Context Menu key on Dell Inspiron 1720 Keyboard

Question

I've been trying more and more to use the keyboard alone for most of my activities and avoid the mouse. The Context Menu key on most modern keyboards is an invaluable tool for this, as it brings the context menu for whatever the selected item is (just like right-clicking), something I didn't know until a few weeks ago.

However, my Dell Inspiron 1720 laptop keyboard does not have a context menu key (at least not that I can find).

Is there a key combination (Alt/Ctrl/Fn) that can be used to mimic that function, or a utility to remap the keyboard?

Thanks for your help.

Solution 1

It's been a while since I used Windows, but wasn't SHIFT+F10 a replacement of that key a couple of Windows versions back when the majority of keyboards didn't even have it?

Solution 2

I don't believe there is a built-in key combination for that model. Go get SharpKeys, which will let you map another key you don't use often to the context menu key.

In SharpKeys, the context menu key is "Special: Application (E0_5D)".

Comments

[Seren]

Wow, good call. Works on XP, at least.

[innaM]

Also works with Vista.

[daveh551]

Ken, thanks for the pointer. I'd rather avoid loading my machine up with any more little utilities if there's another way to do it.

[TJB]

Windows 7 as well =)

[Jirka-x1]

daveh551, SharpKeys don't have to run for the remapping to be working. They are only a GUI to specify the remapping and after restart, the remapping is handled by Windows. So it does not slow down your machine or anything. You can actually do it manually by editing the registry without SharpKeys.

[Tim Partridge]

Windows Server 2008 as well....keyboard ninjas rejoice!

[Adam L. S.]

It doesn't replace it on Windows 7 taskbar. Pressing Win+T then Shift+F10 isn't the same as Win+T then Context or Win+Alt+1 which both opens the jump-list.

[medmek]

Works with Linux too. (It's universal, I think.)