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ContextMenuHandlers key not migrated with Windows 8.1 upgrade


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Symptoms

Consider the following scenario:

  • You have a Windows 8 PC.
  • You have an application installed that adds a ContextMenuHandlers key to the registry to create a context menu. Context Menu Handlers are sometimes used to add custom menu items, such as additional device properties when you right-click on a device. For example, a printer device may provide additional device-specific menu items after a printer extension application has been installed.
  • After the application is installed, you upgrade the Windows 8 PC to Windows 8.1.
  • During the Windows upgrade process, you select the setting for "Keep Windows settings, personal files, and apps." Or, you initiate the upgrade via the Microsoft Store app (which automatically uses this setting).
In this scenario, after the Windows 8.1 upgrade completes, you notice that the application may not work anymore and the custom menu items are no longer available.

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Cause

The Windows 8.1 upgrade does not migrate registry keys within the key:

HKCR\DeviceDisplayObject\InterfaceClass\<interface GUID>\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers

If an application writes to the registry with this key, some features of the application may not work properly after the Windows 8.1 upgrade.

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Resolution

Applications which rely on this functionality may need to be reinstalled after the Windows 8.1 upgrade.

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Keywords: kb

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Article Info
Article ID : 2914168
Revision : 3
Created on : 10/16/2017
Published on : 10/26/2017
Exists online : False
Views : 324