mouse stuck in cell selection mode

[Guest]

Whether I open a new Excel (2003) spreadsheet or existing one, once I click
on any cell the mouse is stuck in multi-cell selection mode. Moving the
mouse highlights all cells from the first cell selected to where ever the
mouse is moved. Can't click on any menu or icon, can't exit excel. How did
I get into this mode & how do I get out? Thanks.

 

[Chip Pearson]

There is known (but unacknowledged by MS) bug that causes this
behavior. If your mouse has a wheel, try clicking the wheel a few
times. If you have a USB mouse, disconnect it then reconnect it.
Neither of these are sure fire fixes.


--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Pearson Software Consulting, LLC
www.cpearson.com





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[L. Howard Kittle]

Hi F8

HTH
Regards,
Howard

 

[Guest]

I'm using a USB track ball through a USB to PS2 adapter, but it may have been
mouse related. No problem with mouse in other apps. Logging on as other user
- same problem. Disconnecting/reconnecting the mouse resulted in mouse
movement causing beeping. Rebooted to reset mouse movement=beeping & Excel
problem was resolved...should have tried that before posting. Side note:
pressing F8 turned on EXT mode but wouldn't turn off EXT mode prior to reboot.
Thanks.

 

[L. Howard Kittle]

After seeing Chip's response, I see I did not comprehend the problem.

Regards,
Howard

 

[David McRitchie]

Hi Steve,
The fact that the problem did not occur until you clicked on the sheet
and the fact that you had EXT turned on but could not turn it back off
seems quite a bit different from aspects of the bug many of us are
familiar with. Though the fact that you have Excel 2003 is also different.

Since it was not EXT or ALT or they could not be turned off that does make the
problem (or multiple problems) look closer to the bug(s) we are familiar with.

You should not have to power down your machine to get out of Excel,
though since Excel is what you were updating it might not make much
difference between ending through terminating the excel.exe
or terminating through the Task manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del) and powering down
when it means losing your updates.

If you can access your file okay now, I would certainly back up that file, right away

Powering down does have one advantage in that powering back
up might tell you that you had a stuck key. Obviously you didn't.
Take a look at
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/mouse.txt
--

 

[Dara Koper]

Press "Fn + Insert": When mouse is involuntarily stuck in cell selection mode (very unpleasant), I can get out of it by pressing "Fn + Insert". (My laptop is HP, Windows 7, MS Office 2010).