Member Avatar for KiwiBoy

I recently purchased a new computer with Vista, it has been working very well until... I start up one day and menus / start button don't stay up! It's like the 2nd click doesn't work. If I click once then hit ENTER it will open a link but for drop down menus I have to click once to highlight it and then scroll down with the key pad. Crazy and strange! I know very little about hardware but am hoping a geek can help this Kiwi boy!

HHHEEEEELLLLLLLLPPPPP Please! Pulling my hair out down here!
Thanks in advance!
KiwiBoy

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Dani AI

Generated

Good summary of what happened here: the symptom you described (menus or the Start button closing because a second click is not being registered) can come from either hardware or software. pointed in the right direction with settings checks, and ’s follow-up shows it can ultimately be a faulty mouse. Below are concise, practical reasons and next steps that add context and help others who hit the same problem later.

Common causes (short)

  • Mechanical failure in the mouse left-click microswitch (intermittent or only single pulses).
  • Wireless issues (low battery, RF interference, receiver placement).
  • USB port or hub power/connection problems.
  • OS settings or accessibility features changing click behavior.
  • Drivers or shell extensions interfering with normal click handling.

Quick troubleshooting checklist (order matters)

  • Try the suspect mouse on a different PC, or try a known-good mouse on the affected PC.
  • Move the mouse to a different USB port (rear ports or direct motherboard ports preferred), avoid hubs.
  • Check Ease of Access settings for Mouse Keys/Filter Keys and Mouse properties for ClickLock or altered button settings.
  • Boot to Safe Mode or perform a clean boot to rule out third-party shell extensions.
  • In Device Manager uninstall the HID-compliant mouse device and reboot to force a fresh driver install.
  • For wireless mice: swap batteries and re-seat the receiver; eliminate nearby metal or other RF sources.

If replacing the mouse fixes it, the most likely cause is hardware (defective switch or sensor). Preserve packaging/warranty info for an RMA. If the problem persists after trying the above, collect events from Device Manager and Event Viewer and inspect for USB or HID errors before escalating.

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Member Avatar for HoustonIT

Make sure you're setup for double-click first. Open up My Computer, hit alt-f, and select Tools>Folder Options. At the bottom of the General Tab, select the Double-click to open an item button and click OK. If that doesn't do it it might be malware. Download and run Malwarebytes Antimalware from malwarebytes.com.

Member Avatar for KiwiBoy

Thanks for your input HoustonIT. I did as you suggested but alas, to no avail. I have new anti virus software which found nothing after a full scan but downloaded your suggestion anyway..and did a full scan again- still found nothing!

After much searching all over the place I found quite a few mentions of the mouse as being the problem...although i KNEW it couldn't be my problem, as it had been working great for 2 or 3 weeks and this is a brand new pc! But after pulling more hair out (and there's bugger all left now!) I plugged in a new mouse and HEY PRESTO, problem solved! Not sure how that works but hey, I'm a happy camper again!

Thanks again for your input! And merry Christmas from downunder in NZ :-)

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