Bizarre Finder Crash When Right-Click
Saturday, January 20th, 2007 | Journal
Tags: apple, application, finder, osx, stuffit
I don’t remember exactly when the crashes started to happen, I must have neglected initially since it happened sporadically. As days passed by, I started to notice this bizarre finder crash more attentively. Usually, my usage of control-click/right-click on my PowerBook is frequent. Especially when I am doing image editing, I have the habit of firing up Photoshop by right-clicking on the image file to bring out the contextual menu, and then select Photoshop. Recently, I have noticed that almost always on the third right-click the finder crashes, then it immediately re-launches itself automatically.
My initial suspects of this bizarre problem were Application Enhancer and ShapeShifter, because recently I have updated both to their latest versions. However, my Google searches could not confirm my suspicion. But, just an hour ago, I found this entry on MacNN, and the reader’s comment took my suspicion on StuffIt Deluxe 11.0.2. It also made sense to me. Since the right-click activates the contextual menu, it is logical to suspect that maybe something in the contextual menu is causing the crash. With my suspicion narrowed down, another more specific Google search led me to this thread and this article.
Okay, so the solution to the problem is apparent now. Since I never use the contextual menu item from StuffIt, I have no intention to download the fix from their site, besides I find StuffIt’s web site dreadful. Instead, I simply removed StuffItCM.plugin file in ~/Library/Contextual Menu Items/. After the removal of this plug-in, the problem ceased and my OSX is merry and healthy again!
January 29, 2007
10:09 pm on Monday
thanks! had the same problem and that fixed it!
January 29, 2007
11:00 pm on Monday
Hi Tim! I am glad this entry helped you fixing the problem!
February 06, 2007
1:43 am on Tuesday
good work on not requiring registration, i would have never registered just to say thanks, but as i dont have to register, let me just say: THANNNKS, this solved my problem in a few seconds
February 06, 2007
1:43 am on Tuesday
btw, this page is the #1 result for a google for “finder crashes right click” :-)
February 06, 2007
11:11 am on Tuesday
You are welcome Loadedsith, and thank you for letting me know about Google! I had no idea this is currently the #1 search result.
February 09, 2007
1:22 am on Friday
thanks! – thats been driving me mad!
February 26, 2007
7:39 pm on Monday
Thanks, as well, I was expecting it to be some sort of preferences corruption. What is interesting is my Stuffit is version 9, and has been working fine for 2 years. BTW your down to no for finder crash on Google.
February 26, 2007
11:50 pm on Monday
You are welcome, Ken and zombie! I am glad my little entry helped you fixing your problem.
March 22, 2007
12:51 pm on Thursday
Add me to the “thank’s a metric tonne” list. This fixed that annoying finder crash for me too! MAN – that was driving me bonkers!
March 27, 2007
3:29 pm on Tuesday
Thanks so much. My iMac is healthy again!
March 27, 2007
4:42 pm on Tuesday
Cool! All the beautiful Macs need to stay healthy!
March 28, 2007
12:23 pm on Wednesday
Just for the heck of it, I moved that plugin to my desktop and tested. It worked. My finder no longer crashed! Even more peculiar is that when I moved it back, it fixed itself.
April 13, 2007
8:16 am on Friday
yeah this is great!
thanks a lot.
even this last post, coz i tried that same and it’s working now. i moved it back again and Finder is still ok.
great!
regards to everyone.
April 14, 2007
8:49 pm on Saturday
Thanks a lot! I was not looking forward to reinstalling… you made me fall in love with my Macbook again!
April 15, 2007
8:14 am on Sunday
Innnnnnn-f*cking-credible. After some days lazily pondering how to approach this same problem, I just tried googling for “finder 3 right click crash”. Spot on. Google is God, and you’re a hero.
Oh, those Stuffit bastards… to think that there was a time when Stuffit was something to show to windows users…
April 15, 2007
11:30 pm on Sunday
Glad so many of you fixed your lovely Macs.
April 19, 2007
8:11 am on Thursday
Thanks 4 help^^
April 20, 2007
8:06 am on Friday
Wooooo Hooooooo !!!!!!
Thanks so much for the post. It took me a long time to realise that actualy right-clicking was causing the finder crash, but once I realized that was the problem, I googled “finder crashing with right click” and find your excellent solution right away.
Maybe to help more people who havent yet figured out that right clicking was the cause of the problem someone could get this solution to pop up on google higher up on the list under a simple “finder crashing and relaunching” or something. Anyhow thank you a million times I was worried I was going to have to do a major reformat!
Stupid Stuffit Deluxe 11.0.2 :P
April 20, 2007
8:13 am on Friday
You are welcome Bill Jobs! Anything to avoid a major reformat!
April 25, 2007
9:11 am on Wednesday
Great post, solved my problem as soon as I did it.
April 27, 2007
5:47 pm on Friday
Thanks for coming up with the fix. Although it did not work for me. I just downloaded the new plugin. That solved the problem.
April 28, 2007
1:33 pm on Saturday
I even reinstall security updates but nothing happend. but with your solution, my mac is healty again..
thank you very much..
May 07, 2007
3:10 pm on Monday
Fabulous! This worked on my lovely new MacBook. As I hadn’t had the problem on my iMac I was starting to think it was a TrackPad problem.
May 07, 2007
6:58 pm on Monday
Thanks!
May 16, 2007
12:21 pm on Wednesday
you da man!!
May 16, 2007
11:35 pm on Wednesday
Thanks everyone for all the kind words!
May 17, 2007
3:29 pm on Thursday
Thanks for the fix! i can right click without being scared anymore! :)
May 25, 2007
1:56 pm on Friday
Thanks!!! I had the same issue and I thought my USB port was gone or something..
Cool :D
June 09, 2007
5:23 am on Saturday
Thank you very much – who’d have thought about StuffIT… I don’t find it useful anyway, so this was a good occasion to throw it out of my system… And I was about to blame Intel for all this, but now I can be happy with my MacBook again :-)
Lucas
June 10, 2007
6:33 pm on Sunday
You guys are welcome!
June 28, 2007
5:46 pm on Thursday
Thanks so much!
July 03, 2007
3:10 pm on Tuesday
Excellent, thanx. Stuffit was the culprit. :)
July 06, 2007
6:01 pm on Friday
Thank you! you save my live! Stuffit should issue a fix for this
July 20, 2007
1:38 pm on Friday
weeeee! thanks duuuuuude! this bothered me for months now. ah…. =)
August 07, 2007
11:18 am on Tuesday
you rock
August 08, 2007
9:50 pm on Wednesday
Great! This worked instantly…good good hint. Thanks a lot!
August 08, 2007
11:18 pm on Wednesday
THX SO MUCH THIS FIXED MY PROBLEM 2~
August 10, 2007
4:41 am on Friday
WHOO HOO!!!! Me To! Yea Yea Yea!
August 11, 2007
3:29 pm on Saturday
Worked. Someone should tell stuffit
August 13, 2007
6:18 am on Monday
Hi. I find it almost disturbing that none of you appear to have actually checked for a fix for this problem, from the developer of the software that you installed, right before this problem started happening. It so happens that the developer has had a patch for this problem, since about two weeks after the problem appeared, in the StuffIt Deluxe 11.0.2 update. Here’s a link to their article about the problem, and a mini-update to fix it:
August 13, 2007
10:19 am on Monday
Hi Munroe! Thanks for pointing that out! Shortly after I wrote this post entry, I heard from someone that there was a patch released by the developers of StuffIt, so I am aware of such patch. However, I could not locate the link of the patch on their web site, so if anyone can provide the link, that would be great. On the other hand, you can always just use the fix provided in my post, especially if you never use the contextual menu.
August 22, 2007
7:34 pm on Wednesday
I was ready to call apple service, here in argentina, but tried that and it worked perfectly!!! thank you so muchh mate!!! regards from argentina!!!
August 27, 2007
2:02 am on Monday
Great solutions :) Find this really helpful. Thanks for sharing :) Now, hopefully no more finder re-launch problems…
August 27, 2007
5:57 am on Monday
Thankss… I’ve been experiencing the same problem as well
September 01, 2007
1:59 pm on Saturday
Many thanks. I just became a happy owner of a Macbook, and that bug made me nervous. So glad it’s just a stuffit bug.
September 02, 2007
9:45 am on Sunday
I echo all the praise in the comments above. I really didn’t think google would come up with such a spot on solution. You really have done a huge service
September 04, 2007
4:58 pm on Tuesday
AWESOME!!! THANKS A BUNCH.
September 04, 2007
5:25 pm on Tuesday
Glad to see more people found what they needed on this blog. You guys make me feel a bit useful.
September 08, 2007
9:59 pm on Saturday
Thanks a lot! it solves my problem. You’re really awesome :)
September 10, 2007
7:38 am on Monday
Thank youuuuuu!!!!!!!
September 23, 2007
6:19 am on Sunday
Many tanks! It’s woking :D:D:D
September 30, 2007
4:02 pm on Sunday
I also had the flw prob:
Macintosh crashdump[1620]: Finder crashed
Your suggestion to wipe the file StuffItCM.plugin did the trick.
Thanks…
October 27, 2007
5:27 pm on Saturday
This had been annoying me forever now. I was a day away from re-installing trying to fix this… TY very much..
November 12, 2007
3:58 am on Monday
thank you so much friend..
November 14, 2007
10:57 am on Wednesday
Just wanted to say cheers, same problem for me and that did the trick. Appreciated
November 14, 2007
12:54 pm on Wednesday
Glad to see more people got their problem fixed!
November 26, 2007
1:13 pm on Monday
Thanks for the fix. My company had several MACs with the right click problem. Could not figure it out until I found this blog. Great Work!
Thanks!
February 15, 2008
4:40 am on Friday
Ahhhh! Finally! Thank you so much!
April 27, 2008
11:45 am on Sunday
Ive had this problem for like Months, even Archived and re-installed. That fixed it for a while and then it came back. I reluctantly broke down and called Apple Help. Finding out after my service had expired. Bought the service package for another $200. They did all these work arounds with no success. To give me a solution that I already had. Thanks Apple Help.
Wish I checked here first, Problem solved, I’ll be checking here from now on before I call for help.
April 28, 2008
2:28 am on Monday
MacFann, I am glad you fixed your problem and ended your frustration.
June 19, 2008
1:53 am on Thursday
Add me to the list of ‘Thankyou’s. It was driving me mad too.
Perhaps the makers of Stuffit should be informed?
Oh, I see they have and there’s a patch.
December 17, 2008
4:13 pm on Wednesday
Hey thanks for sharing this.
It solved my problem. That nasty stuffit… such a shame…
Now my right click menu is working everywhere..
May 19, 2009
6:31 am on Tuesday
Hi i very very happy to read this solution but for me it thit not worked ;-( im running osx 10.4.11 and stuffit 12.0.1 i removed the StuffItCM.plugin file from the folder /Library/Contextual Menu Items/
then i thit a restart and logout and in but my finder still crashes when i do a right click. please help thanks
May 19, 2009
6:59 am on Tuesday
i do notice that the StuffIt AVR PrefPane is missing in my folder i have run a update from stuffit to 12.0.2 but its still missing could this be it?
May 19, 2009
11:28 am on Tuesday
It has been awhile, so I could be wrong. But, I remember not too long after the publication of this post, StuffIt released an update fixing this bug, and I assume all future versions of StuffIt should be fixed.
December 06, 2011
1:22 am on Tuesday
Hey thanks man!
Drove me crazy too! Just deleted all the files and it fixed it!