LEFT-clicking .exe opens properties window

[sameveritt]

Weird. I saw this 6-8 months ago at a clients. I couldn't find an answer, he needed an upgrade anyway, so I took the easy route and wiped the hard drive and rebuilt everything.

Now it's happening to one of my computers.

If you try to run any program by double-clicking a shortcut, or even a .exe, with the LEFT button , the properties window for the program opens. It's impossible to run anything! Also, when you click on 'Start', the menu flashes up and then quickly closes - you can't get to any menu choices.

The machine is useless.

There were no notable changes to the computer. No new programs installed. Virus is up-to-date. Same with spyware protection. One second it worked normally, the next - computer hell.

I don't want to rebuild this one. I don't even see these symptoms in my searches, much less a resolution to the problem.

XP SP2 - 2.8 pentium - Gig of RAM

Has anybody else seen this? Has anybody determined how to fix it?

Thanks

[nanosani]

What does a right click on that system do ?? same thing ?? or its doing the job of left click ...

[sameveritt]

Hello nanosani,

Right clicking gives the standard options.

[alc6379]

Are you sure you don't have a stuck key on the keyboard? Like, Alt, Ctrl, or Windows, perhaps?

[sameveritt]

Nope, no indication of any stuck keys.

Thanks

[sameveritt]

Let me rephrase that. Looking closer, I do, now, believe that the ALT key was sticking intermittently. The ALT+double-click brings up the properties for the item, which is the problem I had.

Replaced the keyboard - no more problem.

Thanks

[thedonisback]

I too have the same problem..When I double click on a file, it opens the properties and when I press any letter it opens as though the Alt is already pressed.