update on SP2 right-clicking problem

[Joshua Heslinga]

Hi everyone. I've got XP Pro on a Dell Latitude D600. I
posted a couple days ago to report that after I loaded
SP2 the Explorer process (not IE) would crash every time
I right-clicked on any file. (You can search the group
based on my last name to find the previous post.)

Anyway, I have progress of sorts to report. DivX wasn't
the problem. (As far as I can tell, I don't have DivX
installed.) I traced the problem with right-clicking on
files to a context menu item added by a file encryption
utility -- SecureIT from Cypherix. The program works
under SP2, but for some bizarre reason, the context menu
item crashes Explorer. So editing the context menu (by
editing the Registry under
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/*/shellex/ContextMenuHandlers) solved
that problem.

Part of the problem is sticking around, however. I can
now right-click on any file or shortcut to a file, but
Explorer still crashes when I right-click on folders.
I've tried the same systematic deletion of options under
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/Folder, but I've deleted just about
everything under there and haven't solved the problem
yet. So, anyone have new suggestions (or other places in
the Registry to look for context menu items that would
only appear on folders)?

Thanks.

BTW... to any MS people that might read this, I like SP2--
I just wish there weren't so many gotchas.

 

[Joshua Heslinga]

OK, I found the other registry location--
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/Directory . The same file encryption
utility had an entry in there.

Also, some other people have mentioned disabling DEP by
editing the BOOT.INI. That did work in this case, but
since that's a temporary fix and removes part of SP2's
security features, I didn't want to rely on that long-
term.

So-- for others with right-clicking issues, editing the
context menus through registry edits may just solve your
problem.

 

[Pemo]

BTW... to any MS people that might read this, I like SP2--
I just wish there weren't so many gotchas.

Could you elaborate on the "gotchas" ??

I'd like to be pre-warned for when (or if) I go to SP2

Pemo

 

[Joshua Heslinga]

Maybe I should rephrase. I like the SP2 features. I don't
consider them gotchas. IE is usable now, although it's
still not as good as Firefox. The Firewall seems more
configurable and is turned on. The new Security Center is
a good start (once all the 3rd parties integrate with
it). In short, SP2 gets Microsoft headed in the direction
they need to be going. The problem is that security often
is at odds with compatibility.

I've only installed SP2 on a couple of computers, so I
don't claim to be an expert, but from reading many posts
and my own experience, I would say that SP2 involves more
than the usual in terms of compatibility issues. The
biggest culprits will be drivers and utility programs.
Absolutely check with your manufacturers, although that
isn't going to be a total solution, since
incompatibilities often involve dependencies between
several pieces of software.

The bottom line is that SP2 is important, but that if it
fouls up, it's going to be mostly on the individual user
to solve the problem. (No free tech support is likely
from Microsoft or computer manufacturers.) So, what to do?

1. Do your homework on compatibility.
2. If you've done weird system hacks, consider removing
them.
3. Before you install, make a full system backup.
(Although the SP2 uninstall worked well for me.)
4. Install and hope for the best.