[SOLVED] Can no longer click and right click anything in Windows 10 but can move my cursor

Root602

Commendable
May 20, 2021
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0
1,530
I have an HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 8TR24PA with Windows 10 preinstalled on it from the factory. Since yesterday I can only move my cursor on a USB mouse, a bluetooth mouse, and the trackpad on the laptop itself. But I can't left or right click or scroll. If I left click on a window the window acts as though I clicked outside of it. I have not changed anything since yesterday on my laptop. I rarely turn on this laptop, maybe once a week. I have Kaspersky free antvirus installed and the last time I ran a scan there were no viruses. What could be the cause of this problem?
 
Solution
I wonder if it all works in safe mode

On another PC, download the Windows 10 media creation tool and use it to make a win 10 installer on USB (its a handy boot drive)

boot from installer
on screen after languages, choose repair this pc, not install.
choose troubleshoot
choose advanced
choose command prompt
Enter these BOLD commands and press ENTER after each.

(Note the colon after C with no space; then the spaces which are important - one after T before / & T before { & } before B & Y before L)

C:

BCDEDIT /SET {DEFAULT} BOOTMENUPOLICY LEGACY

EXIT


Boot back up and "immediately" start tapping F8 (That means power button - then F8).

Hopefully that should get you into Safe Mode.

Do they work here?

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
I wonder if it all works in safe mode

On another PC, download the Windows 10 media creation tool and use it to make a win 10 installer on USB (its a handy boot drive)

boot from installer
on screen after languages, choose repair this pc, not install.
choose troubleshoot
choose advanced
choose command prompt
Enter these BOLD commands and press ENTER after each.

(Note the colon after C with no space; then the spaces which are important - one after T before / & T before { & } before B & Y before L)

C:

BCDEDIT /SET {DEFAULT} BOOTMENUPOLICY LEGACY

EXIT


Boot back up and "immediately" start tapping F8 (That means power button - then F8).

Hopefully that should get you into Safe Mode.

Do they work here?
 
Solution

Root602

Commendable
May 20, 2021
41
0
1,530
Can you "click" with the keyboard (arrow keys - <space>)?
Can you "right-click" with the keyboard ( arrow keys, then that funny key to the left of <AltGr>"?
The problem is intermittent. I have found that when my bluetooth mouse stops working I can turn it off then the trackpad works again. Sometimes neither the trackpad or the bluetooth mouse can click. Clicking with the keyboard works with the arrow keys and enter. I don't have an AltGr key. I know about the key you are talking about but my laptop doesn't have it. I will try the instructions listed in Colif's post and report back here when I have done it.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
the HP help website lacks... help? especially if you can't click anything... its taunting you.
https://support.hp.com/us-en/help/d...uting&issue=keyboard-trackpad-touchpad-issues

i expect its a driver conflict

Can you download and run Driverview - http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/driverview.html

All it does is looks at drivers installed; it won't install any (this is intentional as 3rd party driver updaters often get it wrong)

When you run it, go into view tab and set it to hide all Microsoft drivers, will make list shorter.

Now its up to you, you can look through the drivers and try to find old drivers, or you can take a screenshot from (and including)Driver name to (and including)Creation date.

upload it to an image sharing website and show link here

can you do that with the mouse plugged in

if safe mode works, it probably helps prove its drivers.
I have found that when my Bluetooth mouse stops working I can turn it off then the trackpad works again.
that sounds like drivers. AS turning the mouse off would stop drivers being active, and stops the conflict.
 

Root602

Commendable
May 20, 2021
41
0
1,530
the HP help website lacks... help? especially if you can't click anything... its taunting you.
https://support.hp.com/us-en/help/d...uting&issue=keyboard-trackpad-touchpad-issues

i expect its a driver conflict

Can you download and run Driverview - http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/driverview.html

All it does is looks at drivers installed; it won't install any (this is intentional as 3rd party driver updaters often get it wrong)

When you run it, go into view tab and set it to hide all Microsoft drivers, will make list shorter.

Now its up to you, you can look through the drivers and try to find old drivers, or you can take a screenshot from (and including)Driver name to (and including)Creation date.

upload it to an image sharing website and show link here

can you do that with the mouse plugged in

if safe mode works, it probably helps prove its drivers.

that sounds like drivers. AS turning the mouse off would stop drivers being active, and stops the conflict.
I ran the program and found that there was a driver related to my antivirus called "Mouse Filter". I uninstalled my antivirus because there wasn't a way to disable this in the antivirus settings and now I can click with both my trackpad and bluetooth mouse but only in my current window. If I try to click the taskbar or start menu it doesn't work.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
its getting closer.

is it the same in safe mode?

if it works in safe mode,

Try a clean boot and see if it changes anything - make sure to read instructions and make sure NOT to disable any microsoft services or windows won't load right - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows

All it does is stops programs loading with startup, doesn't remove anything. Easy to reverse.

if clean boot fixes it, it shows its likely a startup program. You should, over a number of startups. restart the programs you stopped to isolate the one that is to blame.

Have you tried to restart explorer? although that only works each startup.
 

Root602

Commendable
May 20, 2021
41
0
1,530
its getting closer.

is it the same in safe mode?

if it works in safe mode,

Try a clean boot and see if it changes anything - make sure to read instructions and make sure NOT to disable any microsoft services or windows won't load right - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows

All it does is stops programs loading with startup, doesn't remove anything. Easy to reverse.

if clean boot fixes it, it shows its likely a startup program. You should, over a number of startups. restart the programs you stopped to isolate the one that is to blame.

Have you tried to restart explorer? although that only works each startup.
In safe mode I can click perfectly anywhere. After following all of the steps and doing a clean boot, I can only click on the task bar and start menu but can't click anything in the start menu. Two startup items I disabled were named generically as "Program" and had no publisher in Task manager which is weird. After a few minutes, now it's changed and I can only click on the current window but can't click on the taskbar/start menu.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Only drivers I see are for the Elan Smart Pad - not suggesting they problem , just looking
  • etd.sys
  • etdhcf.sys
  • ptpfilter.sys
all smart pad drivers

link for me - won't work for others. (just copy of the pictures)

wonder what ViGEmBUS.sys is = https://github.com/ViGEm/ViGEmBus
Windows kernel-mode driver emulating well-known USB game controllers.

I might need to look at this tomorrow as I have to go out early tomorrow
 

Root602

Commendable
May 20, 2021
41
0
1,530
Only drivers I see are for the Elan Smart Pad - not suggesting they problem , just looking
  • etd.sys
  • etdhcf.sys
  • ptpfilter.sys
all smart pad drivers

link for me - won't work for others. (just copy of the pictures)

wonder what ViGEmBUS.sys is = https://github.com/ViGEm/ViGEmBus
Windows kernel-mode driver emulating well-known USB game controllers.

I might need to look at this tomorrow as I have to go out early tomorrow
I'll just reinstall Windows and disable Windows Update which is probably downloading additional mouse drivers. Or install Linux. This seems like a problem that is impossible to fix for my Laptop model.