Question Are my problems with drag and drop due to 4K monitor or Windows 10?

[consptheory77]

I have had, for the longest time now, a problem with drag and drop on the desktop. I can drag and drop but it's hard to just "grab" the file and move it to where I want. Instead, more often than not the desktop icon, or file, opens. I also have problems highlighting multiple icons and moving them to another part of the desktop. These problems seem to have coincided with my purchase of a 4K monitor last year, but they also coincide with the 21H1 update last year. I have Windows 10 Pro. I finally decided to put some time into potentially fixing the problem this morning:

(a) I toggled the mouse speed between slow and fast
(b) I toggled Click Lock on and off
(c) I went into the registry and put "UndockingDisabled"
(d) I went into the registry and adjusted drag height and width

None of these actions have restored the former effectiveness and ease

This is very annoying, as my desktop is cluttered with files I need to organize

 

[Darkbreeze]

What are your full hardware specifications?

What motherboard BIOS version are you running?

How long have you been running Windows 10 on this machine and how long has it been since you've done a clean install? Is there a reason you have not updated to the latest Windows 10 build?

 

[consptheory77]

What are your full hardware specifications?

What motherboard BIOS version are you running?

How long have you been running Windows 10 on this machine and how long has it been since you've done a clean install? Is there a reason you have not updated to the latest Windows 10 build?

I didn't realize it needed another update, I thought I had set that to automatic. So I updated it to 21H2. No difference.

I've been running Win 10 on this machine since...whenever I built it? Circa 2015?

Motherboard is Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd. Z97-HD3 (SOCKET 0). There are no further updates to its BIOS due to its age.

 

[Darkbreeze]

So you have BIOS version F10c installed? Or at least F9? I'd probably do F10c if you haven't already even though it's a Beta BIOS version. Generally if there are any issues with a Beta BIOS they will either remove it or replace it with a more stable version especially when it's been this long. So even though it still says Beta, you can be sure if it was not stable it would be taken down long ago.

But, that's probably not the issue anyhow BUT it COULD be as changes in Windows can have an affect on CMOS and hardware operations over time as newer APIs and different technology comes out. So, while it's probably not related, it might still be a good idea anyhow but I'll leave that part up to you. I have seen a LOT of systems with random problems, seemingly unrelated, that instantly resolved after an update especially when it's memory related like that update is.

Perhaps the MOST probable issue though might be the fact that you've been updating Windows for 7 years now without a clean install along the way. I would highly consider doing a clean install if the problem bothers you that much, and it WOULD bother me, no way I'd deal with that happening, even though it likely means a lot of backing up your personal files and then reinstalling programs and settings afterwards. I'd at least consider it. However, there ARE a few things you can try first.

This is the first thing I'd try.

DISM command with RestoreHealth option

If there are problems with the system image, use DISM with the RestoreHealth option to automatically scan and repair common issues.

To repair Windows 10 image problems with the DISM command tool, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to repair the Windows 10 image and press Enter:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Quick note: If the command appears stuck, this is normal behavior. After a few minutes, the process will complete successfully.


Once you complete the steps, the tool will connect to Windows Update online to download and replace damaged files (as necessary).

I'd also download the free version of Hard disk sentinel and check all drives for problems by clicking on them on the left hand side after installing and opening the program, then reading the SMART summary. You can also download Seatools for Windows or Western Digital lifeguard tools, and run the Short drive self test (Short DST or quick test) and if anything is off, or it fails, can go from there.

If you decide to simply do a clean install, these are useful links and I'd recommend that you familiarize yourself with all of them including my guide.

How to associate your windows 10 license with a Microsoft account

Reactivating Windows 10 after a hardware change

Windows build 1607 (Or newer) and activation after a hardware change



and in case you should ever need to do a CLEAN install of Windows, this guide will help to ensure it gets done properly.

How to do a CLEAN installation of Windows 10, the RIGHT way​

 

[consptheory77]

I saw the command prompt method but that is the one thing I didn't try. I'll try this tomorrow.

The desktop at work is even older than my desktop, and is still 21H1, and I've got no problem doing drags and drops. So it's probably not Windows 10.

My Haswell has 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. In the era before I built this desktop, and was dealing with laptops as my computer, I always did a clean install once I noticed things slowing down. With the SSD and more than enough RAM, there's hardly ever a slowdown issue, and whenever there is, it's related to some other part of the hardware, and I'm able to isolate it and fix it. Of course, after seven years, stuff is going to creep up, some corruption is inevitable. A clean install is a big pain, but not as big of a pain as trying to individually root out that buggy thing you can't fix.

Without the drag and drop functioning right, it's also going to be tedious to get my desktop in shape so I can do a clean install. But you're probably right, it would be worth it. I think if the command prompt method doesn't work, I'll do a clean install after upgrading my OS SDD from 1 TB to 2TB, something I've been meaning to do but this gives impetus.

Before doing a clean install, I also tend to review all the programs I need to reinstall, which prompts me to consider whether I still really need, say, that utility I found helpful six years ago.

Thank you for the links.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Sounds like you fully understand where you are on this and I agree with all you've said. Although, "it's probably not Windows 10" and "Of course, after seven years, stuff is going to creep up, some corruption is inevitable" would seem to be contradictory. That was kind of my whole point is that after six or seven years of major spring and fall version releases, tons of updates and patches, plus God only knows how many non-Windows application installations, uninstallations, etc., it becomes very likely for the condition of the Windows installation to be the problem. Not because it's "Windows 10", just, all the cruft that accumulates over time, orphan registry entries, etc. Heck, there could even be some kind of virus or malware that we're not aware of.

Point being, as you say, often it is simply easier to do a clean install, and usually is, than to try and track down whatever the actual problem is, if the usual suspects don't fix the problem without having to go through a lot of extra work.

 

[consptheory77]

well, what I meant by "it probably isn't Windows 10" is "Windows 10 hasn't deliberately and inherently disabled previously normal functioning of the operating system"

as in the case of Windows 11, which disables drag and drop onto taskbar by default

 

[Darkbreeze]

Agreed.

 

[consptheory77]

So I tried the Restore Health option and maybe it seemed a little easier to drag and drop, but the real problem is that normal behavior (and I do have double click set in folder options) should be I select a file or folder on the desktop, it stays highlighted, I drag and drop it where I want, but most times when I click to highlight it, the file opens, even with the mouse double click settings to slow. This is why I wondered if it has something to do with the monitor's 4k resolution and the mouse's DPI settings. So I went into Logitech Options and the program hung. I went to uninstall and reinstall, twice; the program hung both times. It's not a Logitech problem, as the Options program works fine at my work computer. Then it occurred to me, it should have perhaps been obvious: the problem is with the mouse. You see, not only do I have problems with drag and drop but my mouse tracking also "catches" when I play MMO games, and I just assumed it was bad coding or something with the games, but I switched out the Logitech M510 I was using for a wired mouse I still have around (always keep one of every legacy peripheral) and oh boy, I can drag and drop no problem, track across the ocean, no problem.

I still think a clean install would be a good idea, as it's probably a Windows corruption causing the Logitech Options issue.

 

[Colif]

win 10 shouldn't have any problems on 4k with a Z97 motherboard. Its what I had for 5 years.

Have you got latest gpu drivers as often they at fault with desktop problems.

Logitech: is this Logitech gaming Software or G Hub? LGS doesn't scale with windows so on my 4k screen it used native resolution and I needed reading glasses to read the text.

 

[consptheory77]

win 10 shouldn't have any problems on 4k with a Z97 motherboard. Its what I had for 5 years.

Have you got latest gpu drivers as often they at fault with desktop problems.

Logitech: is this Logitech gaming Software or G Hub? LGS doesn't scale with windows so on my 4k screen it used native resolution and I needed reading glasses to read the text.

Not using any Logitech gaming software or a gaming mouse. After rebooting Logitech Options reinstalled but the application won't let me log in, so it is still buggy. The Logitech mouse's drag and drop is vastly improved now, although I still have the issue a bit with it opening the file or folder when I go to select it. Bottom line is I need to use a different mouse, I am sticking with the old, if somewhat uncomfortable, wired mouse, for the moment.

I do have the latest drivers for the Radeon RX 580

 

[Colif]

i prefer wired mice anyway as batteries can't randomly die

Glad you worked out problem

 

[Darkbreeze]

That was going to be my next suggestion is that perhaps it was an actual mouse issue. I actually used to have that exact mouse, an M510, before I got my MX Master 3, and IIRC it did the same thing and a few other weird quirky things, at one point. Glad you got it sorted though. You might try uninstalling and reinstalling the Logitech software, IF you still need it, now that the mouse is no longer connected, but as long as it's been, a clean install would still likely give you back a lot of snappiness to the system. And probably also fix any other quirks that might have been happening.

 

[hang-the-9]

This sounds like a mouse or user issue when the clicking is not done properly. Maybe a stuck key on a keyboard. Also if the desktop is cluttered with icons there may be overlapping shortcuts or files that are being dragged along with the ones you are selecting.

Try doing this through the Desktop folder from file manager not the actual Desktop icons you see on the screens, and organize them in there. Would be easier to select.