Selecting files with mouse now wonky

That means it's a return counter?

Just so I'm clear...the solution I'm being offered is "take the mouse" or "take the computer" back to the store I bought it? There's no, like, oh, say - solution?

Computer is 9 months old.
Mouse is about three years old.
I've plugged in a couple of old mice I have and it's the same issue, so it's not the mouse.
I appreciate the help being offered, I just wonder if someone has experienced this issue. Or heard of this issue. Or has an interest in, like, solving this issue. It's kinda fun to figure out how to fix something. We computer users used to do it all the time.

Then it was dismissed so we move to the return or repair counter next. My bet is they'll replace parts, reload the OS which I was trying to avoid.

You bring up a good issue. Microsoft and the industry have poor to no diagnostics. And folk are more and more unwilling to try the usual so what's left? Buy a new machine? Good for the industry I suppose!
Bob

Seems to be a lot of people who apparently know better than the people they're asking for help, which begs the question why they're asking for help in the first place.

That all said, if the symptoms persist across multiple mice, you've either got a bad USB port, or assuming you've tested multiple USB ports as well, a corrupted OS. Since you say it works fine in a VM, I'd lean more towards the corrupted OS. I'm a little surprised that someone who's been using Windows since the 3.x days would have bothered coming here without having done a fresh install first. Most of the people I've met who got started back in those days will have developed habits from the days before Windows was as robust as it is now. The less technically inclined will frequently reinstall the OS every 6-12 months as a matter of routine. You've got to be the first person I've met who doesn't have any of these habits who -- allegedly, and I have no particular reason to doubt your claim -- has been using Windows for so long.

Seems to me Jimmy is taking things personally.

Of course I can reinstall Windows. Of course I can return my computer. Of course I've tried different mice, different USB ports. I'm also smart enough to know there are some things I don't know. Used to be, I could get on the web, search multiple sites, ask questions, find answers. People who were interested in tinkering. People who found a registry setting I hadn't tried. I agree, I wonder why I bother coming here, or onto the web at all anymore. I find web sites with people asking questions and responses of people who ask the same question. The reason I'm reaching out is because I've tried all the easy stuff. And, yes, I can reinstall Windows, just like I've been doing for years, and spend all day doing that. Because no one, apparently, has encountered this problem - I'm the only person on the planet. No one ever, anywhere has ever come across this and found a solution. I'm so lucky! Oh, wait - maybe there is someone who had the problem and isn't just throwing out answers without having encountered the issue. I genuinely do appreciate the help offered, although it's pedestrian and beginner's help. I bothered coming here to find people with equal or higher knowledge than mine. Where are they?

Looking at your first post, I see you saying you tried changing mouse settings, system restore and uninstalling the Microsoft software for the keyboard and mouse. I don't see any mention of having tried multiple mice all on multiple USB ports or anything else that might be considered "all of the easy stuff" so since the rest of us are unable to read your mind, we only have what you tell us to go on.

But there's been a growing trend on online forums where people just want the answer instantly and then start pouting like a 5-year-old when they have to actually put in a bit of effort. It's as Bob said, where more and more people are unwilling to put in even a modicum of effort, and you can count yourself among them.

Everything you could think of failed, so you come here and make a long post with very little actual substance to it as far as helping diagnose your problem. We're all very happy for you having used Windows 3.1, but it doesn't do anything to help us solve your issue, it's just aimed at trying to impress people here. Same as how no one but you really cares that you've been doing things this way or that since the XP days. Has no relevance to the problem at hand, it's purely an emotional appeal so we take pity on you. All of which would have had a much better chance of succeeding if not for your final line where it would be easy to interpret that as an arrogant demand for a gift wrapped solution, served on a silver platter by your stereotypical English butler who calls you "m'lord". All of which is reinforced by your subsequent comments in this thread, where you get increasingly indignant when your lack of specificity causes people to suggest possible solutions that you tried but neglected to tell us. So it's apparently our fault we can't read your mind. Ironically, figuring out how that one works would require the ability to read your mind. The real cherry on top though, is how it's somehow not your fault that you can't find anyone else who has had this problem. Normally I'd say you just are choosing your search terms poorly, but clearly you're some kind of post-human and we mere humans are at fault somehow.

A general rule about society, is that if you're asking for a favor from people, you should generally try and be nice to them. Did it ever occur to you that maybe people aren't all that interested in sharing the knowledge they put in the time and effort to obtain aren't interested in sharing it with someone who immediately cops an attitude? What am I thinking, of course you haven't! Everything is always someone else's fault, you're perfect.

Before I take my leave of this entire discussion, I'll just say that from a logical standpoint if everyone has a problem understanding you, the fault is not with everyone else. These forums are an advertising supported, free of charge, service and are "staffed" by people who volunteer their time and expertise. Meaning we're under absolutely no obligation to help you and can walk away at any time. We're not being paid to deal with your self-aggrandizement. So you can either lose the 'tude or you can lose access to the collective knowledge of a lot of people here or pretty much any other forum/IRC channel/newsgroup/mailing list/etc you might inflict yourself upon next.

Yawn. So many words to continue to prove my point that you're not actually helpful to the problem.

If I took my car to my mechanic and his response was "buy a new car," I'd find that unsatisfactory. I found the response unsatisfactory to my first post, and when I expressed my confusion about that being the only response, Jimmy got insulted and began insulting me. Sorry, Jimmy. Do you have a solution to the problem, and not your perceived and projected issues to me?

He's always this way. He wants you to even put batteries in a wired mouse, LOL.

1) Is this working through a KVM?

2) Is this plugged USB, or using an adapter to PS/2

3) Have you blown out the fuzz that collects on the optical eye sometimes?

4) Change the surface you are using under the mouse, see if any change

5) Checked sensitivity settings for the mouse? See control panel and lower the settings, see if that changes it.

6) Load the driver files that came in the box with the mouse into windows 8. If you already did that, then open device manager and remove the mouse settings and reboot. While there check to see if there's a mark (still yellow?) or something indicating a problem with the mouse.

7) Does this ONLY happen in the file explorer, or in documents and other places?

And if you didn't pay for the mechanic to look over your car and tell you to get a new one, what exactly do you have to complain about? Plus, we're not even getting into how you haven't put in the time or effort necessary to be able to fix your own car, so have to subordinate yourself to someone more capable in that particular area.

It's a real basic case of economics here. We (potentially) have something you don't: A solution to your problem. That means we hold the upper hand in this particular situation and you can choose between meeting our price, haggle, or walk away. I'm guessing you're trying to haggle, but can't quite manage to swallow your pride long enough to get even a single post out. That's not a very successful technique if you want to maximize the number of people willing to help, thus maximize the odds that you'll find a solution. So far you've got Bob, who should be nominated for sainthood with a seemingly depthless reservoir of patience and then James, who's only really helping to be contrary. Officially he'd tell you he thinks I act like a jerk, so he decided the best thing to do is be an even bigger jerk. Really it's just that his love affair with Linux is still in the obnoxious honeymoon phase. His views are still very insecure so he drowns out his doubts by surrounding himself with people who agree with his position, more commonly known as the bandwagon logical fallacy. I've used Linux and likely done far more with it than he's even considered possible, but then I moved on and back to Windows, so I represent the biggest threat to his fragile world view. I know more than enough to challenge his beliefs and ask some very uncomfortable questions, so he comes at me more than anyone else in an effort to avoid having to actually take a good hard look and realize that Linux is just as flawed as Windows, only in different ways. I'm sure he'll try and dismiss this whole thing, which really just proves the point. He can't do a point-by-point refutation because he knows it's true.

what does Linux have to do with this thread?

Yeah, tried that, too. Thanks. Have you encountered this problem and fixed it this way?

It's always the usual of batteries, removal and such discussed here. But when this and another mouse fail we start looking for malware and more. It looks grim as you did try the usual. But what a shame it took this many posts just to get the first aid out of the way.

That is, if it took this many posts to get here, how many more? I hope you see why no service counters try to fix this anymore. Reload the OS and move to the next job.
Bob