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Unable to select from dropdown list with cursor

  • 7 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by jonahwicky

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For the past several FF versions, I'm unable to select items from dropdown lists by point & click. I can scroll thru the lists with Tab, arrow keys and select items by hitting enter. I've tried all the suggested fixes with no success. Started FF in Safe Mode, done a clean install, disabled plug-ins, etc. Nothing works.

There is a similar problem with pop-up windows, where I can't point and click them. It just acts like the pop-up isn't there and selects the page behind the pop-up. The pop-ups freeze and can't be closed unless I close the main window. As I'm typing this, I checked the FF version by clicking Help|About Firefox, and the pop-up window is stuck open and unresponsive.

Currently running FF 32.0, Win 7. All software and hardware drivers are up to date.

Please help. This problem is really annoying!

For the past several FF versions, I'm unable to select items from dropdown lists by point & click. I can scroll thru the lists with Tab, arrow keys and select items by hitting enter. I've tried all the suggested fixes with no success. Started FF in Safe Mode, done a clean install, disabled plug-ins, etc. Nothing works. There is a similar problem with pop-up windows, where I can't point and click them. It just acts like the pop-up isn't there and selects the page behind the pop-up. The pop-ups freeze and can't be closed unless I close the main window. As I'm typing this, I checked the FF version by clicking Help|About Firefox, and the pop-up window is stuck open and unresponsive. Currently running FF 32.0, Win 7. All software and hardware drivers are up to date. Please help. This problem is really annoying!

All Replies (7)

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Anyone? I can't be the only one still having this problem.

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Are you using a real mouse or a touch pad?

Does booting Windows in Safe Mode has any effect?

Boot the computer in Windows Safe Mode with network support (press F8 on the boot screen) as a test.

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I'm using a touchpad on my laptop. The problem still occurs in Windows Safe Mode.

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I had a problem like this, and it turned out to be a hardware problem with my mouse. (The problem even persisted in Linux.) Have you tried attaching an external mouse?

It's also possible that something is wrong with your touchpad mouse driver. It shoudln't load in safemode, but maybe one is required to get your mouse to work properly.

While it is remote, there's also the possibility of malware that's even running in Windows Safe Mode. As a last resort, see if you can get your hands on a Linux LiveCD that has the latest Firefox on it (like JustBrowsing ). That way you can bypass Windows completely. Instructions are available on the site I linked.

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I'm pretty certain it's not a touchpad driver problem. This doesn't happen in other browsers or programs. It's something specific to FF. I'll try Linux, but I'm pretty committed to using Windows so I'd like to solve it without changing my OS.

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I think I've discovered the source of this problem. If any other program is open in the background, the pop-up window and dropdown list issue occurs. If I close the background program, FF works correctly. There is apparently some sort of conflict, but I have no idea what that might be.

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Well, that wasn't the solution. Even with nothing else running it still happens. Does anyone from Mozilla tech support read these messages? Is there any way to contact them directly?