investment in the license. When I uninstalled it, Windows Explorer would display context menus long enough that they could be clicked. I reinstalled StuffIt, the problem returned. I uninstalled a second time and it fixed again. I would like a fix that allows me to use StuffIt again.

• Marked as answer by Roger LuMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Friday, March 07, 2014 3:37 PM

I'm assuming you can't get an updated Windows 8-compatible version.

Does it have some function outside the use of the context menu?

I ask because, though I haven't used it personally, it should be possible to disable the Shell Extension separately, allowing you to have the product installed, have Explorer work, and have every other use of the product available to you...

Install Stuffit and use the freeware tool ShellExView by Nir Sofer to disable the Stuffit Shell Extension specifically.

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/shexview.html

Good luck.  Please report back on how this works for you.

 

Thank you for the tip Noel,  I will give that a try. StuffIt provides several useful shell extensions to "Extract Here", "Extract..." that I only now realize just what I had a habit of using. I like your suggestion - the program is still useful without its shell extensions, but isn't useful if it make all file popup menus inoperable.

I'm having this problem in Windows 8.1, and I don't have StuffIt installed.

Same advice applies.  Try methodically disabling your shell extensions with ShellExView, logging out/in, and testing.

 

"Same advice applies.  Try methodically disabling your shell extensions with ShellExView, logging out/in, and testing."

How exactly would you do that? Do you have to go to every program on your computer and disable something?

I get the error regardless of whether other programs are running or not.

ShellExView itself can be used to methodically disable individual Shell Extensions by right-clicking on one or more extension entries that are selected and choosing Disable Selected Items.

ShExView shows non-Microsoft extensions with a different color (light red background), and if you sort by Company name it will group them all together at the top and bottom of the list.

One strategy could be to disable ALL non-Microsoft extensions, log off/on, see if the problem goes away.  If it does, carefully re-enable half of the remaining disabled items at a time, repeat the log off/on, and see when the problem recurs.  You can isolate an offending shell extension this way with a little time, care, and persistence.

Good luck!

 

Thank you for the guidance, Noel!  I installed the ShellExView application, disabled all non-Microsoft extensions, then re-enabled all of them. The problem went away.

Well, the solution was temporary.  The problem is back and disabling and enabling and logging off and back on does not solve it.  It was great while it lasted. :-)

The idea is to disable the shell extensions methodically until such time as the problem goes away. Once you've isolated which shell extension, specifically, is causing the problem, you then leave it disabled.

And perhaps you go to the maker of that shell extension and see if they have updated software that's compatible with the version of Windows you're using.

-Noel