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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?

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  • Have you tried disconnecting the G500s and using another mouse or the trackpad alone?
    – James P
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 8:37
  • @James Have tried using trackpad alone, and it was still there.
    – user1068446
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 9:41
  • It could be worth disabling the trackpad in the device manager, instead of using the keyboard shortcut.
    – James P
    Commented Jun 30, 2014 at 9:50
  • I had this problem, and i fixed it just by restarting and re-installing the mouse drivers
    – Daalekz
    Commented Jul 1, 2014 at 7:01

4 Answers 4

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+200

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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  • Device manager shows two HID compliant mice, and a PS/2 Compatable mouse. The PS/2 Compatable mouse isn't disablable, the HIDs are. One of the HIDs corresponds to my G500s mouse, and when disabled, the problem is still apparent if using the touch pad. I suspect the other HID mouse corresponds to an old mouse. I disabled that one, and the problem is still apparent. If I uninstall the PS/2 mouse, it requires restart, and the reinstalls it on boot.
    – user1068446
    Commented Jul 5, 2014 at 1:40
  • did you try to manually update the drivers of the ps/2 mouse? though windows automatic updates or through the manufacturers website?
    – OmarAsifShaikh
    Commented Jul 5, 2014 at 6:39
  • This was the most useful answer, so am awarding the bounty here.
    – user1068446
    Commented Jul 8, 2014 at 4:47
  • @OmarAsifShaikh, I think the assumption " the middle mouse button is continually pressed " is wrong. I downloaded XMouseButtonControl and disabled everything except for the left button. However, the problem persists. This shows that the assumption " the middle mouse button is continually pressed " is wrong.
    – Pacerier
    Commented Feb 9, 2016 at 16:04
  • In the mouse/trackpad driver (i.e. Control Panel -> Mouse Properties -> Touchpad tab), I set my trackpad's right-button to generate a middle-click event. After saving changes, switching back to Chrome and right-button/middle-click anywhere cleared the issue, (Normal right-button/right-click action can then be re-selected in the driver settings). Windows seems to get into some state where it thinks the middle-button is permanently pressed, and this state is only cleared by handling a real middle-click generated as above, or from button-mashing or another mouse as others have suggested.
    – Kieron Hardy
    Commented Mar 15, 2018 at 19:38
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This issue is specific to the mouse, which has a design flaw on the middle mouse button/scroll wheel.

A standard mouse has left and right buttons, and the middle scroll wheel can scroll up, scroll down, and be pressed down.

The Logitech G500s has a dual mode scroll wheel, that can free spin for quick through pages, or a 'clicky' spin for ordinary scrolling.

The scroll wheel can also be pressed left and right for scrolling side ways. It also has a standard click down when in clicky scroll mode.

The problem is with this middle wheel, the scroll wheel can get stuck in mouse down mode, or something similar. This causes all left clicks to be interpreted as middle clicks.

The solution is to click around on it until it frees itself.

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  • "The solution is to click around on it until it frees itself"..... but it doesn't.
    – Pacerier
    Commented Feb 9, 2016 at 15:27
1

There is no single key on the keyboard that would initiate all of the actions you've mentioned. There is however an abundance of experiences online similar and some even identical to those you're sharing here with this same mouse.

The consensus based on research is to replace the mouse and try again, which has shown success for those that were expressing the same concerns as you; some even replacing the mouse with the same model.

If this is not an option, there has been limited success by exiting the software for the mouse that runs in the task-bar or remapping unused keys via the software provided with the mouse.

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  • It doesn't seem to be a mouse problem... I'm having this issue with touchpad too.
    – Pacerier
    Commented Feb 9, 2016 at 15:40
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If mouse problems only happen in Chrome, this could be caused by a misbehaving extension.

You could test this by :

  1. Launching Chrome in incognito mode, via a shortcut with the parameter --incognito added to Chrome, which disables all extensions
  2. Disabling manually all extensions
  3. Trying another browser

A problematic extension can be localized by selectively disabling extensions and restarting Chrome repeatedly.

The heavy-handed approach is to uninstall Chrome, delete all its folders, then reinstall, finally adding the extensions one by one while testing.

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  • I can see that you added to the post more problems with Windows itself. Some questions: (1) Is Chrome open at the time, (2) Have you tried another mouse?
    – harrymc
    Commented Jul 4, 2014 at 13:38
  • I've tried using my Touch Pad mouse only, and the issue is still there.
    – user1068446
    Commented Jul 5, 2014 at 1:07
  • Running chrome in incognito doesn't solve the tab problem.
    – user1068446
    Commented Jul 5, 2014 at 1:36
  • More to try : (1) sfc /scannow, (2) Boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
    – harrymc
    Commented Jul 5, 2014 at 7:03
  • @harrymc, Hmm, I tried sfc /scannow but it doesn't work. After sfc /scannow I also tried uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers but it still doesn't work. Looks like there's no way to fix this without restarting...
    – Pacerier
    Commented Feb 9, 2016 at 23:24

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