exorcist needed

[steph]

In Word 2002 SP3:

The ghost in my system keeps selecting text for me: I can
be just sitting here, minding my own business, typing any
old thing, and happen to leave the shift-key depressed
longer than is absolutely required.

An unwanted selection begins at the blinking insertion
point, and ends wherever the pointer "I-beam" happens to
be at the moment. It stops exactly at the I-beam, and
then includes the entire word (I have Word set to select
full words, so maybe this does follow some rules).

Yes, it is as if I have been selecting by the "click (at
the beginning) - shift - click (at the end)" method. But
I did NOT click at either end!

When I release the shift key, and even press the "ESC"
key, the selection does not become unselected. Even
clicking the mouse also does not de-select it. I just
have to wait for it to get ready to behave.

When I get tired of waiting, I click Ctrl-Alt-Delete/Task
Manager, all programs indicate "running." I hit ESC,
returning me to the document, which now shows no
selection, and all is well for a time.

But sometimes I have to invoke adult supervision (the Task
Manager) multiple times before it releases.

Other open programs are also frozen during this time.

Except for freezing everything up (!!?), this could be
useful, so perhaps it is a corrupted sub-set of commands
used for something. I considered accessibility, so tried
installing and uninstalling MouseKeys; it's the same
either way.

 

[garfield-n-odie]

This is a long-shot... if you're running Windows XP, do you have speech
recognition or handwriting recognition enabled, or have you installed a
third-party speech-to-text program such as Dragon Naturally Speaking?
If you have no need for these features, try disabling them: Start |
Control Panel | Language and Regional Options | Languages | Details |
Advanced | uncheck the "Turn off advanced text services" box | Apply.
Please write back whether this vanquishes your ghost.

 

[steph]

Thanks, G-n-O.

I'm running Windows 2000 and don't have Language and Reg.,
but under Regional Options/Input Locales/Input Lang &
Methods - I removed Speech Recog and Handwriting, leaaving
only the keyboard.

After a reboot, I still have the same problem.

What's next?

 

[RWN]

Another "long shot".
Do you have "Sticky Keys" turned on?
Windows ->"Start->Settings->Control Panel->Accessibility
Options->Keyboard"

 

[steph]

Thanks. Not a long shot at all. If there were a Sticky
Keys technique in which a CLICK was not required for a
selection. That's the way it's behaving: as tho holding
down the SHIFT for a moment communicates a CLICK to the
system. And that I could learn to live with. But it
generally freezes up as it makes the selection. That I
can prob'y never learn to live with.

Keep thinking this way!

 

[steph]

Hi again, Rob. I neglected to mention that StickyKeys is
not selected. And I even went thru and de-selected every
option inside of StickyKeys, just to make sure that
NOTHING might be getting thru. To no avail. Sigh.

 

[Jay Freedman]

Hi Steph

One more possible cause to test and probably eliminate: Try borrowing
another keyboard to see whether it might be a hardware problem.

 

[s]

Thanks, Jay. but I'm on a laptop, and I don't see anyway
of plugging in an alternate keyboard.

 

[Jay Freedman]

Hi Steph,

I thought that might be the case, although I don't think it was
mentioned earlier in the thread.

Two more things, then. First, look at the connectors on the back of
the laptop -- there might be a keyboard jack there, lots of laptop
models do have one.

The other thing is more peculiar to laptops. Do you have a touchpad
near where your thumbs rest, and does a tap on the pad simulate a
click? If so, it may be too sensitive and be picking up vibration or
something. The manufacturer may be able to tell you how to reduce the
sensitivity.

 

[s]

Thanks, Jay.

I checked the Dell docs, and, yes indeedee, I do have a
PS/2 connector. I just didn't recognize the icon. I'll
follow up on that, tho I doubt the keybard is the problem
because (1) both SHIFT keys work identically and
consistently and (2) the action is very similar to a
couple of other programmed functions.

It's exactly like SHIFT + CLICK - move cursor - CLICK.
Except I do not CLICK at all. But I do not CLICK at all;
there seems to be a "hover-to-select" function that I
can't find.

I've rummaged around and deactivated all accessibility
functions in four different locations. I understant that
there is something called "X-mouse" or somthing like that
that has a "hover-to-select" feature. But it is not
available for W2K, so I can't install it and deactivate
the feature.

(I test it by CLICK; move the cursor a bit; do not touch
anything except the following; depress the SHIFT. I am
careful not to breathe on the touchpad.)

Of course, the worst part is that it freezes up the whole
computer for a time.