Windows – Mouse acting funny, opening/closing tabs

google-chromemousewindows 7

My mouse is acting funny:

In Chrome:

  • Clicking bookmarks will open them in a new tab.
  • Clicking forward/back arrow will open them in a new tab.
  • Clicking tabs will close them.
  • Clicking links acts normally.
  • These problems exist in incognito mode.
  • Do not exist on IE.

Windows:

  • Clicking taskbar icons doesn't do anything.
  • Alt tabbing still works.
  • Clicking close on windows doesn't work.
  • Can't move windows.
  • Click windows loses focus.
  • Ctrl+Alt+Delete to bring up task manager, allows buttons to be clickable there.

Note that the Windows problems and the Chrome problems don't necessarily happen at the same time. Ie sometimes the Chrome tabs will be a problem, but I can interact with Windows applications.

I'm using a Logitech G500s plugged into my laptop. I've disabled the laptop touch pad with the hard button, though if activate that, the same issues occur.

It's happening very sporadically.

I'm wondering if it's because a key is stuck or something. If so, which key?

Advice I've read elsewhere has suggested that the middle mouse button is stuck, but the G500s doesn't have a middle mouse down per se, it has clicky scroll, and fast scroll.

Update: I think I might have solved it. It's possibly the mouse. Googling it, it appears that this model of mouse has issues around the middle button.

Though, that doesn't explain why when I've unplugged it, the issue remains. Is it possible that the middle button sends a 'mouse down' event, and then I unplug it, and then because it hasn't received a 'mouse up' event that it continues acting like the middle mouse is down?

Best Answer

We can assume that the middle mouse button is continually pressed and that's why even a left click is closing the Chrome tabs. There could be the following problems:

  1. The mouse has a faulty middle mouse button
  2. The mouse driver is interfering with the windows mouse interface and causing sporadic presses
  3. The trackpad has a simulated middle mouse effect (double touch) which is wrongly being activated
  4. The trackpad driver is interfering with the mouse driver

So to solve these possible issues you have to:

  1. Try to press the middle mouse button a few times as well as any other button presses that your scroll wheel allows: e.g. switch back and forth from infinite scrolling or press middle-mouse-left or middle-mouse right so that the device becomes unstuck.
  2. Reinstall both drivers through the internet
  3. Disable either from the device manager
  4. If the above two don't work then, since there is no way to override the keys in Windows through the registry, you may use this software to find the problem and fix it: http://www.highrez.co.uk/downloads/XMouseButtonControl.htm
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