# PC suddenly refuses to drag and drop **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-suddenly-refuses-to-drag-and-drop/734923 "2015-10-17T19:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-suddenly-refuses-to-drag-and-drop/734923/1 "2015-10-17T19:23:15Z")
I am using a homebuilt PC running Windows 7 and using firefox with a corded USB mouse. It happens usually when I am playing online scrabble, or another game I love called Dictionary Devil. Basically any game involving a drag and drop operation. However, I don’t think it’s necessarily an internet thing, because whenever it happens, I go open a game of solitaire (resident on the computer) and it won’t work either. Video card drivers & mouse drivers are up-to-date. Plugging the mouse into a different USB slot doesn’t help either. Anyone seen this behavior before? ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-suddenly-refuses-to-drag-and-drop/734923/2 "2015-10-17T19:31:16Z")
I would do a heavy duty virus scan first. Use two good, different anti virus soft wares. Is the desk surface different? Change in color, texture? If it never happens until you play those games, then some sort of software, spyware may be activated from that site. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-suddenly-refuses-to-drag-and-drop/734923/3 "2015-10-17T19:55:27Z")
Desktop looks exactly the same. I’ll go run Malware Bytes and Panda. I just closed the old scrabble window. Then I opened a new one. It let me play one game, then the next one screwed up halfway through. (Ha ha, always when I have a really good word.) ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-suddenly-refuses-to-drag-and-drop/734923/4 "2015-10-17T20:47:11Z")
I’ve come across several sites wherein the suggestion is made (in Win7) that to right-click on a file in Explorer and, while holding down the button, pressing the ESC key will restore drag and drop functionality. I have no way to test this but it seems simple enough to give it a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-suddenly-refuses-to-drag-and-drop/734923/5 "2015-10-17T21:18:53Z")
Have you got a different mouse you can try? It could be that the physical switch inside the mouse is failing in such a way as to only make momentary contact (failure of the electronic stuff inside the mouse could also result in the same effect). ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-suddenly-refuses-to-drag-and-drop/734923/6 "2015-10-17T21:34:57Z")
Yes. That is the most likely culprit - hardware failure in the mouse. I’ve found that mice, if you are a heavy computer user, fail fairly routinely. I use Logitech MX 518s, and they last about 2-3 years. Cheaper mice die much sooner. I ended up buying just 2 logitech mice over a 6 year period, and getting a warranty replacement on both, ending up with 4 that I frankensteined parts between to keep 1 good mouse running. Now, I use a G502, which is the successor. I would wholeheartedly recommend it, and I would suggest installing all of the optional weights. The heavy feel reminds me of high quality controls like in an aircraft simulator. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-suddenly-refuses-to-drag-and-drop/734923/7 "2015-10-18T00:41:05Z")
I had something similar a few weeks ago – replaced my mouse and everything was fine. The mouse had developed a glitch in which it was acting like I had clicked it, when I hadn’t. Mice wear out. The clicker is a moving par that makes physical contract, and is subject to the same dirtiness, part wear, etc. as any other moving part. ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-suddenly-refuses-to-drag-and-drop/734923/8 "2015-10-18T00:51:10Z")
It’s always the mouse. Buy a new one and move on. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-suddenly-refuses-to-drag-and-drop/734923/9 "2015-10-20T10:36:27Z")
If it’s a simple mouse, you can always try pulling up the button tab and then shoving it back in. I thought I would have to get a new mouse, as mine was losing contact and double clicking a lot. But it kinda fixed itself.