right mouse button mystery

[Gustavus]

Windows XP with SP2 system -- seems to be alright in all other respects. When I right click on any icon on the desktop -- say in an effort to get to the menu that includes rename, delete etc. the system freezes. You can't open the start menu to get to the restart, but I have found that Ctrl-Alt-Del will open the Windows task manager from which you can shut down or restart. But neither right or left button clicks on the mouse work once the system is frozen. It is not the right button that is the problem, since I can click the right button in an open area of the desktop and get the usual menu to create a new folder etc. That is before the system is frozen of course. I have lived with this odd behavior for quite a while, but it very aggravating -- especially since every once in awhile I forget and right click and freeze the computer.

Any suggestions?

The reason it is SP2 and not SP3 is that I have never been able to install SP3 on this machine. The install doesn't complete and backs out.

 

[dhorn]

Sounds like a problem with explorer.exe or some system files. Maybe a virus caused some sort of corruption. Have you reinstalled Windows since?

Also, can you get into the task manager after ctrl-alt-del? If you can, you can end the explorer.exe process, then go File->New Task and type explorer.exe to restart the process. Should be faster than restarting if you can do it.

 

[Gustavus]

dhorn

Thanks -- and I am impressed by the astuteness of your suggestion.. Ending explorer.exe and then restarting it gets me back to a usable desktop in no time -- compared to a complete reboot.

I am well protected from malware and scans have never shown any infection.

 

[theevilsharpie]

If Explorer is freezing and you can't install SP3, your Windows install is damaged. Check your Application and System event log for warnings and errors that may have been logged when Explorer froze.

 

[Malak]

The fact that SP3 isn't installing correctly points to a more serious issue. I don't think you'll get away with anything short of reinstalling windows to fix these problems. Worth looking at the event viewer anyway.

 

[Gustavus]

theevilsharpie and Malak

You convinced me to reinstall Windows XP -- with SP3 this time

http://a.imagehost.org/0475/SiSoft.jpg[img]

as SiSoft Sandra shows.

The original problem is still present. If I right click on any icon on the desktop, the computer freezes -- well almost. Neither mouse button works any more, but I can use Ctrl/Alt/Del to get to the task manager and dhorn's trick will let me make the desktop active again. I have spent the better part of today working on this since it seems impossible the problem could still be present after a reinstall of Windows. I have made two reinstalls, one from a version with SP3 slipstreamed and one with only SP2. The problem is still there in both cases.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Does this behavior occur in safe mode?

 

[RebateMonger]

Have you had a chance to replace the keyboard and mouse....just in case? Also, have you tried booting to a Linux Live CD to make sure it isn't some other hardware problem?

 

[Gustavus]

I just realized I have been using the term "freeze" incorrectly. What happens when I right click on any icon on the desktop is that neither mouse button works thereafter, but I can still move the cursor around the desktop. There is no place -- including the toolbars -- where either mouse button has any effect after I have right clicked on an icon. If I haven't locked up the mouse buttons by clicking on an icon,I can right click on any empty space on the desktop though and open the menu that allows me to create new folders etc. In other words the problem only occurs when I click on an icon.

theevilsharpie

The problem is not present in Safe Mode. In safe mode I can right click on any icon and get the usual menu with delete, rename etc.

RebateMonger

I have numerous mice in the lab, so one of the first things I did when this problem appeared was break out a new Microsoft Intellimouse. No effect. I just swapped out the keyboard with one from one of the other machines in the lab -- also with no effect.

By the way, thanks for the effort to help. There must be a clue in the fact that the problem does not occur in Safe Mode.

Some time ago in one of the Microsoft updates they loaded software and drivers for "Synaptics Pointing Device". I am pretty sure this problem predated that by many months -- and no other machine has the problem so that is probably unrelated.

PS to RebateMonger
I do not have a Linux CD but will look around on net for one.

 

[mpilchfamily]

When was the last time you performed a clean install on this system?

But first try clearing the CMOS. Some times when there is a slight curruption in the data stroed in CMOS it can cause USB/PS-2 issues. If that doesn't help then i would suggest a fresh install of Windows if its been a couple of years or more since the last fresh install. XP along with most all other versions of windows tends to build up allot of junk and take on a life of its own. So its good to do a compleate reinstall from time to time. So well known techs like to suggest doing this every 6 months but i like to go every year, every 2 years at the most.

 

[Gustavus]

mpilchfamily

As I said, two new installs of Windows XP today.

I am sick of it for today, but will clear CMOS in the morning just in case that makes a difference. Your mention of PS2 may be relevant since the mouse is a PS2 Intellimouse

 

[Gustavus]

mpilchfamily

Clearing CMOS had no effect -- the problem is just as it was before. I had a new Belkin USB mouse in an unopened box, so decided to try that just in case the problem was PS2 related. The problem is exactly the same with the USB mouse as it was with the PS2 mouse.

Don't even have an idea of what else to try.

The computer works fine -- so far as I can tell -- in all other respects. I have run a variety of programs, downloaded and uploaded to the net etc.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Given that the problem doesn't occur in safe mode, I would say that some software you have installed is "conflicting" with your right mouse button.

 

[corkyg]

Given that the problem doesn't occur in safe mode, I would say that some software you have installed is "conflicting" with your right mouse button.

This! Run MSCONFIG, and in START, uncheck all but the most essential items. That removes drivers from running. Then reboot check your right clicker. Start adding drivers back one at a time until you find the back breaker - then get rid of it.

 

[Gustavus]

theevilsharpie and corkyg

You have my thanks and admiration. It took forever to find, but you were right -- USB safely remove was the culprit. With it installed I have the right mouse button problem -- with it uninstalled I don't. I have uninstalled and reinstalled it a couple of times, so there is no question this is the the source of the problem.

Thanks for solving a problem I have lived with for many months

Based on corkyg's suggestion I went into the System Configuration Utility and chose Diagnostic Startup -- which loads only basic devices and services and the problem disappeared. It was then only a matter of finding the culprit -- which took a very long time because I have so many programs installed.