What gives - lost my standard context-menu

[BProc_Lizard]

I've been using Word of all flavors since there has ever been Microsoft
Office... Anyway, one of my workstations in a development firm I contract
with has Office 2003 on it. A rather frustrating problem has developed
recently - and this issue ONLY occurs inside Word (not within Outlook, which
uses Word as its editor). If I have a multi-page document open in Word, if I
select a phrase with the mouse (or using the keyboard) and right-click on the
selection, I do not get the normal context-sensitive menu I expect - rather I
get a "move" menu containing the following options: Move Here, Copy Here,
Link Here {greyed out}, and Cancel. Another quirk I'm noticing: if I am on
that multi-page document and I try to select an area with the mouse that
spans a region exceeding the screen boundary, I get "stuck" in a scrolling
mode that I can't escape out of until the top or bottom of the document is
reached. This is affecting my peace-of-mind, but I have so little time and
am at a loss what to google to see if I can find a solution. Something got
changed on this workstation and I have no idea what. It could be someone is
playing a joke - but, I'm not one to acknowledge this and am stubborn enough
to pretend there's no problem, rather I'm looking at it as a challenge - but
simply do not have the time to play around. So, I'm asking - anyone ever run
across this behavior and if so, what was the cause and what was the
solution???

humbly,

Da Lizard

 

[Beth Melton]

If you see a context/shortcut menu with Move Here, Copy Here, etc then that
indicates you are dragging the selected text slightly. Try selecting some
text and right-dragging it and you'll see the menu.

It could be the sensitivity or another setting of your mouse has been
changed. If that's the case it could account for both issues you've noted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Melton
What is a Microsoft MVP? http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/gp/mvpfaqs

Guides for the Office 2007 Interface:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx

 

[BProc_Lizard]

Nope, that's not it. I don't necessarily have to select anything. Just
right-clicking in any area of text, selected or not, will display this "Move"
context/shortcut menu when I should be getting the standard "text" context
menu. I already checked mouse settings, but that's not it. Besides, all
these things work fine in Outlook when either reading or writing email (which
I understand is using the "Word" engine for editing) - when I right-click
within Outlook within any area of text, I get the correct conext menu. So,
it's not the mouse... or any sensitivity setting (which, btw, don't appear to
be any different than settings for two other machines within my office -
seems everything is default settings).

Da Lizard

 

[Beth Melton]

If that's the case then does it occur if you start Word in Safe Mode? Hold
Ctrl while starting Word and continue holding Ctrl until you're prompted to
start in Safe Mode. If the menu doesn't appear then the likely culprit is an
add-in. Did you install anything recently?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Melton
What is a Microsoft MVP? http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/gp/mvpfaqs

Guides for the Office 2007 Interface:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx

 

[BProc_Lizard]

Ah-Hah! OK - Step 2, Complete. Word loaded in SAFE mode. AND I load a
sample Word document, right-click in an area of text within the document...
*{sound of a brass fanfare}*
YES! The correct context-menu DOES appear.

So... now, the question of the hour. How do I get this behavior in
"Normal" mode (as opposed to SAFE)?

--Da Lizard

 

[BProc_Lizard]

*BLUSH*

After closing Word (which was opened in SAFE mode) and re-opening it
(Normally), then arbitrarily typing something in the blank page, then
right-clicking at the cursor location...

*{sound of brass fanfare}*

YES! The correct context-menu DOES appear.

Problem SOLVED!!! Thanks Beth for walking me through it! I still don't
know what caused the issue in the first place; some sort of glitch? Or could
it be some registry setting that somehow magically reset when opened in SAFE
mode?

But now I can feel like I have redeemed myself without making any
accusations within the office. And, no one is any more foolish nor wiser,
life goes on

Da Lizard

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

As the article at http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/MissingMenusEtc.htm
states, sometimes just starting in Safe Mode seems to "kickstart" Word and
is all that is needed to put it back on track. Apparently, yours was one
such case.