Shell Extensions, Windows 10 and NirSoft!

[Thagarr]

I have been using Windows 10 for a while now, and I had noticed some performance degradation over time. At first, I simply prescribed it to the fact that I just didn't like Windows 10. With my predisposed inclination to hate everything Microsoft, I ascribed every issue I was having to bad development, and I was reaching the point where I was about to give up and go back to Linux.

In this case, almost every time I tried to view a file using Windows Explorer, or open something using the right click context menu, the Windows shell would crash. The problem steadily got worse over time, and finally I decided it was time to figure out just what was going on. It turns out that I was wrong, and this one wasn't entirely Microsoft's fault. Once again with the help of NirSoft, I have found out exactly what the problem was.

Some of you may have seen my posts about the handy little InstalledCodec program that easily turns on and off Codec's in Windows. That program is written by Nirsoft, and he has a whole range of other handy little programs. One of which is called ShellExView. What ShellExView does is show you a list of what has been added to your Windows Shell Extensions and allows you to easily turn them off and on! It also shows you who installed those extensions and what program they belong to! That makes it extremely easy to track down the culprit! NirSoft programs are developed by Nir Sofer, and you can find a list of his free software HERE!

To sum up my own experience briefly, I got a new router a while back, and part of the software that was included was a program that was supposed to help me share files over a wireless network, it installed as a default in the installation, and I saw it was there, but never really paid attention to it or used it. I turned off those extensions with ShellExView, and haven't had an issue since!

 

[Hylie Pistof]

Due to security issues I have all wireless stuff turned off so it looks like I missed that little gem.

It seems hackers were parking across the street in a white van and trying to access our wireless network via the printers. Surprisingly it was the Internal Revenue Service that got involved there.

 

[Thagarr]

I remember you talking about that, quite a strange story there I am sure.

I have the wireless part turned off and just use it as a wired router, it's pretty easy to turn on and off if I ever actually need it for some reason. I just got lazy during the software install, I should know better.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

I'm politically active and have been getting hacked and attacked for well over a decade by the Fascist republicons. Things have actually been pretty calm here for a while, but there is no such thing as being too cautious. They are actively trying to shut down all voices other than faux noise.

 

[Thagarr]

Well, it turns out that this did not solve my problem after all, after a reboot, the Windows shell is back to crashing every time I try to open a file using the right click menu. Any file. Looks like I am going to have to get out my recovery disks and try a factory reset. I think I have said this before, but I did do some tweaking myself and forced Windows to use the old Windows Picture Viewer instead of the new Edge integrated viewer, which is complete crap in my opinion. This quite probably has something to do with that, but I was really hoping it was just some kind of strange permissions error.

I will give it one more try with Windows 10, then it is back to Linux for me. My computer equipment will do what I want it to do, not what some group of suits sitting in a board room somewhere thinks it should do!