mouse click does not respond

On our pc with Widows XP home the mouse does not work all the time. It sometimes requires several repeat clicks in quick sucsession before the programs respond, particularly the Tools in IE7 and the internet connection button. I have performed all malware, virus and performance scans and they came out clean and OK. I have changed the mouse as well for a new one, to no avail. Second question: For some reason the pictures send via e-mail are taken off by outlook express, but not all the time. Sorry if this is the wrong page of the BBS for these questions

 

Tools -> Internet Options is where a lot of internet settings can be made, so maybe some of the settings are incorrect. You could check at your ISP's website that the settings you have are correct. If they don't have that information there, you could ring their technical help and get them to check it with you.

If the clicking problem seems related to internet activity (say, clicking on web links), that would make me concentrate on that area.

Some "ordinary" programs can interfere with the internet connection, so don't think that it may be restricted to malware. You could look at the sticky posts in the Malware and Virus forum to run some online checks in case your normal security programs might be missing something.

Matt

 

Thank you for the reply, the problem with the mouse click started only about week ago. I did run ad-aware, malware bytes, s-d spybot and the Norton 360 scanner, but no problems turned up. Thinking it may be a problem with the mouse, I replaced it with a new one. It does not happen all the time and not only when trying to connect to the internet, but also when trying to clear the cache and temp files via internet options or clicking to refresh a web site page. Any more suggestions are appreciated.

 

I would look at those internet connection settings.

Does it happen when you are not using Internet Explorer?

Some computers have mouse and keyboard "helper" programs. They have an icon in the Notification (System) Tray. Look at uninstalling that program, it is not necessary unless you special keys on the keyboard. You can look for an upgraded version if you need it. Check for any programs for the mouse in Add or Remove Programs and uninstall it. The mouse will still work.

You can go to Device Manager and uninstall the mouse there, it will be automatically reinstallled when you reboot.

Matt

 

I checked in the device manager and checked if the device is working properly. According to that, it works fine. Nevertheless, I did uninstall the software and restarted. So far so good. I post back if it happens again. Thanks and Merry Christmas.ps. the system is a HP pavilion a1222n Windows XP home Athlon 64 3500+

 

Hope it's OK now. Have a good Xmas break.

That only means that Windows is not having trouble with the drivers, it doesn't mean that they are actually working correctly.

 

It did happen again, after unlocking the internet connection with zonealarm pro, (see link to sreen shot) http://voltigeur.net/zone.jpg it takes many times clicking before the connection is re-established.
Nothing else works either ie click on documents or control panel for example.
This all started about a week ago or so. We did not download anything new except for automatic HP and windows updates. while it eventually will work, it is extremely annoying plus we wonder if it will get worse.

 

Let's go back to basics. If you click on something and there is no response, wait for as long as you can before clicking again (go and make coffee ). Does it eventually open? If so, it probably means that the CPU is occupied doing something else and that could possibly mean a malware infection.

When it happens, you can do Ctrl + Alt + Del (or right-click on the task bar) and select Task Manager. On the Applications tab, is anything listed as "Not responding "?

I asked before, but has it happened when you are not working on the internet (in Internet Explorer or using email)?

You can look at doing a System Restore to a time before the problem started happening.That might be 2, 3 or 4 weeks ago. If you have not made any significant changes in that time, it may work easily. Read about System Restore in Help and Support.

Updates...mmmm...I am always hesitant about (automatic) updates. I like to do them manually, but I understand that as a beginner, you need to do them automatically. If it was an update problem, System Restore will probably fix them, BUT, look at allowing one update at a time and test it extensively before installing the next one.

MS have just found a security flaw with Internet Explorer. Try using another browser as a test (example, Firefox, Opera or Netscape).

Don't concentrate on that it might be a mouse problem. It might be what is happening after you "click ".

Matt
Edit: looking at the you first post, what happens when the email will not show a picture? Check that there is not a yellow bar under the menu buttons at the top of the screen saying something like "attachments have been disabled for your protection ".

 

In your screen-shot, have you selected "Shutdown ZoneAlarm Security Suite" and tried clicking again? You can restart ZA again after you have tried that. [Edit: that will test if ZoneAlarm might be the problem.]

 

Thanks Mattman, the next time it happens I will shut down Zonealarm to test if it may be the culprit. Since my last post it did not occur again, but it probably will. Happy New Year!

 

mouse click does not respond /update

Hi Mattman, It still happens intermitently, and when it does, the mouse click does not respond to any program. It takes severeral clicks in quick succession before it will respond. I checked in the latests auto updates, but it is too difficult for me to see which ones could have caused this problem. (if it did)
Any other suggestions will be appreciated.

 

Did you do Ctrl + Alt + Del and check in Task Manager if any programs were listed as "not responding ". Check under the Processes tab, see if a process/service is running a high percentage of the CPU. Check the Performance tab, take a screenshot if anything looks out of the ordinary.

You said "After unlocking the internet with Zonealarm Pro... ", is Zonealarm "locking" it or are you? Locking the internet with Zonealarm will cause programs with connections to "freak out" . I would only use the lock if I suspected malware was operating in the background. Zonealarm is somewhat "manual" in it's configuration, you need to check which programs are being allowed or blocked, if you are not sure whether to allow them, Zonealarm may have information or you can do a webseach on the name of the program/process. If your system is free of malware, you don't need to lock Zonealarm.

Matt

 

We only use the zone alarm internet block, when we get away from the computer for an extended period of time rather than shutting down the PC. We did check the processes and included a screen shot. I guess after this I'll give up as I do not want to waste more of your time. It does not seem to affect anything else. Thanks a lot for your patience. http://voltigeur.net/pro.jpg

 

No waste of time. I am only "fishing" though (maybe it's this, maybe that). You need to try and isolate the problem.

You mentioned ZoneAlarm, it is very powerful, locking or blocking stops all internet traffic and I might suspect you are losing the connection. From the User Guide

Locking with Zonealarm sounds like a high security system. If you have DSL or cable connection, your ISP and some programs/services expect to be "always connected" though.

Something has changed, not necessarily Windows Updates, it may any one of your programs or Zonealarm.

This sounds familiar, "Zonealarm is causings freezes (but I can still move the mouse, i just can't click on anything) "
http://forums.zonealarm.org/zonelabs/board/message?board.id=gen&message.id=36901
BTW, your Task Manager says there is 0% CPU usage, like in the thread. That might tell me that the system is waiting for a response, maybe while the connection is remade with the internet.

Watch closely when it happens. If it happens after you "unlock" the internet, that's what I would concentrate on.

Looking back, I see you have Norton 360. I read that it has a firewall. You should only run one firewall at a time (and check that Windows Firewall is disabled).

Matt

 

We do have the windows and Norton 360 firewall disabled. What is the most puzzling is that we did not have a problem before and have not installed new programs. I tried to use Ctrl-alt-delete this morning , but before the taskmanager came up the connection was made. Since it seems to have something to do with ZA, would it preferrable to uninstall ZA. Would the Norton 360 prevent intrusions when the pc is left on, but not used? I turn my PC off during the time it is not used for an extended period of time, but the pc in question is always turned on. Thanks again for your patience.

 

If you haven't checked, look at the Norton 360 firewall and Windows Firewall and make sure an update hasn't re-enabled them.

Read through the ZoneAlarm User Guide. Even if you don't understand exactly what is being said, make a note of it. The way I read "locking" is that it is more for situations where you suspect unwelcomed internet activity.

During setup, Zonealarm probably set your ports to stealth, if you want to test your ports, run SheildsUp here:
www.grc.com
If your ports are stealthed, your computer is invisible on the internet. The only way anything can access your system is if it is invited by you or a program (malware?) that you have installed. "prevent intrusions when the pc is left on, but not used ", Zonealarm will monitor any activity anyway.

If you like, start a thread in the General Security forum, ask them about engaging the lock and add a link back to this thread. I am not a security expert. I have not read that it is recommended method of security.

Matt
PS, yes the recommendation in my link recommended to uninstall and reinstall ZoneAlarm.

 

I have uninstalled ZA Pro and re installed to see if the problem was with ZAP it made no difference (windows fire wall is disabled). Since it has been noted on several forums that Norton products seem to interfere with XP and Vista despite their claims of compatebility, I have uninstalled Norton and installed AVG free version. I will post the results. ps I have Norton 360 on my Vista Premium and it seem to create a problem with the shut down/restart function.
If uninstalling the Norton 360 on Windows XP fixes the problem, I will test the same procedure on my system.

 

Ifg your mouse is a wireless device change the battery in the mouse and in your key board

 

Thank you for the reply, both mice were connected to the pc with a USB cable.
I do believe that the mouse problem of the pc with Windows XP home and the shut down problem pc with Windows Vista Premium have been solved with removing the Norton 360. At least since yesterday neither problem surfaced again.
If it still happens (since both problems did not happen all the time), I will post the results.

 

Hope you have solved it. Thanks for letting us know how it's been going.