Classic Shell: Forum

Most recent version of Classic Shell (4.3.0)
Samsung laptop with Windows 8.1

I have been using Classic Shell for quite some time -- since not long after I got this computer about 3.5 - 4 years ago, and couldn't stand that Windows 8/8.1 "start screen" with the boxes. I've had problems with the computer since MS tried to force the upgrade to 10 down its throat, and the upgrade failed. I've (not long ago) had to do a factory reset to restore any function at all, as problems cascaded.

Within the last week or so, I've begun having mouse/touchpad problems where clicks don't register. At first it seemed that something behind the focus window was stealing mouse focus, and whatever I was trying to click on, the click was being somehow redirected. Yesterday it escalated to where no clicks were registering at all, whether I was using the mouse (which is wired, just a simple old reliable mouse) or touchpad. I couldn't even shut the computer down without forcing a shutdown with the power button.

After finally getting it up and limping along, I managed to get Task Manager open, and started experimenting with various things that might be interfering with the mouse. Classic Shell/Classic Start Menu was one of those, and as soon as I shut that down, mouse function was restored.

This morning, Classic Shell loaded automatically. Everything worked fine for about fifteen minutes, and then it started happening again. None of my clicks would register. The mouse movements were normal, just not the clicks (right or left, it made no difference). I again got Task Manager open and ended the Classic Shell process -- the function returned to normal immediately (though, oddly enough, the start menu button for Classic Start Menu is still open and active, yet the computer seems to be okay).

I'm baffled as to why this might be happening. Classic Shell/Start Menu has worked fine all this time, and I have made no changes at all to the computer. To my knowledge, no software or system features have been updated, and Classic Shell itself has not had a release in quite a long while.

I would appreciate any feedback the folks here might offer.

Thank you in advance for your time.

The ClassicStartMenu.exe process doesn't do much. It mostly watches Explorer to restart so it can re-add the start button.
There have been no other reports about touchpad problems.
I would recommend to temporarily uninstall Classic Shell for a few days to see if the problem is truly gone.

Thanks so much. I'll do that, and see how things go. So far, the computer has been good this morning, once I ended that process. It's baffling, for sure.

I appreciate your help!