Preventing Unwanted Duplicates -- Help!

[Ted Jensen]

I've discovered that under certain circumstances Windows XP will
duplicate files without my asking it to do so. Here's the scenario:

If I have a file of images and want to go through them and delete
some, I'll use Windows Explorer and set up the right hand pane so it
displays thumbnails. Often I'll find that there may be 8 or 10 images
in succession that I want to delete. To highlight them I might hold
down the Ctrl key and left click my mouse on each image one after the
other.

When I do this, about the time I click on the 5th or 6th I might
notice some action taking place (i.e. there might be an almost
imperceptible blink of the screen or I might here the hard drive take
a step or two). When that happens, if I stop and scroll down to the
bottom of the right hand pane, I'll see copies of all the thumbnails
I just highlighted. Each has the same name as the original preceded
by the phrase "Copy of". If I now leave those there, clear all
highlighting and repeat what I just did using the same images the same
thing happens again. This time the new images have the same name as
the old preceded by the phrase "Copy (2) of".

It doesn't appear to happen if the right hand pane is set to show file
names, only thumbnail images. It also doesn't happen if I select
successive thumbnails by selecting the first and then holding down the
Shift key to select the last. It does happen in my image editing
program which apparently draws upon Explorer for the code to display
the thumbnails.

Any clues as to the cause and/or clue?

Ted-

 

[Guest]

You're shaking too much, a movement of only 4 pixels will create duplicates.
Click the first file to highlight it, then hold down the Shft key and click to
highlight the last one in your list, now all in between will be highlighted.
Rightclick anyone of the highlighted ones and click delete. Using the Ctrl
key will only highlight one at a time. Boom...all gone! :~)

 

[Ted Jensen]

Thanks for the tip Byte!
Based on your input I repeated my experiments making the small
movement on purpose and could duplicate the effect, even when I was
set up to View "Details" (i.e. not restricted to Thumnails]. I also
noted that if caught immediately a ^Z would delete the unwanted
duplicates.

From what you said, I gather this is neither a bug nor a design flaw,
but something that was put there for a purpose. Is that correct?
Do you know what that purpose was (or can you explain how this effect
comes about... possibly as a side effect of some kind?

Ted-