How to remove "Backup" item in context menu?

Acronis True Image Home 10

I already have lots of entries in the context menu (when right-clicking on a file or folder in Windows Explorer). I don't need another one, especially one that I will never use. The "Backup" context item merely starts a task definition in True Image with the directory tree anchored at the selected folder in Windows Explorer, so I really don't get much automation from the "Backup" content menu item. I want to get rid of it as it is just fluff that enlarges the context menu and I will never use it.

I have wandered through various menus and panes in True Image and found nothing to configure the context menu for TI Home. I have had to resort to using Nirsoft's Shell Extension Viewer to disable that context menu item. There were 2 items listed:

Acronis True Image Shell Context Menu Extension (type = System)
File = C:\Program Files\Acronis\TrueImageHome\tishell.dll
ClassID = {C539A15A-3AF9-4c92-B771-50CB78F5C751}

Acronis Trus Image Shell Extension (type = Folder)
File = C:\Program Files\Acronis\TrueImageHome\tishell.dll
ClassID = {C539A15B-3AF9-4c92-B771-50CB78F5C751}

Both use the same DLL file and both use the same classID. I looked in the registry and both entries specify the same InProcServer program with the same [lack of] parameters, so it isn't like a different method or entry point is being used in the same DLL file specified for both entries. Use NirSoft's ShellExView utility, I disabled both. That got rid of the "Backup" fluff from the context menu.

I shouldn't have to use 3rd party tools or even know they exist to edit the registry to disable or delete these extensions. If the product modifies the context menu then it should provide an option to enable (show) or disable (remove) that item in the context menu. For as little functionality that the "Backup" context menu provides, there is no justification for wasting space for it in the context menu.

 

Hi check this out

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/contextmenueditor.html

 

So the "solution" is to use some other context editor? The one you suggested only lets the user permanently remove the shell extension whereas Nirsoft's utility gives the option to just disable it. That way, if the user decides they want it back, they can reenable it.

As per my prior post, a 3rd party utility should not be required if a program adds a shell extension. It is rude to add extensions without providing for configurable options within the program as to when to show/add or to hide/remove those extensions. Most users of Windows haven't a clue about shell extensions or namespaces or what utilities to use since Windows doesn't include any for managing them other than hunting through the registry using regedit.exe.

So am I to infer from your reply that True Image Home has no means to configure whether or not it enables the shell extensions that it created at install time? That sucks.

 

Hi
Sorry it didn't register when I read your post that you had used Nirsoft's Shell Extension Viewer I wrongly thought you had gone into the registry and changed those extensions so I was trying to give you a simpler solution.
I don't know if you can configure ATI not to enable it but I agree you should be given the option and certainly shouldn't have to use 3rd party tools.
By the way ShellExView is a pretty informative program thanks for the heads up.

 

Vanguard:

I agree with your sentiments. I almost always don't want extra right-click context menu options so I go hunt them down in the registry and disable them. I agree that you shouldn't have to do this. Software vendors should always give you the choice during installation.

Here is the problem from a user's perspective. If I install 20 different programs and they all add a context menu item (or two, or three) then pretty soon the context menu becomes so large that it is useless. Instead of saving me time it wastes my time by making me read through a long list of choices.

Every software vendor thinks that their program is the most important one in the world and therefore they add an easy right-click method of activating it. But most of us use multiple software packages. And who wants to right-click on a file and see ten zillion menu items? Worthless. It's time for this practice to end. Acronis, you could set a nice precedent here...

 

Unfortunately not all context menu entries are defined as shell extensions using the scheme that these utilities will display. Although Nirsoft's ShellExView is good, it won't list every item in the context menus. For example, I wanted to get rid of "PartitionMagic 8.0" from the context menu when a drive was selected. ShellExView doesn't show it. Instead I had to dig through registry searching on that string and eventually found it defined under:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell

The "PartitionMagic 8.0" subkey is from drive's context menu entry is defined. So I exported that subkey to a .reg file using regedit.exe and delete it. Voila, that context menu entry disappeared. It's been years since I had this software and not once did I use this context menu entry to start PartitionMagic.

Similarly, the Tree Size Free utility is listed as a context menu entry for a folder. It isn't listed in ShellExView. I found the following registry key where some of those context menu entries are defined:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell

ShellExView appears to only list extensions which are referenced solely by their classID and not those that are defined as subfolders under a subfolder named "shell" (i.e., as a class of an object type and using the shell subkey to define context items for them).

The Context Menu Editor was even worse at listing all shown entries. So I'm currently hunting around for a utility that lists all context menu entries however they are defined. Fast Explorer 2007 is free and described at http://thesoftpro.tripod.com/downloads/fe/. It does list some other context menu entries under its cleanup options but its ability to edit the context menu structures is restricted only to the FILE object (so forget about editing the context menus for DRIVE and FOLDER).

So far, I still have to do some digging in the registry for some of the context menu entries. What a pain in the arse just because the application doesn't let the user manage this configuration (which should be optional).

 

Hello Vanguard,

Thank you for choosing Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Please note that we do not recommend removing/editing any references of Acronis True Image from the registry since it may lead to incorrect functioning of the program.

Actually, this is one of the new features of Acronis True Image 10.0 Home, one-click backup. It allows you to launch the backup wizard by right-clicking on a disk, file or folder icon and selecting Backup in the context menu. The program will automatically mark the selected item for backup.

If you want us to change the behavior of Acronis True Image in any way or add some new features to this product, please feel free to post any of your suggestions in Acronis True Image WISH-LIST thread.

Thank you.
--
Marat Setdikov

 

Marat:

This is a useless feature and I wish you guys wouldn't add stuff like this to TrueImage for the reasons mentioned in my post above. If you simply must do this then please write your installer so that the user is given a choice to add or not add this feature when they install your program.

 

I agree about it being optional, especially some some like some of th adde dfeatures while others want as bare bones as possible. However, this is the wrong place to post that kind of comment. It should be posted on the wish list.

 

Okay, I added the request to the wishlist thread (with a URL reference back to this one).