How well do you know your computer? Are you a tech savvy and basically know all the components of the computer or are you just like everyone else, working on the computer but doesn’t know much about how it functions? There are lots of very important components in a computer that many users are not aware of their existence. Although there are plenty of computer parts known to almost everyone that are not very important, a lot of important keys for a fully functional computer system are unknown to everyone. One of these computer system components is the Windows Shell and its extensions.
First of all, we should know what the Windows Shell is and what it does, making it one of the necessary parts of the computer. The Windows Shell is the primary graphical user interface in the Microsoft Windows operating system. The windows shell incorporates known components of the Windows operating system such as the Start menu and the taskbar. Windows shell is hosted by a process called explorer.exe. It is also commonly known as the Windows Explorer or just “Explorer”. The Windows explorer is generally used to describe the file management system of the Windows operating system and it also houses the search capability of the operating system as well as the File Type association. The Windows explorer or shell is also responsible for showing the icons on desktop, the Control Panel, Taskbar and the Start Menu. The windows explorer can be extended to support customized functionality by means of Windows shell Extensions.
Windows shell extensions are things that plug-in the excess functionality into the Windows explorer. It is also defined as a special kind of application that enhances the functionality of the system shell. In a much simpler sense, the Windows shell extension is an in-process Component Object Model (COM) object that works to extend the capability of the windows system shell or the user interface. Shell items include folders, printer, drivers WinZip and so on. Windows shell extensions are oftentimes installed automatically by the computer’s operating system to give more options for shell items. Some examples of Windows Shell extensions are the Command box, Run program and Read only.
Some users create shell extensions themselves by inputting them into the Windows Registry. However, if the shell extension becomes damaged or corrupted, these extensions can heavily interfere with the registry’s health and functions. The damages shell extension can affect the configured database which carries all of the saved settings for both the hardware and software being kept and used by the computer where the registry is installed. Also, the shell extensions may also access the temporary file folders which will then just sit around your computer and accumulate, taking up lots of RAM memory and eventually slow down the computer. Because of this, having a good registry cleaner is highly recommended and that you should regularly clean your computer using Disk Cleanup utility and the defragmentation tool. As the shell extension deteriorates over time and the computer system updates, the registry becomes cluttered and damaged and that it needs constant cleanup and registry fix from you.
