The application will display a configuration window after installation which is displaying the shell entries that have been added by the application. This includes copying the path, opening the command prompt, running files with parameters or opening notepad or paint.

Not all of the entries are needed though. It is possible to remove some entries from the context menu entry. New entries – called commands in the application – can be added as well. Every entry consists of a title, program name, arguments, directories and other variables that can be defined during creation. Entries can be moved around to change their position in the context menu.

It is for instance possible to add any executable file to the right-click context menu including specific launch parameters. Another interesting feature of Open++ is the ability to use short path and prompts for arguments when pressing keys on the keyboard at the same time.

The application is running as a rundll.exe process with about 3 Megabytes of computer memory usage after installation.

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A way to manage the context menu entries would be to edit them right in the Windows Registry. A more secure solution is by the use of software like Shell Menu View by NirSoft. The portable software displays a list of all registered shell extensions of a Windows operating system with information like the menu name, the file extensions or the path of the application.

The tables can be sorted in various ways and there is a search to find that one extension that you want to edit right now. A right-click on any row in the software program opens a context menu that provides options to disable or enable an extension, open the Registry key of that extension or print a list of all or selected items.

ShellExView is a portable application that runs on most Windows operating systems but works best in Windows XP and Windows 2000 because they can make use of the disable feature.

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Shell Enhancer adds some long needed functions to Windows and when I write Windows I mean Windows XP or newer versions. The main functions are window and task management each offering numerous options that make your live easier. I think I use some examples to explain some of the functions of Shell Enhancer.

With Shell Enhancer it is possible to resize windows without having to move the mouse to a border of it. Pressing the ALT key plus one of the mouse keys resizes the active window fluently to the desired size. The window can be moved, resized with two static sides and resized completely by using the hotkey and the mouse. It’s far easier to click anywhere in the window to resize it.

Some other functions that are provided are to minimize windows to the system tray, set the transparency level of windows, set automatic options for windows (when firefox started make it always on top and set the transparency level to 90%), a task switcher with preview option, hide desktop icons and activate mouse gestures.

We are not finished yet. Screen Corner Tasks can be configured. Those are tasks that are executed when the mouse is placed for a certain time in one of the screen corners.

And then we have the Hotkey Tasks Manager. You can import a list of preconfigured task that do all kind of things like opening the search engine with the search results of a phrase that you have marked, maximizing explorer windows, opening a link in a browser. Those are basic tasks but the application can process complex tasks as well. You could for instance run five applications in a row, create a system restore point after the termination of the third application, open notepad, insert text into notepad, close notepad, send keystrokes to a confirmation window and initiate system shutdown. All with one hotkey.

Shell Enhancer is an excellent software, it does not have such a large memory footprint if you consider all the functions that it offers. If you need one or more of those functions regularly or want to start certain programs or windows in certain states then you should give it a try. It might be a bit intimidating at the beginning but you get used to it pretty quickly.

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