Word 365 - Scroll Bar Becomes Unresponsive After About 5 Seconds Even If Mouse Is Still Hovering Over

Hello Noel,

This is how it works when you place the mouse on the scroll bar, it does not move. It is by-design in Word program. You need to manually move the mouse.

For further clarifications, reply and we would be happy to assist.

Thank you.

Then the design is wrong.  You need to fix it.

That the mouse "expires" even though the scroll bar is still shown does not, in any way, increase the usability of the software.

You folks need to stop trying to think of subtle things that make using a computer with a mouse more difficult.  These things do NOT make a touch screen interface in any way more attractive.

-Noel

Thanks for your response, Rohn007.  That's encouraging, it means it *can* work right, Nayana's response notwithstanding. 

There's nothing particularly special about my mouse driver.  Standard Windows fare with a basic Dell optical mouse.

Are you *sure* you're not moving the mouse a little bit right before clicking?  You have to keep it perfectly still to see the problem.

-Noel

Are you *sure* you're not moving the mouse a little bit right before clicking?  You have to keep it perfectly still to see the problem.

I could be, my optical mouse is sensitive.

This is still unresolved.

If it's a design decision by Microsoft, e.g., to reduce touch screen sensitivity to reduce errant finger swipes, it goes dead against what makes sense with an accurate pointing device like a mouse, which can hover in the same spot quite easily.

Just set up your mouse near the bottom of a scroll bar, then read page after page by clicking it (and not moving it).  You'll see how this problem affects practical usage.

Microsoft is going to lose its business if it ignores people who use real computers to create content.

Thanks to all who have responded so far.

-Noel

Hi Lee, thank you for showing that at least some rational people read posts here.

Microsoft need look no further than basic problems like this to see why Windows 8 is a flop, and what they need to fix in the next one.

-Noel

While I have not worked for Microsoft, I know many who have.  Microsoft has simply lost its way, despite the fact that they still have some talented people working there.  A disappearing vertical scroll bar may seem insignificant to a Microsoft project manager but to actual users and software developers it is indicative of low standards.  Little things like this are like the canary in a coal mine.  The canary keels over but no one at Microsoft notices or they rationalize it as design feature.  Bravely on to Windows 10.  The transition from Window 7 to 8 was a disaster.  I can't wait for the transition from 8 to  9  to 10!

They have a long way to go if the Win 10 Technical Preview is an indication.  Mostly it seems like more of the same (of what's wrong with Win 8).  It's not even worthy of a "9" designation.  8.2 maybe.  But they've been marching to the wrong orders for a while now - it wouldn't be reasonable to expect great things out of them yet after the recent change in leadership.

In recent years Microsoft seems like a gambler who can't stop making bad bets, and who can't see it's time to leave the table, take a breather, and do something different.  Something more like what they did before, which was successful.  Develop products with SUBSTANCE.

The Office people are probably smiling that Win 10's UI looks a lot like Office 365 in UI design, with borderless windows.  They really should stop smiling though...   It's not more useful that way.  Making the client areas of windows nearly indistinguishable from the client areas of other windows helps exactly whom do exactly what?

-Noel