How to hide items on Windows 8 File Explorer Ribbon

Question

Scenario
This article describes how to hide items on the file explorer ribbon in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.
Method
We can implement it via customizing the permission of the related registry keys.
Note: Before you make changes to a registry key or subkey, we recommend that you export, or make a backup copy, of the key or subkey.
Before you make changes to a registry key or subkey, we recommend that you
export, or make a backup copy, of the key or subkey.
Step 1:
Open
Registry Editor and locate to following registry key under which you can find the corresponding keys of the items on the File Explorer Ribbon.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\
In the following figure, it shows the Add a network location item on the file explorer ribbon, and the corresponding
registry key in Registry Editor.
Step 2:
Take ownership of the registry key
Note: You can take ownership
of a registry key if you are logged on as an administrator or if you have been specifically assigned the permission to take ownership of the registry key by the current owner.
Right-click on the registry key which you want to take ownership of,
and then select
Permissions... option.
Click on
Advanced button to grant special permissions in the key.
At the top to the right of the current
Owner, click on the Change link.
Enter
Administrator in the Enter the object name to select
box, and then click on Check Names.
Click on
OK twice to apply.
Step 3:
Change the permission of the registry key.
On
Permissions for the key name display dialog, click
Administrators in the Group or user names window, and then select the
Allow check box for
Full Control
option.
Click
Users in the Group or user names window, and then select the
Deny
check box for
Full Control
option.
Step 4:
Click on
Apply and OK to save the changes and the following figure shows the modified permissions and owner.
Step 5:
When you open File Explorer, the item you would like to hide disappears. For your information, the following is an example:
Item: Add a network location
Corresponding Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CommandStore\shell\Windows.AddNetworkLocation
For advanced users
You can also deploy script with Set-Acl which is a PowerShell command to take ownership and change permissions
of the keys. For your information, please refer to the following articles to learn more about this command:
Set-Aclhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh849810.aspx
SET-ACL on registry key
http://blogs.technet.com/b/brad_rutkowski/archive/2008/09/29/set-acl-on-registry-key.aspx
Apply to
Windows 8
Windows 8.1
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Answer 1

The reason they gave was it is possible for the file to stay open when done with the file. (not properly closing) As the driver would be accessing the file to retrieve the thumbnail.
The thing is a driver is nothing more than a program it self. Therefore it is capable of opening and closing a file and placing the thumbnail into the database for that folder. It then would be capable to verify if the thumbnail exists in that database. Since the driver only has to run when explorer is open in that folder's view, it really is not running that often.
The catch I can see it when both Illustrator and explorer are running at the same time. Which one should close the file? The solution would be a small app that verifies that both programs are running and has control of clean up when both have closed. The driver and Illustrator could also in theory check and see if the other is running, if it is do nothing if not then close the file.
So it really boils down to having the driver and Illustrator talking to each other.