Left click turns into right click intermittently
I've got a users laptop (Dell Inspiron 1100). The touchpad is active, but a mouse is plugged in and used. In my testing so far, what I have seen the most is that when Excel is open for a longer period of time, the left click suddenly takes on the properties of right clicking. This will last for a few minutes or 10 minutes and then will go back to normal. I really don't think this is a touch pad issue.
In other words, you can leave the laptop open with a spreadsheet active and do nothing and whithin some seemingly random amount of time, the properties window, as if you are right clicking, will appear and every time you left click into any cell, the right click menu will appear. Then again, this will stop after a seemingly random amount of time.
Has anyone else encountered something similar?
In other words, you can leave the laptop open with a spreadsheet active and do nothing and whithin some seemingly random amount of time, the properties window, as if you are right clicking, will appear and every time you left click into any cell, the right click menu will appear. Then again, this will stop after a seemingly random amount of time.
Has anyone else encountered something similar?
ASKER
Well, here's the thing...I can just leave the laptop sitting there and this will happen. However, my first inclination was indeed to disable the touchpad. This model does not have any ostensible way of doing that. It's definitely not an option in the mouse settings in the control panel.
From the Dell Inspiron 100 Manual:
Customizing the Touch Pad
You can use the Mouse Properties window to disable the touch pad or
adjust its settings.
1 Click the Start button, click Control Panel, and then click Printers
and Other Hardware.
2 Click Mouse.
3 In the Mouse Properties window, click the Device Settings tab.
To disable the touch pad or mouse, highlight the device and click
Disable.
To change the touch pad or mouse settings, highlight the device, click
Settings, select the desired setting(s), and then click Apply.
4 Click OK to save the settings and close the window, and then click OK
again to exit the Mouse Properties window.
Customizing the Touch Pad
You can use the Mouse Properties window to disable the touch pad or
adjust its settings.
1 Click the Start button, click Control Panel, and then click Printers
and Other Hardware.
2 Click Mouse.
3 In the Mouse Properties window, click the Device Settings tab.
To disable the touch pad or mouse, highlight the device and click
Disable.
To change the touch pad or mouse settings, highlight the device, click
Settings, select the desired setting(s), and then click Apply.
4 Click OK to save the settings and close the window, and then click OK
again to exit the Mouse Properties window.
sorry... meant Dell Inspiron 1100 manual... obviously
ASKER
Nope, not sure what specific revision this manual is for, but the actual path to the mouse controls are start>control panel>Mouse and from this program you can access what you need. However, there is no option here to disable the touch pad. In fact, under hardware management there are two
1) HID-compliant mouse - this is the plugged in optical mouse and can be disabled
2) Microsoft PS/2 Port Mouse (Intellipoint)
There isn't even a profile for the touch pad...so I'm still dead in the water.
My ideal here is to disable the touch pad
1) HID-compliant mouse - this is the plugged in optical mouse and can be disabled
2) Microsoft PS/2 Port Mouse (Intellipoint)
There isn't even a profile for the touch pad...so I'm still dead in the water.
My ideal here is to disable the touch pad
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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Repair OS, it should work fine.
Disable the touchpad... reboot.... and make sure that whatever mouse you are using, you have the proper driver for it if it came with some. Even if it is a Microsoft mouse... use the supplied driver.