Right-Click Menu Funnies - Solutions

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Some of you may have experienced this 
if you've tried to upgrade to Win10, had problems and had to revert to 
Win8.1.

In this situation, if your OS installs were done with MS account 
link "On", when you've installed Win10 initially, your Windows Appearance 
Settings are uploaded to MS' OneDrive. When you subsequently install Win8.1, the 
installer checks OneDrive for settings and requests a download of the settings, 
which are then applied to your Win 8.1 installation.

The results can vary 
from situation to situation based on differences in individual sets of settings, 
but are usually characterised by "funnies" with the "right-click menus" (aka 
"context menus"). In my particular case, these menus were displayed with black 
text on a black background, but others have had weirder permutations of font 
typeface/size, border/background/text colour combinations.

Google 
initially did not help until it became apparent that - in Microsoft-speak - 
these menus that display when you right-click on an icon pinned to the task bar 
are labelled as "right-click menus", "context menus" and, the real name being 
"jump lists". Once the term "jump list" had surfaced, things progressed and it 
was possible to determine mechanisms by which to: firstly, avoid the problem; 
and secondly, if already happened how to fix it.

A) AVOIDANCE

When 
installing Windows 10 (and any subsequent install of Windows 8.1) DO NOT 
select the on-line linked installation option - USE THE OFF-LINE VERSION. This 
stops the appearance settings from being uploaded to OneDrive.

B) FIX 
(NASTY)

Using release media, re-install final desired Windows version and 
use option A) above

C) FIX (TECH)

Google Registry Edit and problem 
and make changes to registry (not recommended if you're mildly 
technophobic)

D) FIX (QUICK)

Open Windows Update and open Update 
History. Locate uipdate labelled "KB3072318" and uninstall it before re-starting 
your system. (This update is the one sent from OneDrive containing your original 
Windows10 appearance settings for Windows 8.1 to use). THIS WAS THE OPTION I EVENTUALLY USED AS I'M NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH REGEDIT AND DID NOT FEEL LIKE RE-INSTALLING EVERYTHING AND IT WORKED FIRST TIME.

CAVEAT: This QUICK 
FIX is only for those re-installing Win 8.1 AND NOT for Win7 or prior 
versions.

ATTRIBUTION: This quick fix found via Google in EightForums in a post from "archtop" at:
http://www.eightforums.com/general-support/69379-taskbar-jump-list-has-distorted-icons-placing-2.html

Finally, before anyone asks, the Win10 installation failed due to 
certain device driver incompatibilities between Asrock Fatal1ty Z77 Professional board and Windows10 and these devices are more important to 
me than upgrading from Win 7 to Win10, so split the difference and went with 
Win8.1 (where drivers ARE available). The failure resulted in a "black screen of mortality" during both shut-down and power-on, which tended to make any "repair" somewhat awkward...

I hope this helps to save someone a 
hectic day or so trying to resolve this problem (it's not very well documented).

Dave 