Weird Menu Issue

I'm having a peculiar issue in Windows Vista. For some reason the slideout menus that pop-up when you right-click on the desktop and select View, Sort by or New all slideout to the left instead of the right. This happens in MSOffice too where the menu dropdowns (File/Edit/View/etc.) don't line up on the F in file and expand to the right. Instead the dropdown aligns on the "e" and expands to the left. All subsequent slideouts will also slide to the left, so if you go File>Open, the Open slideout will open on the left side of the File dropdown.

I have no idea how this happened but it is extremely irritating, and feels like I'm using my computer backwards. I've been through most of the menus and settings but can't find anything that would appear to work.

Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Are you comfortable searching through the Windows Registry. I am thinking some change may have been made there.

If you hit your start button and search for regedit you can run that

then go to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows

See if you have something in that string that says something like MenuDropAlignment

If you do delete that and only that.

or Option 2 (you may want to try this first before the registry method)

The only other thing I can think of is that the tablet PC settings got set somehow.

if you press Windows Key + R and type (this will open the Run box)

shell:::{80F3F1D5-FECA-45F3-BC32-752C152E456E}

you will get the tablet PC Options. Look under the "Other" tab and see how it is set.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm trying them out now. I'll post back if they worked.

Oh yeah!! The registry deletion worked. Of course I had to reboot to get everything working but the changed fixed it.

I have NO IDEA how that happened, but thanks oodles for the suggestion. I searched the intarwebs high and low for a solution. How did you happen to find, or know, about this esoteric little key?

The shell:::{80F3F1D5-FECA-45F3-BC32-752C152E456E} did not work though, it just popped up an error.

Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kymera

Oh yeah!! The registry deletion worked. Of course I had to reboot to get everything working but the changed fixed it.

I have NO IDEA how that happened, but thanks oodles for the suggestion. I searched the intarwebs high and low for a solution. How did you happen to find, or know, about this esoteric little key?

The shell:::{80F3F1D5-FECA-45F3-BC32-752C152E456E} did not work though, it just popped up an error.

Thanks!

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You're welcome. I did some searching using keywords about Windows Context Menus showing on the left. Came up with those things.

I think you can also find the tablet PC settings in control panel somewhere but sometimes that does not show up unless Windows detects a touch capable monitor.

Just wanted to let you know, the solution has been working fine for 5 years. :)

There is nothing like a happy ending. Thank you for the update.