Selection sticks in Excel

[Guest]

I teach Excel to beginning students. Periodically, a student will get
something turned on that seems to lock the mouse button on while selecting
cells. They left click on a cell and then move the mouse to select a range
but when they release the mouse button, Excel continues highlighting cells
where ever they move the mouse. I have been unable to figure out how they
get it turned on or how to turn it off. Sometimes, even closing Excel
doesn't help. When Excel is re-opened, the mouse is often still stuck in
"selection mode". Any thoughts?

 

[ScottO]

It might be a mouse setting ...
Go to Control Panel and open up the Mouse configuration dialog.
On the Buttons tab, there's a section called ClickLock, if my guess
is correct the Turn on ClickLock selection will be ticked.
If so, untick it, click OK and retest.
If not, my guess is no good ....
Rgds,
ScottO

| I teach Excel to beginning students. Periodically, a student will
get
| something turned on that seems to lock the mouse button on while
selecting
| cells. They left click on a cell and then move the mouse to select
a range
| but when they release the mouse button, Excel continues
highlighting cells
| where ever they move the mouse. I have been unable to figure out
how they
| get it turned on or how to turn it off. Sometimes, even closing
Excel
| doesn't help. When Excel is re-opened, the mouse is often still
stuck in
| "selection mode". Any thoughts?
| --
| Thanks....Thom

 

[Guest]

That's a good thought....except if that were the case, clicking the mouse
button again would turn the click-lock off again. Clicking the mouse button
doesn't turn it off, Esc won't turn it off, even closing out of Excel and
opening it again sometimes doesn't turn it off.

 

[ScottO]

OK, look in the status bar toward the right hand end.
If you see EXT, then *someone* has pressed the F8 key.
Hit the F8 key (as hard as you like to turn the *feature* off.
Rgds,
ScottO

| That's a good thought....except if that were the case, clicking the
mouse
| button again would turn the click-lock off again. Clicking the
mouse button
| doesn't turn it off, Esc won't turn it off, even closing out of
Excel and
| opening it again sometimes doesn't turn it off.
| --
| Thanks....Thom
|
|
| "ScottO" wrote:
|
| > It might be a mouse setting ...
| > Go to Control Panel and open up the Mouse configuration dialog.
| > On the Buttons tab, there's a section called ClickLock, if my
guess
| > is correct the Turn on ClickLock selection will be ticked.
| > If so, untick it, click OK and retest.
| > If not, my guess is no good ....
| > Rgds,
| > ScottO
| >
| > | > | I teach Excel to beginning students. Periodically, a student
will
| > get
| > | something turned on that seems to lock the mouse button on
while
| > selecting
| > | cells. They left click on a cell and then move the mouse to
select
| > a range
| > | but when they release the mouse button, Excel continues
| > highlighting cells
| > | where ever they move the mouse. I have been unable to figure
out
| > how they
| > | get it turned on or how to turn it off. Sometimes, even
closing
| > Excel
| > | doesn't help. When Excel is re-opened, the mouse is often
still
| > stuck in
| > | "selection mode". Any thoughts?
| > | --
| > | Thanks....Thom
| >
| >
| >

 

[Guest]

Excellent! That's it! How the heck did you figure that out? (Not sure why
students would be messing with th f8 key -- but that's a whole different
question!)

Cheers!

 

[Guest]

I have this problem but F8 doesn't fix it; whilst it does take the EXT form
the status bar, I have the same 'locking' problem - any ideas?

 

[Guest]

I have this problem but F8 doesn't fix it; whilst it does take the EXT form
the status bar, I have the same 'locking' problem - any ideas?

 

[Guest]

F8 isn't fixing it for me - I still have the EXT and the only way I can even
get out of Excel is by using Task Manager. This is very frustrating, and I
know it has to be something boneheadedly simple!

 

[Guest]

I found another post on the same subject, and the advice there worked for me-
press both the righ and left mouse keys at the same time, and if it's a
scroll mouse, press down the scroll wheel.