Excel constantly highlighting

[wamsatr]

I am currently using Excel 2000 SP1a using Windows 2000
Pro on a laptop.
Every so often (about twice every 8 hours) Excel will
cause the left mouse key to act like it is depressed,
although its not.
Every click will highlight the screen from the last click.
Also, when you go to use the Open button on the toolbar,
the Save window appears, and vice versa the Save button
causes the Open window to appear.
In the File menu, the option to close no longer exists...
Only close all.

The mouse drivers are working properly. I have
uninstalled and reinstalled them. I have tried using an
external mouse as well as the touchpad, bot with the same
results.
I've also formatted the entire hard drive and started from
scratch, and still have this error.

The only way to fix the problem that I have found is to do
a hard shutdown and restart.

Unless I'm told that this problem has been addressed in a
service pack or something, I don't think I can get my
company to agree to upgrading my Office to SP3.

I desperately look forward to any possible solutions.

Ryan

 

[EZ Money]

If you see EXT on your taskbar when this happens, press F8. I do not know a
permanent cure if this happens repeatedly.

 

[David McRitchie]

Hi Ryan,
Have you taken a look at my text page on the subject:
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/ghosting.htm

at least it should be able to get out without rebooting.
Not a fix but a bunch of things that help you break loose..

Try changing the wheel mouse button to something different
than the default like perhaps "Enter" , which I find to be harmless
(so far) and sometimes useful..

Don't really know what has fixed the problem but I've not had
it in a long while. I still think it has something to do with
using of =CELL("filename") without the second operand,
or with User Defined Functions involving both Properties and
being volatile.

When you have something further to report, include how
connected: USB, PS/2, serial port, wireless. Brand and
model, version of Excel and version of Operating system.

HTM,
David McRitchie, Microsoft MVP - Excel [site changed Nov. 2001]
My Excel Pages: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/excel.htm
Search Page: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/search.htm