File selects in windows explorer when you hover

File selects in windows explorer when you hover, and I wish it wouldn't. Searching for an answer as to how to disable this I have come across the thread How to Activate a Window by Hovering Over it with the Mouse Pointer and many similar postings but this is not the same thing.

Problem behaviour: I alt tab to a folder window. I use the arrow keys to select the file I want. I pause for a microsecond. The file is no longer selected, instead the file the mouse happens to be over is selected.
On a really bad day I open, or delete, or whatever the wrong file before I notice.

Desired behaviour: it all just sits there til I do something.

triplemaya said:

File selects in windows explorer when you hover, and I wish it wouldn't. Searching for an answer as to how to disable this I have come across the thread How to Activate a Window by Hovering Over it with the Mouse Pointer and many similar postings but this is not the same thing.

Problem behaviour: I alt tab to a folder window. I use the arrow keys to select the file I want. I pause for a microsecond. The file is no longer selected, instead the file the mouse happens to be over is selected.
On a really bad day I open, or delete, or whatever the wrong file before I notice.

Desired behaviour: it all just sits there til I do something.

A bit more detail could help;
1. Laptop or desktop?
2. Wired or wireless mouse?
3. If a laptop, is the touchpad disabled?
4. Has this always happened or is it a recent issue?

Submit reply and I'll try to provide an answer.

1 Desktop
2 Wireless
3 na
4 Always. This is a windows feature not a bug. I just want to turn it off.

In Explorer, select Tools from the menu at the top (you may have to press the Alt key to see this menu), select folder options. Select the option you want to use, then click okay.

Thanks. I missed this because I use single click, so I set that and then ignore it.

I get it. I have selected single click to open, hover to select.

OK.

Darn

What I want is single click to open. No select.

Does anyone know how to do that?

Trucidation said:

Hmm, just so we're on the same page... if you're using single click to open, how are you supposed to select multiple files, if not hover? I tried single click/hover before but I'm too clumsy for that so I went with the other option.

I don't know how you would do that with the mouse, but you could still use the keyboard.

Many years ago when I first played around with the settings there, I realized how hazardous that could be with me (or really anybody in certain circumstances) at the controls. So like you, apparently, I've always gone for the other option, too.

triplemaya said:

Thanks. I missed this because I use single click, so I set that and then ignore it.

I get it. I have selected single click to open, hover to select.

OK.

Darn

What I want is single click to open. No select.

Does anyone know how to do that?

If there's a way to do it without some other software, it would be in the registry. There may be a coulpe keys in there that could be toggled to get it to work that way.

You might want to search for Explorer tweaks or something like that in the tutorials:

Tutorials - Windows 7 Forums