No more Queue-It-Up … how to remove Media Player menu items

[jph6t]

Raise your hand if you HATE all those menu items put in your right-click menu (without an option to remove) by Microsoft’s Windows Media Player (WMP)! Raise your other hand if you’ve looked for a way to remove these menu items before, but all you’ve been able to find is years old forum posts that talk vaguely about removing lines from the Registry.

For those of you not following me … right-click on a media file (audio or video).
What I am looking to get rid of is the following menu items:

• Copy to CD or Device
• Queue-It-Up
• Add to Playlist...
• Play with Media Player

Normally it would be easy to remove an unwanted menu item. Most menu items are setup in the 'File Types' tab of the 'Folder Options' window, accessed from within Windows Explorer by clicking:
Tools > Folder Options

This is the same window where one goes to customize their media icons by file type.

The problem is that the above items in the 'Context Menu' are setup through 'shell extensions'. Shell Extensions are in-process COM objects which extend the abilities of Windows operating system. Most shell extensions are automatically installed by the operating system, but there are also many other applications that install additional shell extension components. For example, if you install WinZip on your computer, you'll see a special WinZip menu when you right-click on a Zip file. This menu is created by adding a shell extension to the system. If you disable the appropriate shell extension, you won't get these additional menu items.

Now I may not be technically incompetent, but I know better than to go playing with the Registry without knowing exactly what I’m doing.

SOLUTION:

I found a tool to help one get rid of these menu items without screwing up their system:

ShellExView (v1.15 as of the date of this posting)
by Nirsoft

This program is freeware.
See attached file or download at Nirsoft or PCWorld

The ShellExView utility displays the details of shell extensions installed on your computer, and allows you to easily disable and enable each shell extension.

INSTRUCTIONS:

In order to locate and disable the unwanted shell extension item(s):[LIST=1][*]Sort the extensions by the 'Type' column, and look at all 'Context Menu' items. [*]Look for the extension(s) that create the menu you want to disable.
The icon near each item can help to locate the desired shell extension.[*]Highlight the offending extension(s). [*]Right-click the selection, and choose "Disable Selected Items"[/LIST=1]For me the following three (3) shell extensions proved to be the source of the problem entries:

• WMP Add To Playlist Launcher
• WMP Burn Audio CD Launcher
• WMP Play As Playlist Launcher

The more technical out there may notice that these three (3) extensions constitute the whole of the wmpshell.dll. I suppose that uninstalling this dll may do the same thing as disabling the extensions, but I preferred the safety net of using a GUI, and not incurring other unintended side affects

For those interested in trying this later method, I believe you would go to:
Start > Run
And to uninstall enter regsvr32 /u wmpshell.dll
If you later with to restore enter regsvr32 wmpshell.dll

Your media files should now be unburdened from WMP, and as promised ...
… no more “Queue-It-Up” et all.

[jph6t]

One possible problem you may encounter with the above approach could happen if,
as myself, you do NOT use Winamp for video. I use Winamp exclusively for managing/playing my audio files. I use Media Player for playing video files. When I disabled the shell extensions, video files (such as .avi & .wmv) no longer had a program associated with them. Windows prompted me to associate a program with the file type the first time I selected such a file, but (even when ensuring the box was selected to always use this program in the future) the association would not remain saved. Instead, I was repeatedly presented with the prompt to associate a program with the file type each and every time I selected the file.

SOLUTION

NOTE: You may have to do the below steps before disabling the shell extension(s)
(I’m not sure). If you have already disabled the extension(s), and try these steps without success, just use ShellExView to enable the extension(s); retry these steps;
and then use ShellExView to once again disable the extension(s). This what I did, and everything turned out as desired.

1. Open Media Player and go to Tools > Options. Select the ‘File Types’ tab. Ensure that the video file type(s) you are looking to fix are NOT selected from within the program.
2. Open the 'Preferences' window within Winamp, and do the same as step one, ensuring that the video file type(s) are NOT selected from within the program.
3. If shell extension(s) are still enabled, use ShellExView to disable them.
4. Select a video file type in question.
   You should be prompted to associate a program. Do so.
5. Select the same file type as that used in step 4.
   Verify the program association has been saved/maintained.

If you need to further tweak the program associations, need to add menu items, or want to customize the icon associated with the file type … then go to the 'File Types' tab of the 'Folder Options' window, accessed from within Windows Explorer by clicking:
Tools > Folder Options

The process for tweaking these entries has already been outlined in the thread discussing how to customize media icons by file type.

However, for quick reference ...
here is the syntax for creating menu items for Winamp & Media Player:

Winamp

• &Play in Winamp
  "C:\Program Files\Winamp\winamp.exe" "%1"
  
• &Enqueue in Winamp
  "C:\Program Files\Winamp\winamp.exe" /ADD "%1"

Media Player

• &Open in Media Player
  "C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe" /Open "%L"
  
• &Play in Media Player
  "C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe" /Play "%L"

NOTE: In case someone is curious. The %1 is a placeholder for the filename. The quotes ("") are used to accomodate paths and file names with spaces in them. So be sure to use "%1" and not just %1. The second could give errors.

[pile0nades]

This is very cool! It let me remove all 4 never-used WMP menu items, thanks for making this!

[jph6t]

One more for those that only use Winamp to manage their audio files ... here's a couple handy little tips/tweaks to remove non-audio entries from your Winamp menus

[jph6t]

Originally posted by jph6t
The process for tweaking these entries has already been outlined in the thread discussing how to customize media icons by file type."

However, for quick reference ... the syntax for creating menu items in Winamp:

• &Play in Winamp
  "C:\Personal Program Files\Winamp\winamp.exe" "%1"
• &Enqueue in Winamp
  "C:\Personal Program Files\Winamp\winamp.exe" /ADD "%1"
  
• En&queue && Play in Winamp
  "C:\Personal Program Files\Winamp\Winamp.exe" /ADD "\\QUEUE" "%1"
• Add to Winamp's &Bookmark list
  "C:\Personal Program Files\Winamp\winamp.exe" /BOOKMARK "%1"

[jph6t]

Originally posted by jph6t
The process for tweaking these entries has already been outlined in the thread discussing how to customize media icons by file type.

However, for quick reference ... the syntax for creating menu items in:

Media Player

• Open in Media Player
  C:\WINDOWS\system32\mplay32.exe "%1"
• Play in Media Player
  C:\WINDOWS\system32\mplay32.exe /play "%1"
  
  The above entries refer specifically to Mplay32.exe (v5.1).
  This version comes with WinXP (but is not visible by default), and is a very
  fast alternative to Windows Media Player, Wmplayer.exe, (inaccurately labeled simply as "Media Player" above). Wmplayer is the most recent version, that
  most of us think of when we here media player. It comes with WinXP but is
  also downloadable for all versions of Windows. It is the slowest but most feature-rich of all the players. Mplay32.exe has a look/feel similar to the
  earliest media player, mplayer.exe

Sound Recorder

• Play in Sound Recorder
  sndrec32.exe /Play "%L"
• &Record in Sound Recorder
  sndrec32.exe "%L"

QuickTime

• Open in &QuickTime
  "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QuickTimePlayer.exe" "%1"

A great supplemental reference on this process can be found here. This article points out some of the benefits to using the older Media Player over Windows Media Player.

[jack6128]

I just wanted to let you know that I greatly appreciate your post regarding the ShellExView freeware app.

It was EXACTLY what I was looking for.

I'm sure that many others who find Winamp to be the best media player in existence would love this little genius application. It is everything that an app should be. It solves a problem in the least complicated way possible.

Thank you for bringing to our attention.

[jph6t]

Originally posted by jack6128
Thank you for bringing to our attention.

You're welcome jack6128.
I had to find some way to contribute to the Winamp collective.
I was starting to feel guilty for using (ie. mooching) all of DrO's great plugins.

[Lange_666]

Ok, i have the same problem but when the WMP entries in the context menu showed up, i lost those of WinAmp.
After doing some research, i found that these can be set on or off in the WinAmp Preferences/General Preferences/Jump To File section.
Biggest problem is that these don't work, regarding whatever i try. So i got my WMP entries removed but didn't get the WinAmp one's back.

Any idea how i should proceed here?

[jph6t]

Originally posted by Lange_666
Any idea how i should proceed here?

Did you not read the rest of the entries above? The thread goes on to outline the means and syntax for creating the entries you are looking to get back.

[Lange_666]

LOL, i have read everything. I also did read another thread regarding the same issue and tried everything here:
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....hreadid=266117
...with no succes. I have also about everywhere for a solution, no go. In the end, i think a complete new install will give the least hassle to bring everything back.

[Lange_666]

Problem lies with Nero (at least for me). After a complete re-install i installed Nero as latest software and WinAmp in the file context menu disappeared. Removed parts of Nero step by step and the removing ShowHome did the trick and brought the WinAmp entries back in the file context menu.

[jph6t]

I just got forced to upgrade Windows Media Player to v11 on my work machine.
Upon reboot, I found that WMP v11 had once again added unwanted items
to my context menus. But this was easily fixed using the tool/process outlined above.

ShellExView still works on WMP v11!

For those of you not following me … right-click on a media file (audio or video).
What I was looking to get rid of is the following menu items:

• Add to windows media player list
• Play with media player

[pjn123]

To lazy to read the whole thread here but here is how to remove any unwanted entries from the menu.

Windows XP:

- Start Menu > Set Program Access And Defaults
> Custom
> Choose default media player
> Remove the Enable access to this program tick from WMP... iTunes... Winamp :P

I'm sure Vista have something similar to "Set Program Access And Defaults"

[Koopa]

jph6t:

Start --> Run --> regsvr32 /u wmpshell.dll --> OK

It should work under Vista too, I'll try to play with that stuff tomorow.

Btw, I'm too lazy to read the whole thread too, heh

[jph6t]

Originally posted by Koopatrooper
Start --> Run --> regsvr32 /u wmpshell.dll --> OK

It should work under Vista too, I'll try to play with that stuff tomorow.

Btw, I'm too lazy to read the whole thread too, heh

Hey Koopa! How you been?

"Whole thread"? You didn't even make it through the original post:

Excerpt from the original post by jph6t
The more technical out there may notice that these three (3) extensions constitute the whole of the wmpshell.dll.
I suppose that uninstalling this dll may do the same thing as
disabling the extensions, but I preferred the safety net of using a GUI, and not incurring other unintended side affects

For those interested in trying this later method,
I believe you would go to:
Start > Run
And to uninstall enter regsvr32 /u wmpshell.dll
If you later with to restore enter regsvr32 wmpshell.dll

[Koopa]

I'm doing ok.

"Whole thread"? You didn't even make it through the original post:

You got me, heh, i've just read the last few postings, sorry.

I've seen in your other thread, that you're searching for a way to get rid of the visualization menu entry. Do you still need help with that?

[pjn123]

Using the method I suggested is probably the easiest. It almost like you uninstall WMP. You can still open it manually but WMP have any menu entries anymore. If I remember correctly this feature was added for XP SP2. MS had a few penalties because it favored its own aps

[jph6t]

Originally posted by pjn123
Using the method I suggested is probably the easiest.

I'm hesitant to play with those setting on my work machine.
IT loves to blame any problem I have on my little customizations like that:
"My batterty no longer holds a charge".
"It's may be because you edited the Program Access settings."

But I'd be open to trying that option at home.
Thanks for the info pjn123!

So everyone ... looks like you now have three (3) good options.
Go forth with clean context menus!