Dotted Border Help

[gladson1976]

Then I guess we'll all have to petition Microsoft to remove it

 

[Greg S]

There is no way to disable the dotted border around icons. It is not a bug.

Sorry guys, I'm pretty sure this has been reported as a bug. In Win 7, it's suppose to be showing a translucent rectangular highlight of the icon, not a dotted border as in the days of 95, 98 etc. Something triggers it every now and then to revert back to the dotted border which is the bug. A reboot will get it back to the proper highlight until it happens again.

 

[DQScott95]

Well i doubt its a bug and if it is i want them to release a patch to fix it

 

[MoRbIdBoY]

The solution is very simple. You go into "Control Panel", then "Ease of access centre" (or "Center" as Americans prefer to misspell it...) Anyway... Click on "Make the keyboard easier to use" and then UNTICK the option "Underline keyboard shortcuts and access keys". Yes I know what your thinking: "No THAT's not what I'm talking about..." And yes, it is... try it... Then refresh your desktop a couple of times with F5.

No more nasty dotted borders. Just the nice clean Aero style one.

And the rest of you... Windows 7 professionals?... Phffff.....

 

[mitchell65]

And the rest of you... Windows 7 professionals?... Phffff.....

Bit harsh - see my signature!

 

[MoRbIdBoY]

Yes I was only kidding, I've needed this site more than once. But that WAS an easy one, lol. (and I did sign up JUST to help the guy).

 

[CommonTater]

http://www.sevenforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=58917&stc=1&d=1267898342

Heres what i mean

My friend, that is a focus rectangle... You'll see them all over the place in Windows. What they do is indicate where your keyboard will send characters as you type. On the desktop they tell you what icon will be activated if you hit enter.

These are not an annoyance, they are a healthy and beneficial part of operating your computer.

 

[MoRbIdBoY]

Not on Windows 7 Aero theme they're not. They're replaced with the Aero style "clean", "lined" border. Not a Windows 3.1 dotted border, lol. It looks silly having the nice translucent filled box around an icon and then a dotted rectangle inside that as well. They have no place in Windows 7. They shouldn't be activated and they're not when Windows 7 is first installed. I don't know what activates these, probably pen tablet settings or messing around with the mouse or accessibility options. I only know about this because I work for Careers Advice as I.T Support and have set up computers for disabled users and noticed it was a useless ugly option. It's not even useful for disabled people.

Here's what your missing:

Looks a bit better than your box (don't you think?).

 

[Greg S]

Not on Windows 7 Aero theme they're not. They're replaced with the Aero style "clean", "lined" border. Not a Windows 3.1 dotted border, lol.

I agree and that is the total mis-understanding of this dotted border situation. Alot of users are using classic style or Vista Basic which I think do use the old style dotted box focus rectangle. When said users on non Aero theme see dotted box described as being a bug/problem, they naturally assume that the dotted box is a normal theme element and it isn't for someone using the Aero theme. Your screenshot shows the normal focus rectangle for the Aero theme. A certain combination of keystrokes/refreshes etc.. will revert an Aero theme temporarily back to the old dotted focus rectangle. I can easily reproduce this, I have a desktop context menu command of Select All. I can run Select All to select all the icons/folders on my desktop and after all are selected, I can click anywhere on the desktop and get the bugged dotted rectangle.



Refresh, as some suggest, will not make it go away. Up until now, Re-boot is the only way. I said up until now because MoRbIdBoY's way of curing it may work, I haven't tried it.

And again, below is the normal focus rectangle for Aero theme users which is not a dotted border focus rectangle



I know that windows UI uses dotted focus rectangles in other areas but not on the Desktop running Aero theme.

 

[CommonTater]

Not on Windows 7 Aero theme they're not. They're replaced with the Aero style "clean", "lined" border. Not a Windows 3.1 dotted border, lol.

I agree and that is the total mis-understanding of this dotted border situation. Alot of users are using classic style or Vista Basic which I think do use the old style dotted box focus rectangle. When said users on non Aero theme see dotted box described as being a bug/problem, they naturally assume that the dotted box is a normal theme element and it isn't for someone using the Aero theme. Your screenshot shows the normal focus rectangle for the Aero theme. A certain combination of keystrokes/refreshes etc.. will revert an Aero theme temporarily back to the old dotted focus rectangle. I can easily reproduce this, I have a desktop context menu command of Select All. I can run Select All to select all the icons/folders on my desktop and after all are selected, I can click anywhere on the desktop and get the bugged dotted rectangle.

View attachment 66860

Refresh, as some suggest, will not make it go away. Up until now, Re-boot is the only way. I said up until now because MoRbIdBoY's way of curing it may work, I haven't tried it.

And again, below is the normal focus rectangle for Aero theme users which is not a dotted border focus rectangle

View attachment 66861

Ok... I see where this is going left on us...

There are two focus mechanisms at work ... Mouse (the nice milky square) and Keyboard (the dreaded dotted rectangle).... Simply pointing your mouse at the icon gets you the square. HOWEVER... when you click on the open desktop and type anything on the keyboard it gains keyboard focus as well... now you get the dotted square.

This is NOT a bug... it is telling you what's going to happen if you hit Enter on your keyboard...This is visual feedback to the user and it is --like I said before-- a helpful and essential part of using your computer.

Really... you do realize that you can run windows without a mouse... don't you?

 

[Greg S]

Ok... I see where this is going left on us...

There are two focus mechanisms at work ... Mouse (the nice milky square) and Keyboard (the dreaded dotted rectangle).... Simply pointing your mouse at the icon gets you the square. HOWEVER... when you click on the open desktop and type anything on the keyboard it gains keyboard focus as well... now you get the dotted square.

This is NOT a bug... it is telling you what's going to happen if you hit Enter on your keyboard...This is visual feedback to the user and it is --like I said before-- a helpful and essential part of using your computer.

Really... you do realize that you can run windows without a mouse... don't you?

Lol, here we go splitting mouse hairs. I can only speak for me and my setup,
1) I'm aware of the two focus features
2)Yes I know that windows can be run without a mouse

Here is what I'm saying is the bug, when the desktop once again gains focus(milky square) by mouse clicking, the keyboard should lose it's focus(dotted square). It doesn't at least not for me. The focus is now become the dotted square all the time even with the mouse. For me, it remains that way until re-boot.

 

[CommonTater]

Ok... I see where this is going left on us...

There are two focus mechanisms at work ... Mouse (the nice milky square) and Keyboard (the dreaded dotted rectangle).... Simply pointing your mouse at the icon gets you the square. HOWEVER... when you click on the open desktop and type anything on the keyboard it gains keyboard focus as well... now you get the dotted square.

This is NOT a bug... it is telling you what's going to happen if you hit Enter on your keyboard...This is visual feedback to the user and it is --like I said before-- a helpful and essential part of using your computer.

Really... you do realize that you can run windows without a mouse... don't you?

Lol, here we go splitting mouse hairs. I can only speak for me and my setup,
1) I'm aware of the two focus features
2)Yes I know that windows can be run without a mouse

Here is what I'm saying is the bug, when the desktop once again gains focus(milky square) by mouse clicking, the keyboard should lose it's focus(dotted square). It doesn't at least not for me. The focus is now become the dotted square all the time even with the mouse. For me, it remains that way until re-boot.

On Mine it's until I select something else... for example when I click on the editor window to type here the dotted box on the desktop disappears... because keyboard focus is now on the caret.

The dotted box is telling you what the keyboard will do.
The milky square is telling you what the mouse will do.

I'm sorry but I just don't see how this is a problem...

Anyway... it's of no import to me...
I'll let you continue without further comments from the peanut gallery...

 

[Greg S]

Ok... I see where this is going left on us...

There are two focus mechanisms at work ... Mouse (the nice milky square) and Keyboard (the dreaded dotted rectangle).... Simply pointing your mouse at the icon gets you the square. HOWEVER... when you click on the open desktop and type anything on the keyboard it gains keyboard focus as well... now you get the dotted square.

This is NOT a bug... it is telling you what's going to happen if you hit Enter on your keyboard...This is visual feedback to the user and it is --like I said before-- a helpful and essential part of using your computer.

Really... you do realize that you can run windows without a mouse... don't you?

Lol, here we go splitting mouse hairs. I can only speak for me and my setup,
1) I'm aware of the two focus features
2)Yes I know that windows can be run without a mouse

Here is what I'm saying is the bug, when the desktop once again gains focus(milky square) by mouse clicking, the keyboard should lose it's focus(dotted square). It doesn't at least not for me. The focus is now become the dotted square all the time even with the mouse. For me, it remains that way until re-boot.

On Mine it's until I select something else... for example when I click on the editor window to type here the dotted box on the desktop disappears... because keyboard focus is now on the caret.

The dotted box is telling you what the keyboard will do.
The milky square is telling you what the mouse will do.

I'm sorry but I just don't see how this is a problem...

Anyway... it's of no import to me...
I'll let you continue without further comments from the peanut gallery...

Didn't you read this?

Here is what I'm saying is the bug, when the desktop once again gains focus(milky square) by mouse clicking, the keyboard should lose it's focus(dotted square). It doesn't at least not for me. The focus is now become the dotted square all the time even with the mouse. For me, it remains that way until re-boot.

In other words, the mouse has re-gained focus therefore it should now be showing the milky square rectangle not the dotted box. The first time the keyboard gains focus by typing, the dotted box chimes in and rightly so. I have no problem with that, it's SOP. Next I begin doing the clicking thing on the desktop/opened folder, where ever with the mouse. The mouse now has control and the focus rectangle should be reverting back to the translucent rectangle(milky square) when mouse hovering any icon on the desktop. It does not do that and remains as a dotted box in the place of translucent rectangle. It will remain this way until a re-boot.

 

[MoRbIdBoY]

Yes, but the Aero box works fine with the keyboard AND the mouse. I think what people are saying is:

A) Why am I stuck with it ALL of the time (I covered that with that setting. That will remove it. It will re-appear when you press a key as you mentioned - but then changing focus will, more importantly, make it DISAPPEAR!, lol).

B) Why does it appear at all. It's stupid. The keyboard is no different "selection" wise from the mouse. It serves ABSOLUTELY NO PURPOSE changing the style of the box. Why? just to tell the user they're using the keyboard instead of the mouse! Mmm... The Aero box works fine. It would work fine for the keyboard as well.

Personally, I think it's just an(other) really bad omission on Microsoft part. (Like the simple keyboard short-cut that's missing for the explorer Navigation pane!). Maybe they should get actual computer users to try Windows before its released, rather than my grandmother. They'd get better feedback.

Anyway, it was only ten years since their last decent O/S (which was XP), what do you expect in 10 years. (Although I must admit, I was surprised to actually LOOSE features from the old Windows XP Explorer like those important short-cut keys and independent folder views for every folder!) Funny, Apple don't seem to have these design flaws and they bang out a new operating system every six months.

I guess you pay your money, you makes yer choice.

 

[Greg S]

Yes, but the Aero box works fine with the keyboard AND the mouse. I think what people are saying is:

A) Why am I stuck with it ALL of the time (I covered that with that setting. That will remove it. It will re-appear when you press a key as you mentioned - but then changing focus will, more importantly, make it DISAPPEAR!, lol).

B) Why does it appear at all. It's stupid. The keyboard is no different "selection" wise from the mouse. It serves ABSOLUTELY NO PURPOSE changing the style of the box. Why? just to tell the user they're using the keyboard instead of the mouse! Mmm... The Aero box works fine. It would work fine for the keyboard as well.

Personally, I think it's just an(other) really bad omission on Microsoft part. (Like the simple keyboard short-cut that's missing for the explorer Navigation pane!). Maybe they should get actual computer users to try Windows before its released, rather than my grandmother. They'd get better feedback.

Anyway, it was only ten years since their last decent O/S (which was XP), what do you expect in 10 years. (Although I must admit, I was surprised to actually LOOSE features from the old Windows XP Explorer like those important short-cut keys and independent folder views for every folder!) Funny, Apple don't seem to have these design flaws and they bang out a new operating system every six months.

I guess you pay your money, you makes yer choice.

Excellent post MoRbIdBoY. I hope people will pay attention to your part A), especially this part "DISAPPEAR!". I guess I didn't do decent job in trying to explain the Disappear part. For me, when it gets activated, it stays activated as a dotted box(mouse hover, mouse click, desktop click etc.) until the next re-boot. The translucent focus is gone and replaced with the dotted box until next re-boot. It appears that those who defend the dotted box have never had this to happen to them and I guess that it seems as though I'm making it up.

 

[derekimo]

Look at this post here, seems to have worked for them.
http://www.sevenforums.com/customization/78020-tiny-dots-over-icons.html#post682310

 

[Dom]

Haven't any of you guys searched Google for a fix?
The internet is a wonderful thing you know.
No, it is not a bug, it is inbuilt into the OS, but at the link derekimo kindly provided it explains how to get rid of it.

 

[Greg S]

Haven't any of you guys searched Google for a fix?
The internet is a wonderful thing you know.
No, it is not a bug, it is inbuilt into the OS, but at the link derekimo kindly provided it explains how to get rid of it.

Lol, Which is it, a bug or not a bug? You state that it's not a bug but the link you linked to that's linked to another link states this "or the way it appears and disappears randomly is simply a bug".

I think everyone's in agreement about the two different types of focus for icons on the desktop. What some of us are trying to get across to the unbelieving is that when the icon or desktop regains control by use of the mouse, the dotted border should revert back to the themed focus rectangle and it doesn't do this for some. It will remain a dotted border for the duration of one's session.

 

[CommonTater]

I think everyone's in agreement about the two different types of focus for icons on the desktop. What some of us are trying to get across to the unbelieving is that when the icon or desktop regains control by use of the mouse, the dotted border should revert back to the themed focus rectangle and it doesn't do this for some. It will remain a dotted border for the duration of one's session.

Holy crap... I still can't believe this is an issue at all...

That dotted focus rectangle is telling you which icon has keyboard focus. If you press an arrow key it WILL turn back into the fancy white square you want on the next icon over. In order to know if you need the up down left or right arrow to move focus, you have to know where the focus IS in the first place and that is what the dotted square is telling you.

The white rectangle follows the mouse, not the keyboard. Set your system to single click launches and you will very rapidly find out how important this distinction is.

If you run a program or do anything that takes keyboard focus off the desktop the dotted square will vanish... this is not random, it is merely following the keyboard focus.

Not only is this not a bug... As I've said before this is user feedback and it's an important part of running windows.

That this debate has been going on for months is astunding... Given all the REAL problems on this Forum it strikes me as beyond trivial.

 

[Dom]

Haven't any of you guys searched Google for a fix?
The internet is a wonderful thing you know.
No, it is not a bug, it is inbuilt into the OS, but at the link derekimo kindly provided it explains how to get rid of it.

Lol, Which is it, a bug or not a bug? You state that it's not a bug but the link you linked to that's linked to another link states this "or the way it appears and disappears randomly is simply a bug".

I think everyone's in agreement about the two different types of focus for icons on the desktop. What some of us are trying to get across to the unbelieving is that when the icon or desktop regains control by use of the mouse, the dotted border should revert back to the themed focus rectangle and it doesn't do this for some. It will remain a dotted border for the duration of one's session.

Not a bug, I didn't post "or the way it appears and disappears randomly is simply a bug". But the matter is that has it worked?