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Error Too Many Menus

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This problem is either due to too many applications installing context menu handlers or by a bad context menu handler. A context menu handler is a shell extension handler that adds menu options to the Windows Explorer. A badly coded context menu handler could cause this error. Context menu handlers can be added to all different types of files and folders, it's a difficult task to pinpoint which shell extension could be causing the problem.

Recommendations to help identify the problematic shell extension:

Method 1 (recommended)

Using ShellExView freeware tool to determine the Context-menu causing the problem. ShellExView (by Nir Soft) is an excellent tool to view and manage all installed shell extensions. If available, it displays the description, as well as version details, company information, location, file name and more. You can optionally disable/enable any item, which can be very useful to disable an extension, that you dont need or that has been left behind in your right click menu from a previous software install.

[ ShellExView ]

Steps:

  1. Download ShellExView from www.nirsoft.net and run it.
  2. Sort the results using 'Type' column, so that the context menu handlers are displayed together.
  3. Count the number of context menu handlers. If over 200 (Windows limit) you will need to uninstall/disable the ones you no longer need. Problem solved.
If that doesnt solve the problem then the error is probably due to a bad context menu handler.
  1. Start to disable each of the non-Microsoft context menu handlers one by one(requires reboot) and verify if the problem is solved.
  2. If disabling one does not solve the problem, undo the disabled item and disable the next non-Microsoft handler.
  3. Do the same until the problem is solved and finally identify the culprit. Scroll right to see the Company Name column in ShellExView.

Method 2 (advanced users).

If you are not confident about dealing with registry, do not proceed.

Start by isolating the problem. Observe when the problem occurs. While right-clicking a particular file type? While right-clicking Folders? While right-clicking all file types? 

 
Files: HKCR \*\shellex\contextmenuhandlers 
Files and file folders: HKCR\AllFileSystemObjects\shellex\ contextmenuhandlers  
Folders: HKCR\Folder\shellex\contextmenuhandlers 
File Folders: HKCR\Directory\shellex\contextmenuhandlers  
File class: HKCR\<ProgID>\shellex\contextmenuhandlers  
Desktop: HKCR\Directory\Background\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers Desktop
If any of the symptoms occur when you deal with a folder, then you may need to inspect the context menu handlers loaded in these areas (AllFileSystemObjects, Folder, Directory). If it's only for a .txt file, inspect the file class of .txt file (HKCR\txtfile). Open Registry Editor and *BACKUP* the selected branch, delete the context menu handlers one-by-one. 
Article ID:   W17878

Filename:   Error Too Many Menus.txt
File Created: 2009:08:28:14:23:22
Last Updated: 2009:08:28:14:23:22