Desktop/Start Menu not clickable - I have to open task manager to fix

Hi there
Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere - please direct me if that is the case.

This issue seems to have arisen out of nowhere over the past day or so.
Intermittently, (and I cannot determine a common cause) the desktop is not clickable at all.
(It's almost like there is an invisible overlay or something...?)

I can solve this issue by CTRL-ALT-DELETE into the task manager. Once I click on the full screen menu, I can click again.

Anyone seen this before?

Many thanks

Please boot your computer into Safe Mode and let us know issue resolves or not from Safe Mode.

How to Start Windows 10 in Safe Mode

Yes - I have confirmed that this still occurs in safe mode.

If you are using third-party antivirus software uninstall it to make sure issue is not cause by third-party antivirus software.


Malwarebytes' scanner
If this program is already installed: Skip the installation and run only the scan!
Download and install: Please download Malwarebytes' scanner to your desktop.

• Double-click mb3-setup-consumer-3.x.x.xxxx and follow the prompts to install the program.
• Click Finish.
• On the Dashboard, click the 'Check for Updates' button.
• After the update completes, click the 'Scan Now' button.
• A Threat Scan will begin. Please allow it to progress through the scanning process.
• When the scan is complete, if there have been detections, click Quarantines Selected button to allow the program to clean what was detected.
• In most cases, a restart will be required.
• Wait for the prompt to restart the computer to appear, then click on Yes.

How to get logs: (Export log to save as txt)

• After the restart once you are back at your desktop, open Malwarebytes once more.
• Click on the Reports tab > Scan Report. (if you have done more than one scan in the past, select the most recent that shows the Date and time of the scan just performed. Press View Report button.
• Click 'Export'.
• Click 'Text file (*.txt)'
• In the Save File dialog box which appears, click on Desktop.
• In the File name: box type a name for your scan log.
• A message box named 'File Saved' should appear stating "Your file has been successfully exported".
• Click Ok
• Find the log on your Desktop and Attach that saved log to your next reply.

(Copy to clipboard for pasting into forum replies or tickets)


If you like you can repair install Windows 10 without losing anything.

How to Do a Repair Install of Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade

Malwarebyteswww.malwarebytes.com-Log Details-Scan Date: 1/21/18Scan Time: 5:14 PMLog File: 7e19b5b0-fece-11e7-aa1e-b06ebfc544d9.jsonAdministrator: Yes-Software Information-Version: 3.3.1.2183Components Version: 1.0.262Update Package Version: 1.0.3749License: Trial-System Information-OS: Windows 10 (Build 16299.125)CPU: x64File System: NTFSUser: NEW-2MUQ6K2V244\John-Scan Summary-Scan Type: Threat ScanResult: CompletedObjects Scanned: 271827Threats Detected: 11Threats Quarantined: 11Time Elapsed: 0 min, 39 sec-Scan Options-Memory: EnabledStartup: EnabledFilesystem: EnabledArchives: EnabledRootkits: DisabledHeuristics: EnabledPUP: DetectPUM: Detect-Scan Details-Process: 0(No malicious items detected)Module: 0(No malicious items detected)Registry Key: 0(No malicious items detected)Registry Value: 0(No malicious items detected)Registry Data: 0(No malicious items detected)Data Stream: 0(No malicious items detected)Folder: 0(No malicious items detected)File: 11PUP.Optional.Conduit, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Sync Data\SyncData.sqlite3, Replaced, [511], [454832],1.0.3749PUP.Optional.Conduit, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Web Data, Replaced, [511], [454832],1.0.3749PUP.Optional.Conduit, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Sync Data\SyncData.sqlite3, Replaced, [511], [454835],1.0.3749PUP.Optional.Conduit, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Web Data, Replaced, [511], [454835],1.0.3749PUP.Optional.ASK, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Sync Data\SyncData.sqlite3, Replaced, [462], [454827],1.0.3749PUP.Optional.ASK, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Web Data, Replaced, [462], [454827],1.0.3749PUP.Optional.Spigot, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Sync Data\SyncData.sqlite3, Replaced, [583], [454814],1.0.3749PUP.Optional.Spigot, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Web Data, Replaced, [583], [454814],1.0.3749PUP.Optional.Conduit, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Web Data, Replaced, [511], [454832],1.0.3749PUP.Optional.Trovi, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Web Data, Replaced, [4616], [454808],1.0.3749PUP.Optional.Trovi, C:\USERS\JSSEL\APPDATA\LOCAL\GOOGLE\CHROME\USER DATA\Default\Web Data, Replaced, [4616], [454808],1.0.3749Physical Sector: 0(No malicious items detected)(end)

I would like you to check the system integrity of your Windows OS installation.

• Please type cmd.exe into Start Menu search box.
• Please right click cmd.exe and select "Run as administrator".
• Please type the following command and press the <Enter> key: sfc /scannow (Please note that there is a space between 'sfc" and "/scannow".)
• It should take about 20 minutes to run, if there are no serious errors.
• If the System File Checker reports that some errors were fixed, but some remain; please reboot your computer and run the System File Checker from an Administrator Command Prompt, again.
• If the System File Checker again reports that some errors were fixed, but some remain, please reboot your computer and run it a third time.
• If "Resource Integrity Violations" (errors) are reported that could not be corrected, or were not corrected after a third SFC run, then please navigate to the folder: C:\Windows\Logs\CBS and copy the file "cbs.log" to your desktop immediately. I am asking you do that because that file is dynamic, so I want to be able to examine a copy that is unchanged from the time that the System File Checker was run.
• If there are errors that couldn't be corrected, let me know and I will provide you with instructions as to how to upload the file.

"Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."

Thankyou for helping me with this.

Can you not right click the Desktop or can you not left click the Desktop or is it both?

You are very welcome!

OK - so I was just checking the answer to your questions.

- I cannot left click to open the start menu.
- I can double-click on the Recycle bin, for instance, but once it is open I cannot click on the 'X' to close it.
- I can click and drag icons on the desktop.
- I can right click.

It almost like the left click is not setting focus or something.

Please install latest version of graphic card driver from either your computer manufacturer website or graphic card manufacturer website. Also install latest device drivers for your computer.

If you have a another extra mouse use this mouse to check if the issue resolves.

Check to see if your mouse have a latest driver you can install.