word text selection

[steph]

This occurs in Outlook and Word 2002 SP3:

When I select text using the shift key and the direction-
arrows or a mouse-click, whether two characters, two
words, or two paragraphs, and I continue hold the shift
key down for a couple of seconds, while I decide whether
to include a bit more in the selection,one of the
following occurs:

Some portion of text FOLLOWING my selection, maybe two and
a half additional paragraphs, perhaps including the first
couple of characters of a word, are suddenly highlighted
and included in my selection

OR

Some portion of text PRECEDING my selection, maybe two and
a half additional paragraphs, perhaps including the last
couple of characters of a word, are suddenly highlighted
and included in my selection

OR

Some portion of text, maybe one and a half words, loose
their highlighting and are dropped from my selection.

To try to fix the situation:

Sometimes, when I release the shift key, and press
the "ESC" key, the selection does not become unselected.

Sometimes clicking the mouse also does not de-select it.

I just have to wait for it to get ready to behave.

Or, 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 I start over.
It ususally behaves normally for a time.

NOTE: Selecting by click-and-drag has a different problem:
the selection sometimes just goes into an uncontrolled
scrolling behavior - continuing up or down uncontrollably,
all the way to the end of the document. I do not have
scrolling selected (start/settings/control panel/mouse)

What's going on???

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi (e-mail address removed),

I'm not really an expert on hardware and drives and such, but
since no one else has replied, I'll give it my best shot...

I'm guessing there may be a problem with one or more drivers;
mouse/keyboard/graphics card.

To test this, I'd boot Windows in SAFE mode, then try to
reproduce the problem. If it doesn't happen, then chances are
good it is caused by one (or a combination of more than one)
device driver.

The next step would be to setup hardware profiles to try to
isolate the culprit. And at this point, I won't able to help
you any further But a Windows group might be able to.

This occurs in Outlook and Word 2002 SP3:

When I select text using the shift key and the direction-
arrows or a mouse-click, whether two characters, two
words, or two paragraphs, and I continue hold the shift
key down for a couple of seconds, while I decide whether
to include a bit more in the selection,one of the
following occurs:

Some portion of text FOLLOWING my selection, maybe two and
a half additional paragraphs, perhaps including the first
couple of characters of a word, are suddenly highlighted
and included in my selection

OR

Some portion of text PRECEDING my selection, maybe two and
a half additional paragraphs, perhaps including the last
couple of characters of a word, are suddenly highlighted
and included in my selection

OR

Some portion of text, maybe one and a half words, loose
their highlighting and are dropped from my selection.

To try to fix the situation:

Sometimes, when I release the shift key, and press
the "ESC" key, the selection does not become unselected.

Sometimes clicking the mouse also does not de-select it.

I just have to wait for it to get ready to behave.

Or, 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 I start over.
It ususally behaves normally for a time.

NOTE: Selecting by click-and-drag has a different problem:
the selection sometimes just goes into an uncontrolled
scrolling behavior - continuing up or down uncontrollably,
all the way to the end of the document. I do not have
scrolling selected (start/settings/control panel/mouse)

What's going on???

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep
30 2003)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow
question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[steph]

Many Thanks, Cindy.

In safe mode, the problem seems to be much worse.
In normal mode, I went back to Outlook and removed Word as
the editor. Problem did not go away.

But I noted more specific symptoms: the "destination" of
the selection is the location of the mouse cursor (I-beam)
at the moment. That is, the 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 for a moment, and then includes the
entire word (I have it set to select full words - so it is
following orders).

This is consistent, whenever either shift-key is held down
for more than a moment. Except for freezing up the
program (!!?), this could be useful, so it seems to be
programmed in. Perhaps it is a sub-set of commands used
for something.

I tried installing and uninstalling MouseKeys; it's the
same either way.

Actually, it's sort of the way I normally select: "Click
(at one end) - Shift (move the cursor over the text to be
selected - Click (at the other end)." Except it doesn't
require the second click, as long as you (1) hold the
Shift down and (2) leave the mouse cursor in place. And,
of course, the whole computer except the pointer freezes
up.

And to repeat: this happens when I'm just sitting here,
minding my own business, typing any old thing, and happen
to leave the shift-key depressed longer than is absolutely
required.

(which part - language/canton - of Switzerland are you in?)

I'll repost this with the updated description.

Tjus!

Steffi

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Steph,

I'd still suspect something in the mouse or keyboard drivers;
from your earlier description, probably a setting for the
mouse. Or maybe (ahhh, yes, maybe!) you have some kind of
Accessibility option activated that does a "mouse click" when
Shift is held down longer than n-time-parts?

Canton of Schaffhausen

In safe mode, the problem seems to be much worse.
In normal mode, I went back to Outlook and removed Word as
the editor. Problem did not go away.

But I noted more specific symptoms: the "destination" of
the selection is the location of the mouse cursor (I-beam)
at the moment. That is, the 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 for a moment, and then includes the
entire word (I have it set to select full words - so it is
following orders).

This is consistent, whenever either shift-key is held down
for more than a moment. Except for freezing up the
program (!!?), this could be useful, so it seems to be
programmed in. Perhaps it is a sub-set of commands used
for something.

I tried installing and uninstalling MouseKeys; it's the
same either way.

Actually, it's sort of the way I normally select: "Click
(at one end) - Shift (move the cursor over the text to be
selected - Click (at the other end)." Except it doesn't
require the second click, as long as you (1) hold the
Shift down and (2) leave the mouse cursor in place. And,
of course, the whole computer except the pointer freezes
up.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Sep
30 2003)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow
question or reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail