Permanent Range Select with Mouse

[grd]

I have an intermittent, but frequent, problem with my mouse in Excel (2003 SP2, XP SP1 running on Dell laptop with touch pad and point stick).

The problem is that I open a spreadsheet, it could be a new blank sheet, and whilst I can move around and use the keyboard as normal as soon as I select a cell using the mouse it thinks the shift key is being used and, no matter what I do, it will not release the selection and nothing else within Excel will work – menus, keyboard, etc.

If I attempt to change to another worksheet (before selecting a cell) the cursor changes to the normal arrow with a tiny rectangle under it as if it is trying to move a worksheet and, in that case, I can not select a cell.

Once the problem occurs, I have found only 2 ways to get out. Right click Excel on the taskbar and close all the while selecting cells downwards. To avoid the massive cell selection using this method I can Alt Tab to another application and then right click Excel on the Task Bar. Or I can use Ctrl Alt Del and force Excel to close with Task Manager. It comes up with a message to say “Cannot quit Microsoft Office Excel.” and then the normal “This program is not responding…End Now” followed by the Send error report.

The same problem does not happen on other applications, the keyboard appears to be working fine incl both shift keys, F8 is not selected, I have reloaded my mouse drivers, changed my mouse (MS Intellimouse Mouse - 2 different types), I have searched MS Knowledge Base and Mr Excel and I have torn my hair out.

Please note, this is intermittent but when it does happen a full reboot is required before being able to use Excel again. I do not recall any specific upgrade, new program, etc being installed which I can relate to this first happening. It used to be quite a rare occurrence but now it is getting more frequent.

Please Heeeelllllllllp!!

 

[Von Pookie]

Check is if your Excel status bar is showing EXT. If it is, press F8 and that should remove it and return everything to normal.

Other than that, I can only suggest reading this:
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/ghosting.txt

 

[hotpix]

I have the exact same Dell mouse pad / excel issue & have tried F8 etc. Only Task manager seems to sort it.
GRD did you manage to crack it?

All further suggestions most useful!

 

[Richard Schollar]

Hi Hotpix

I doubt this will be of any use to you, but I have come across this problem at work using a bog-standard mouse/PC and Excel2002. I think we (at work) had to resort to a reboot of the PC concerned. Thankfully it has only happened a couple of times...

Richard

 

[hotpix]

Hi,

I have found a reboot cures it too, but it generally returns if quite a lot of apps are open and then excel is opened. It seems to have something to do with memory usage as its never occurred to me when excel is the only thing I have open.
My laptop usually runs as XP Windows server with SQL Server loaded so it doesn't take many applications to eat up memory.

Hotpix.

 

[grd]

Hi all.

Been on hols and just got back to see these responses, queries.

I still have not found a cure but now it does not happen nearly so often. Thinking back, it probably occured when I had a number of largish (1.5 - 2Mb) files open and I guess it could be a memory usage problem but not a shortage as I have 1Gb Ram plus the page file.

Graham

 

[marphaman]

it seems that the mouse is the problem.

At work i had the same problem as you describe on one of the computers. After i've switched the mouse (benq optical with 2 buttons and wheel) and restarted it's working again. when i've tried the broken mouse on my laptop i got the same problem.

I hope this helps.

 

[bponline]

You are not alone GRD!

I have seen this exact problem twice.
There is in incompatiblity problem between your input device (mouse), your motherboard's bios, and excel.

Try these fixes listed in order of ease:
1) Search for flash bios upgrade
2) Reload Excel
3) Return your laptop for faulty touchpad or use an external mouse

Good luck