Strange behavior of windows when resizing/moving

Hi people,

I am using Vista Ultimate 32bit SP1... today I have been having a sudden problem with resizing windows. The problem is they don't resize according to what my mouse does... For example I open a PDF file, and I drag it from the corner to make a bit bigger (but not maximise to fill the screen), they don't stop where I stop my cursor.. INSTEAD, the window becomes bigger or smaller going out of range of my screen... Any idea what might be the problem?

Thanks in advance people.. looking forward to hearing the solution soon... this is kinda annoying :-( particularly when working with lots of windows open and I move them around to look at another folder but they dont move where I move them :-( Thanks again for any help.

 

The resolution maybe set to high for your screen.
Try setting it lower.

 

Its lower than the screen I got. I am using it at 1920*1080 now!! :-(

 

Any suggestions people?

 

Okie, narrowing down on the specifics of the problem

It doesnt seem to happen with all the windows!!!!!!!! For example, firefox, my computer etc can be opened and resized or moved around the desktop without any problem. BUT, application windows like acrobat reader, coreldraw, are not responding to the drags or resize from the corners!!!!

Any ideas people? Thanks in advance.

 

Okie, I have been up all night trying to figure out whats wrong, but cannot. Been googling and checking out many pages but nothing seems to address my query appropriately.

Meanwhile I checked the display settings, my monitor is identified as 1 and this is the primary monitor (generic PnP...) and there is no external display.

I have tried checking with the native resolution as well as a reduced one!! :-( :-(

Update: This seems to happen only with some application windows like acrobat reader.. other folder windows, word or excel seem to be fine!!

 

Update again:

I have been checking extensively and I figure in many places, the discussion regarding this issue kind of veering towards the driver of the mouse!!! I have an logitech wireless USB mouse. The driver for this mouse is signed by windows (and there are people who ask to remove the "setpoint" feature). First, I cannot find this feature anywhere, in the services or programs or whatever. They said its a setpoint.exe file. Secondly, I just came across a posting somewhere on the web where they suggest to rather install new drivers from logitech!!! :-( I am confused. And I have a increasing suspicion that its some problem with the mouse / touchpad settings or drivers. The system says device working properly for both, drivers are up-to-date!! :-(

Any help people?? Please....

 

Try installing the new drivers, and then see if the problem still persists.

 

Thanks @ Silas. With 'new drivers', do you mean for the logitech mouse? I just got the setpoint and I am planning to install it!! I will then see how it goes. By the way, I forgot to mention above - the problems persists with the touchpad as well, and again, its just some application windows!! And I think its Alps pointing device. Is there probably some conflict between the pointing devices, and if yes, is there any way to resolve the conflict? Anyway, I will check with the new drivers and get back here. Cheers.

 

Did the erratic behaviour start after you installed SP1? If yes, then it's probably your Logitech/Alps drivers. Look for the latest drivers for your pointing devices, and if possible read the Release Notes, maybe you'll find that it is actually addressed in the new drivers.

 

Well, not exactly *right after* SP1... I had been using SP1 for quiet some time now.. this problem is there only since the last two days.... anyway, I have updated the drivers - both logitech and alps... still the problem persists... But I am trying to restart now.. will be back in a min or two!!!

 

Ok, first, as I said before I dont know if it was after SP1.

Now, I have made a restart.. but the problem persists. Strange that its not all the windows (as I said before!). Its the acrobat reader, coreldraw etc.. so is it something to do with some graphical or similar applications or something like that?

And to confirm, the drivers are all in place, both the Alps, Logitech (though I want to check on Alps driver again!!!) Will let u know..

Meanwhile the HID compliant mouse says its signed by microsoft windows. Should I be rather having a logitech signed driver or something like that? Because I remember reading somewhere on the web, that its better to have the microsoft signed one and its the best.

Will get back with Alps details.

 

Update: Fine, I have the latest drivers available around. Including for Alps pointing device. So......... I don't know!!! :-( Any help would be really really appreciated. And I just figured there is a really erratic behavior when I started windows live messenger.. and moving this WLM window around in the desktop is a mess because the window does not move to where you move your cursor, but gets positioned in random places... strange that this issue just creeped in out of nowhere..

 

I think you're S.O.L. You've updated your drivers, your OS is up to date, so there's nothing more you can do. Format.

 

Thanks @ Silas.

What do u mean by 'format'? Reformat the complete system? and doesn't it mean losing all your date (of course I'd make a backup) but how do I get back everything I'd installed? I have so much stuff up here and working great... Would I have to do it all over again? :-(

 

Have you scanned your system with AntiVirus/Crap/Malware? Do it if you haven't already, it's your last resort. What software have you installed recently? Any other driver changes?

 

Well, I have a norton antivirus active (part of the system purchase) I will do a scan now and report back to you.

Recently I installed a trial version of coreldraw (15 day trial) official trial copy. I have uninstalled it since. Other than this nothing installed recently. I installed Easycleaner couple of days back, though!!!!

No other driver changes. Absolutely nothing... because everything was up-to-date and even if I wanted to I couldnt have!!!

Meanwhile, some inside info:

I was just checking the driver details for HID compliant mouse. Here is what I see..

From the device manager, I see on "HID-compliant device properties", driver provider: microsoft, driver date: 21/1/2006, driver version: 6.0.6001.18000, digital signer: microsoft windows.
Status >> driver up to date.

From the mouse properties (control panel>mouse) the driver details for "logitech HID-compliant cordless mouse" > driver provider: logitech, driver date: 29/2/2008, driver version: 4.60.42.0, digital signer: microsoft windows hardware compatibility publisher.
Status > up to date!!

So.... I thought I will give this just in case it makes sense to the experts (to me I have no idea what these are, though i am beginning to understand slowly) Because for the touchpad, in both the places the driver info is the same. Why is it different for this cordless mouse thing, then?? :-( Thanks, mate. By the way, for the Alps touchpad, for location, I read "plugged into PS/2 mouse port". Just in case this will be of any useful info to you. Thanks.

 

Yeah, that's what it says for my pointing device and mouse as well. Your drivers are fine.

Re: EasyCleaner - Did you clean registry with it? If yes, did you create any back-ups? If yes, then try restoring it. Everything else is fine as far as I can see.

A piece of advice, do NOT use Norton Antivirus. Use NOD32, it's the best, or if you don't want so spend money, download AVG's free version. Norton is such a resource hog!

P.S - I support Italy! If not for Donadoni, Nesta and Totti' would've been in the squad, along with Iaquinta and Gila. Better than Quagliarella, Di Natale, Aquilani and Matrix! But now Lippi is back!

 

Ah ok.. Thats good to hear. I was wondering why I am seeing different parameters in different places.

Let me think!! Well, NO, I did not clean registry with it. I followed Les' advice on that and I did not touch the registry. I just chose unnecessary and cleaned some stuff (again as Les advised in his wonderful tips n tweaks thread here!) So, yeah, NO touching the registry button with Easycleaner. And I used it just once.

Okie. I will get the free version of AVG for now. I dont have much money to spend for the NOD32. But I will make a note on this. By the way, when u say 'resource hog', I assume you are referring to norton taking up the system resources thereby probably slowing down the performance when its running, right? Otherwise its a good antivirus in terms of quality and function, right?

Meanwhile still scanning with antivirus, no problems till now. Will get back to you soon

Forza Italia!!!

Cheers and thanks for all your replies mate Looking forward to more help soon..

 

Btw, any suggestions for good free spyware/malware detection/removal programs? Of course, I am checking out in the other thread that deals specifically with this, but since I am on with you here, thought I will lend an ear... thanks.

 

Windows Defender
Spyware Search and Destroy
A-Squared
Super Anti-Spyware


All of these are free, and I'd recommend these. I use all of these, with only Windows Defender running in the back-ground (for live monitoring). I scan my system with them every Sunday, one after the other, takes about 2 hours for all of them to finish. Then, I have NOD32 x64 as my anti-virus.

It most probably won't be a spyware/virus causing you problems, otherwise it'd cause problems with every window, not just select some.

If it is reallly bugging you, I think you should do a complete format, I'd be here for help if you need me. A format will help you a lot, especailly if you're still using factory defaults. Plus, it'll take care of Norton Antivirus as well, because I'd rather format than uninstall Norton, because that'll be easier.

Unless someone has/comes up with a solution to this problem.

 

Okie, thanks.

I have windows defender on like yours. I'll get the other ones, the spyware stuff, and run a scan every sunday along with the norton (I might as well use it, since I paid for it). Have AVG too.

Meanwhile, coming to the main problem , I guess u r right.. if its some virus or something, probably everything would be affected.

As far as bugging is concerned, its a bit annoying but not necessarily making me throw myself and my laptop together out of my 6th floor apartment window. Though it would be nice to be working without it. Well, the simple thing, albeit with a little patience, would be to just minimize the windows instead of moving it around and getting annoyed. Let me see.

But yes, I am not really inclined to do a format. I am still usin factory defaults, but still, I would lose all the things I did with the comp, the display and all those silly things, as well, I would have to reinstall all the programs and software I need for my work, and worse, I am in the middle of some important research related publications as well as my thesis related work. So, I am really out of time to do this neither am I really inclined (bit paranoid since I am not a comp freak). But anyway, I will think about it and have you in mind, if at all I decide to do a reformat. Thanks mate. I am also planning to have a tech guy visit me here, if possible. Lets see. And yes, I dont want to uninstall norton as well.

But yeah, I really really wish and hope someone would come up with a solution here...

AND, its really strange that I *just cannot* find a single thread, or information or an article addressing this problem :-( am I the first one?? :-(

 

Okie, Norton came up clean!! So, no idea what this freaking bug could be!!

 

Update: All spywares or malwares tested. System is absolutely clean. but still with the problem, No luck yet! And increasingly feeling strange about this. Spent all this time trying to figure out what might be wrong but amazing that I couldn't find any specific info or solution to this. Anyway, for the moment, I am living with it (and there are even more worse, annoying, irritating, buggy) things in life than a-refusing-to-resize-refusing-to-move-where-you-place-me window!!

BUT having said this, I would still be very very happy to have some one to drop in a word or two if they know about this issue. Thanks.. I'm talking with a comp tech fr of mine here tomorrow or the day after, and if I figure out what it is, I will let you all know. Cheers.

 

Sounds like a display configuration problem to me. Sounds like something might think you have a second monitor set up using spanning.
Check your nVidia control panel (in addition to Windows' display properties). I don't have nVidia so I can't really help you here. But make sure it knows you only have one display. Also, you may want to go to the tweaks thread and try tip #1 - turn off multiple monitor support. In this case it's not for performance, it's to see if it fixes anything.

btw I do recommend a clean install anyway... my computer exhibited some other sorts of funkiness with Dell's setup that went away when I reinstalled. Also, you don't really need all the drivers... for example, my Logitech mice work fine without the Logitech driver, just using the Windows built-in drivers.

Also, which video drivers are you using and how did you get them?

 

Thanks for your reply @ Swarmer. I have double double-checked the display configuration and its fine. Its enabled for only one monitor, I can do a 'identify monitor' as well and its ok. (its a generic PnP monitor by the way). Its the way it came from the factory and its the way it has been. I checked nVidia control panel as well and it shows the laptop display as the only monitor available and its the primary monitor. I will check the nVidia control panel again though and get back here. Meanwhile, in the windows display properties, I dont remember if I have to select/enable both options, ie., "use this as primary" and "extend desktop to this monitor". Now I see both the boxes are checked, but I really dont remember well if the second box has to be checked in! Please let me know. By the way, what is spanning? How do I check on this?

Hmmmm..... Well the mouse driver says microsoft signed and its the way it has been. Its the windows built-in for HID compliant stuff, and thats how it is. I really didn't download/install any new drivers (assuming downloading setpoint from logitech is a just a software download and not a driver download!)

The one' that came from the factory, as it is. No drivers from any third party sites or places. All from the Dell default factory stuff. And they are from nVidia anyways. Nothing from outside. Everything is original n as it was out of the box.

Meanwhile, an update: I was thinking last night about this fact - which is that when I resize/move the windows (again I would like to stress it seems to be just the application oriented windows like the examples I gave before, ie., acrobat reader, windows live messenger window, coreldraw etc. - which in turn is making me more suspicious), the erratic behavior is not really *erratic*. I mean, it seems to be following some form of scaling based on some ratio or fixed ratio or whatever you like to call it.

For example, I open a PDF file. I resize it by dragging from the right bottom corner of the window using the double-headed pointer. It resizes everytime in the same way, scaling itself bigger than I moved the pointer AND when I bring back the window to see how it fits into the whole display, it fits exactly into the full screen, MEANING, the final view is the same as double clicking on the toolbar of the window or the rectangular "maximise" box on the top, right hand corner of the concerned window.

Another example, the same PDF file, I dont drag it out of the corner now. But I drag it/resize it horizontally, pulling the window form the right hand side. Again, it resizes in some strange way (and I assume its following some ratio scaling or whatever) and when I pull the window back to see how it fits into the full display, it fits exactly into the display, left end to the right end, horizontally.

SO, does this ring any bell for any of the experts out there?

I have checked nVidia control panel, and there is this second option, which is if using a resolution lower than the resolution of the display, nVidia allows you to scale according to what you want. In my case, FIRST, my resolution is the same as the native resolution, still the deault was the first option, "let nVidia chose the scaling" or something like that.. and I left it as it is. NOW, should I try by chosing "do not scale" option instead of "letting nVidia scale"??? Please let me know.

I am trying to figure out as much as possible about how I can fix this solution without doing a reinstall because I have made lots of efforts to get my system where it is now with all the stuff I need for my work.... So I would really prefer to fix this somehow, simply because, it was perfectly fine all the time, except for the last couple of days. And I am sure its because of something I did probably or some conflict withing some programs or applications or whatever. Thanks a lot for any help people. Waiting to hear from you.

FINALLY, I am thinking if its got to do something with the MOUSE!!! This is a logitech V220 cordless optical mouse, connected through a USB key like thing. Since this is an optical mouse, I don't know (please forgive is this idea/thought is really lame or stupid!) if its got something to do with the optic light below or if its not working properly or something like that. :-| ALSO, I don't know if it makes sense to check with the Dell Diagnostics just to see if there is something popping up. Please let me know REGARDING THESE two doubts of mine, people. Thanks

Cheers and a Happy Wonderful Sunday to Everyone here in my place, the sky is crystal clear blue, bright sun, and the cool sea.. hope nature shows its grace like today here, everywhere else too

 

Is there anything I could do to check/verify/change in regedit? I was just taking a look there (I did NOT DARE to touch or even modify any of the entries there) and I saw some entries with current config or display values or "panning" values and things like that. Is there anything anyone thinks I could do to check for this problem? Thanks a lot people.

 

I don't think so! A change made in Registry would be global, ie, for all the softwares, and not only for the ones acting like retards.

 

Hmmmm. Thanks @ Silas. You are right. *having more n more thoughts of following your suggestions to do a clean install* Still, I am waiting for one of my tech friends to take a look. I'll keep you all posted, and hope I can find some way to get out of this.

 

Guess WHAT people??!

I FIXED this issue!!

The problem was with some options in appearance and settings.

So it goes like this. I was just playing around to see again if I can fix this issue, I right click on desktop, personalize option, window color and appearance, chose classic appearnce settings, windows aero is the chosen one, then I click on "effects" (I really didn't know this is where the problem was coming from, I just clicked to see what was in there and how things were enabled/disabled) and NOW I ENABLED 'show window contents while dragging'.

THATS IT. Till now it was not enabled, and THIS I remember very very vaguely fooling around with few days back when this problem started. But I really did not think this could be the problem. All's well now

Wowwwwwwwwwwwww....

But thinking about it, I am guessing (I will leave the final judgement to the experts, this is just my opinion) that since the show window contents while dragging was not enabled or rather disabled, whenever I was moving graphic or application windows, the window was rendering itself and its contents in the same way it was being displayed before moving. Meaning, I think, lets say if I was seeing a PDF document in some zoom or lets say a sigmaplot or a coreldraw window was open with some viewing options I selected, then I move or resize the window, this action failed to materialise in the proper way because the final place where I stopped the mouse was seen by the window as the final point where to display the window in the resolution or display mode it was in before resizing.

BUT, I really don't know people... I am just using my imagination and whatever knowledge of computers to think like this (please don't say I am bull........) If there is any other logical solution, please let me know, and I would greatful to learn

But anyways, so this was the issue. Cheers and thanks everyone Hope if someone else hits on a similar issue, they might want to check these things

 

Your fix to this problem makes it sound like a video driver issue. What driver are you using???

Gary

 

Hey Gary,

Driver Provider: NVIDIA
Driver Date: 2/22/2008
Driver Version: 7.15.11.7431
Digital Signer: microsoft windows hardware compatibility publisher.

I checked for the latest driver / as well as checked for updates, and this was the latest I'd got!! :-| Any thoughts/suggestions??

And by the way, I'd like to get to what exactly was the problem, though I managed to fix it. Partly out of curiosity and interest in knowing the world of computers, partly for the fact that I dont want it to repeat itself again from some other place (if the real source of the problem lies somewhere else!)

Thanks Gary. See you around.