Here’s the problem shown in a way I can consistently reproduce…
(delete all files within “\maya\2011” includings “prefs”)
startup Maya 2011
select “Polygons”
choose a cube
drag a box within “persp”
press “6” to show the box as a solid
right-click on the box and select “Face”
the lower-left shows the red-green-blue x-y-z orientation
the faces in the “y” and “z” direction can be selected… the “x” direction face can’t be selected, but if you double-click on it, it selects all of the faces. Another click makes it deselect all of the faces.
using alt-LMB to rotate, the negative-X face also has the same problem.
you can select any of the faces by dragging the LMB.
if you double-click on the selection arrow (top-left icon) and enable the marquee camera-based selection tool, no faces can be selected either by clicking or dragging faces with the LMB. (but I want that option enabled…)
I’ve searched for help on the Internet… one place said to delete the “prefs” folder. Others said to disable “soft select” using “B”. I’ve asked a student who’s used Maya for about 2 years and also a university lecturer… he said that the computer is too slow even though it worked perfectly for a few weeks then suddenly consistently has this problem… he also said to delete the history so I deleted the contents of “\maya\2011”. He was looking at Maya but he didn’t have any other ideas…