Help please - mouse selecting things when I am not clicking it

zebedy

Hi,

I'm not very techie so need some help please.
I'm having a small problem with my laptop that if my mouse/cursor is on something for more than a couple of seconds it "selects" it even if i haven't clicked on it.
So if i'm reading a webpage and my cursor happens to be on a link it takes me to the link even though i haven't clicked to go there, which is really irritating.

is there an easy way to stop this happening?

Also sometimes the cursor drifts quite a long way to the left even though i haven't moved the mouse so i kepp having to move it back - any ideas?

many thanks

totalsolutions

Is this a laptop pad device, a real mouse connected by wire/wireless <ball or optical> or a track ball type?
Have you installed the mouse drivers?
Is you desk level?

zebedy

Sorry, never occurred to me to give that info.

It's a laptop with a rectangular pad thing to move the cursor (no seperate mouse). It works fine except this irritating habit of selection something when it is hovering on it even though I haven't clicked on it. And also this occaisional habit of the cursor wandering to the left.

It's not a biggie, it has just been bugging me as I have to be careful that the cursor is not on something it can select.

Mercenary

zebedy wrote: »

Hi,
I'm having a small problem with my laptop that if my mouse/cursor is on something for more than a couple of seconds it "selects" it even if i haven't clicked on it.
So if i'm reading a webpage and my cursor happens to be on a link it takes me to the link even though i haven't clicked to go there, which is really irritating.
is there an easy way to stop this happening?

Go to Start > Control Panel > Folder Options (OR open Windows Explorer go to the top and open View > Toolbars > Customise then add the 'Folder Options' choice to your toolbar ).
When you've opened the Folder Options, on the General tab look down to see the phrase: click items as follows.
Choose the option to Double click to open an item (single click to select). Apply and OK.

You should be sorted!

zebedy

thanks I'll try this at home tonight
cheers
Zebedy

zebedy

Hi, thanks for the advice but that was already selected so it can't be that.
Oh well

startrekker

On my task bar it shows the mouse pad as synaptic pointing device. I right click this and select properties... under my troubleshooting it suggests that your pad is set to be very sensitive... if you change the sensivity to heavy touch it should sort your problem out............

roxorx

Can you post make/model of laptop?

mdbarber

The sensitivity adjustment may work but if not.
The wandering cursor suggests a fault with the track pad, try disabling it and replacing with a standard mouse see if the fault continues.

spud17

Following on from startrekker,
I've seen an HP laptop that has synaptic pointing device, this has a setting along the lines of
" hover 2 seconds = single click".
HTH

zebedy

Hi, Thanks for all the suggestions. I've changed the sensitivity and it seems to be sorted now.
Many thanks startrekker