Highlighting

[Roboframer]

If you want to delete a block of text you just hold down the left mouse button and run the cursor over the text you want to delete .... or cut/copy. right?

Well, I can't do it any more!

Not here or anywhere else on the web, or in emails or in word.

Sometimes the whole area will go blue, but when I let go of the mouse button it all goes back to normal, or maybe a line or a few words, or one word within the area I wanted to highlight will be left highlighted.

It's a wireless mouse (it had 16 wires but I took one out, so now it's a wire less) and I've put new batteries in - but I always get a warning when they're low anyway.

I could always highlight just one letter in a word if I wanted, or even a comma - whatever, but now I can't highlight anything unless I'm lucky - and even then I'm usually left with highlighted area, but not as large/small as I wanted and I sort the rest out with the backspace key.

If I try to highlight a single letter in a word, either the whole word or the whole sentence/paragraph goes blue - and then usually reverts when I release the mouse button anyway. This paragraph was part of the one above it; when I put my cursor before the word 'If' - so's I could press the enter/return button to make a new para - the whole paragraph went blue - when I try that again, sometimes that will happen and sometimes the word 'If' only will go blue, and sometimes, but rarely, my cursor will be left where I want it, with no highlighted area.

I just tried to take out the last word from the last para 'area' - click right and drag left - nothing - or left to right. Set the cursor to the centre of the word and it goes blue, click again and the whole para goes blue - but not every time in either case, sometimes something else happens, but rarely what I want to happen and always used to.

What's goin' on?

[markw]

John - Get hold of a wired mouse - check if that works. It will at least eliminate - or condemn your wireless mouse. Some wireless mice come with a specific software so that you can change the way the mouse works - That may be the problem. Check to see if such software is present. Lastly check the drivers for the mouse - they may have become corrupted. If your wireless mouse came with a disc you could reinstall the software and drivers.

[Tim]

Hi Robo

Have you tried using the inbuilt diagnostics in Word? From the main menu, at the bottom of the menu table is Word Options, Under Word options go to Resources and choose run Microsoft Diagnostics and hit Diagnose. Might help.

I don't know whether similar stuff is available for your browser etc, but at least it might give you a clue as to where the fault lies

Tim

[John]

Do you get this behaviour in Safe Mode?

[Roboframer]

Seems like my mouse had uninstalled itself and the PC thought it was a plugged in one - I found an old USB one and it worked fine.

Thanks for the replies - I'd never heard of 'safe mode' but googled it and found a tutorial.

[Nigel Nobody]

I have owned several wireless mice and keyboards and none of them ever last more than one year. Even a mice that cost $149 didn't last more than one year. I don't buy them any more!
I bought my wife a new Toshiba laptop the other day and guess what. End of financial year sale....it came with a free printer and free wireless keyboard and mice! The mind boggles!

Yes I know it's supposed to be 'mouse'!

[prospero]

Have you tried holding Shift and using the arrow keys?

I never put much faith in wireless mouses/keyboards.