Left-Clicking Misbehavior

  • Thread starter Thread starter Joe
  • Start date Start date
J

Joe

Once in a while a strange phenomenon happens when I left-click (Folder
Options configured for single-click to open) an icon on my desktop: I get the
icon's properties dialog box! When this happens, it's global, meaning that
the same behavior occurs regardless of which icon I left-click on. If I log
off & relog on, everything's back to normal. I have NIS 2007 installed & a
tight security set-up, so I'm fairly certain that it's not Sub Seven or the
likes. I've seen this problem several times over the past few years & wiping
the HD & reinstalling eveything makes no difference. My OS (WXP
Professional), however, has been the same one. Note that I do not use mouse
software; rather, I rely on WXP's mouse driver. Anyone have any ideas?
 
Joe said:
Once in a while a strange phenomenon happens when I left-click (Folder
Options configured for single-click to open) an icon on my desktop: I get the
icon's properties dialog box! When this happens, it's global, meaning that
the same behavior occurs regardless of which icon I left-click on. If I log
off & relog on, everything's back to normal. I have NIS 2007 installed & a
tight security set-up, so I'm fairly certain that it's not Sub Seven or the
likes. I've seen this problem several times over the past few years & wiping
the HD & reinstalling eveything makes no difference. My OS (WXP
Professional), however, has been the same one. Note that I do not use mouse
software; rather, I rely on WXP's mouse driver. Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...

Does this happen with a different mouse?


Malke
 
Could it be the mouse? I'll be replacing my Microsoft Wheel Optical with a
new one in May, the next time I wipe my HD. Thanks Malke; I believe the
problem has to be hardware.
 
Could it be the mouse? I'll be replacing my Microsoft Wheel Optical with a
new one in May, the next time I wipe my HD. Thanks Malke; I believe the
problem has to be hardware.
 
Joe said:
Could it be the mouse? I'll be replacing my Microsoft Wheel Optical with a
new one in May, the next time I wipe my HD. Thanks Malke; I believe the
problem has to be hardware.
Click to expand...

Well, sure it could be hardware. Mice, like all other hardware, don't
live forever. ;-) You can easily test this by just connecting a
different mouse. You can get a plain vanilla type of mouse for under $10.


Malke
 
Thanks for asking, Jim. I am a nut for clean, optimized computing. To that
end, three things drive my decision to go through the annual routine (not to
mention boredom): (1) the Registry decays over time from various things,
including my own experimental tweaking & whatnot; (2) Symantec products, NIS
particularly, leave a mess behind (& sometimes the upgrade behaves as such)
when installing newer versions; & (3) the HD seems happier when cleaning (I
also defrag after each step of the total setup). I have already purchased NIS
2008 but my 2007 subscription won't expire until May. So around April, I will
obtain all the latest versions of programs on the i-Net (e.g., Flash,
Shockwave, Java, Mike Lin stuff, ATI programs & drivers, etc.). Also, I have
decided to purchase Webster's Dictionary & will thus kill Encarta, & will
also upgrade SureThing CD Labeler with the much lighter download version (I
use photos for the labels anyway, so why do I need 5,000 graphics files?). As
they say, Jim, ask & you shall receive!
 
One thing I suggest you leave off the system will be NIS 2008 , and
use free firewalls and antivirus . I use the updated Comodo firewall (
which tells me exactly what is happening ) and Avast antivirus .Both
free .
 
Joe

Why install NIS if it messes up your registry? It seems illogical given
the well known performance issues it creates.


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Joe said:
Once in a while a strange phenomenon happens when I left-click (Folder
Options configured for single-click to open) an icon on my desktop: I get
the
icon's properties dialog box! When this happens, it's global, meaning that
the same behavior occurs regardless of which icon I left-click on. If I
log
off & relog on, everything's back to normal. I have NIS 2007 installed & a
tight security set-up, so I'm fairly certain that it's not Sub Seven or
the
likes. I've seen this problem several times over the past few years &
wiping
the HD & reinstalling eveything makes no difference. My OS (WXP
Professional), however, has been the same one. Note that I do not use
mouse
software; rather, I rely on WXP's mouse driver. Anyone have any ideas?
Click to expand...

This could be symptomatic of a stuck/faulty ALT key. ALT+Enter -->
properties.

Are you experiencing anything else that could indicate this? - eg just
pressing Tab switches app, where it would normally take Alt+Tab.
 
Thanks for all the comments & continuing discussion; this is how we learn!
1. Bojimbo26one: It's really a matter of choice; you get what you pay for.
According to several articles & tests done on the 2008 products (PCWorld.com
comes to mind), NIS beat out all the other top personal security systems.
Check out the mentioned web site's article & you'll answer your own question,
though it is definetly not free. I have been a long time user of Symantec
products though I've also been a continuing critic, mainly because you often
need some expertise to make everything work correctly. Simply put, there's
nothing better than NIS 2008 on the market, even if it's not user friendly.
Probably the worst issue I have with the company is it's refusal to allow me
to control my own i-Net bandwidth (i.e., try stopping autoupdate!). Still, ...
2. Gerry: It only messes up the Registry a bit if you first uninstall a
previous version before installing a new one. Prior to NIS 2007, you needed
special removal tools from Symantec to uninstall everything; yet, the end
result of such a move caused me to have to reload four programs & recreate
(well, I did have a backup copy) normal.doc for MSO. I have maybe 10 years of
horror stories I could share with you. Anyway, by wiping my system to
coincide with installation of a new version, I avoid Registry related
problems.
3. Olorin: As far as my knowledge goes, the only common ground between my
mouse & keyboard is the USB circuitry on my motherboard. I have no issues
with my keyboard, but please enlighten me if you know of a connection between
the two.
 
Joe said:
Thanks for all the comments & continuing discussion; this is how we learn!
Click to expand...

3. Olorin: As far as my knowledge goes, the only common ground between my
mouse & keyboard is the USB circuitry on my motherboard. I have no issues
with my keyboard, but please enlighten me if you know of a connection
between
the two.
Click to expand...

Joe -

With a file selected (on the desktop, in Windows Explorer, etc), holding
down ALT and pressing Enter will display its properties, the same as
right-clicking and choosing Properties from the drop-down menu. The same can
be achieved by holding ALT and double-left-clicking or, in the case of your
single-click-to-open configuration, single-left-clicking. So a problem with
the ALT key could manifest itself in the way you've described. Eg: if it's
got stuck down with a biscuit crumb, your single-clicking an icon would fire
up its properties tab instead of running/opening it.

That said, you would have probably noticed other odd behaviour by now if
that were the case.

Does it just happen with *desktop* icons, or does the same hold for others?
 
Thanks for the keyboarding tips, Olorin. My ALT key is fine (I keep food away
from my keyboard), as far as I know. Happens with all icons but only once
every couple of months or so. At any rate, I'm replacing both my mouse &
keyboard (both are three years old) in May.
A belated additional response to Gerry: OS decay is a normal phenomenon that
occurs to EVERYONE's computer, even if your only changes are via MS Update.
To the gullible consumer, it eventually begins to feel as though one's
computer is "getting old & archaic," the next step being to purchase a new
system. Of course, if you don't know how to wipe & reinstall everything AND
if you're not legal on all your software, then you're paying big bucks to
someone else to do it all for you, making the decision to replace the system
more appealing. Better to pay a few dollars & take an A+ class at your local
community college.
 
Joe

I have never felt the need to reformat and do a clean install. It is
unnecessary if you properly maintain your computer.


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Olorin, you were right on. Problem reoccurred this morning. I then closed the
Properties box & tapped the ALT key three or four times, afterwhich I
successfully opened a program by left-clicking its desktop icon. Thanks much.
 
Joe said:
Olorin, you were right on. Problem reoccurred this morning. I then closed
the
Properties box & tapped the ALT key three or four times, afterwhich I
successfully opened a program by left-clicking its desktop icon. Thanks
much.
Click to expand...
<snip>

[Belatedly]
Excellent - glad you've cracked it!
 
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