Fast Windows Fixes

Manage Files From Your Right-Click Menu

Problem: My right mouse button has delete, cut, and copy commands, but to copy or move a file, I then have to open a new Explorer window (or lose my place in the current Explorer window) to use the Paste command that completes the operation. (Naturally, I can also drag and drop from the right pane to the left folder-tree pane.)

Fast Fix: You can invoke a prompt that asks for the destination folder by adding 'Copy to Folder' and 'Move to Folder' commands to your right-click menu.

First, create a Registry backup by setting a new restore point in System Restore. With your Registry backup in place, launch Notepad, click the Format menu, and make sure 'Word Wrap' is unchecked. Type these three lines:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\
ContextMenuHandlers\{C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\
ContextMenuHandlers\{C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}]

The file should have only three lines.

Save the file to a convenient location such as the Desktop, and give it a name like CopyToMoveTo.reg (be sure to include the .reg extension) and exit Notepad. Now right-click the file and choose Merge (see the screen shot). Confirm at any prompts you may receive.

The next time you right-click a file, you'll see two new commands: 'Copy to Folder' and 'Move to Folder'. Choose one of these commands to open a dialog box for selecting where your files should go.

Now you can delete the .reg file you created, or save it as a guide to which Registry keys to delete in case you decide later to remove these commands.