How to Stop Unwanted Text Highlighting & Numbering in Windows XP

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around user frustrations with automatic text highlighting, capitalization, and numbering features in Windows XP and Microsoft Word. Participants share their experiences and suggestions regarding these features across various applications, including Word and Internet Explorer.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses frustration with Windows XP and Word's automatic text highlighting, stating it prevents them from selecting specific text segments.
  • Another participant humorously suggests switching to Linux as a solution to the issues raised.
  • A suggestion is made to explore Word's options to disable automatic formatting features, including auto numbering and capitalization.
  • One participant mentions that the auto numbering issue might be found in formatting options, alongside other features like Clippy.
  • A later reply offers a method to manually highlight text using the Shift key, which is met with skepticism about the necessity of this method.
  • Another participant notes that while autocorrect features can be useful, they can also be problematic, suggesting the use of the undo function to revert unwanted changes.
  • Concerns are raised that the highlighting issue may be a broader system problem rather than just an application-specific one.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best way to address the issues with automatic formatting in Word and Windows XP. Multiple competing views and suggestions are presented, indicating a lack of agreement on a definitive solution.

Contextual Notes

Some participants imply that the issues may be inherent to the operating system or application settings, but there is no resolution on how to effectively manage these features across different contexts.

tony873004
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How do I make Windows XP, and especially Word stop trying to guess what I'm trying to highlight and just let me do it myself. I waste minutes of my time by having it try to save me 1 second.

For example, if I type

Hello There

and I want to highlight

lo Th

it won't let me do it. It has to give me the whole words. This happens in all applications, Word, IE, etc, and it is annoying.

Also, in Word, how do I tell it to stop capatalizing stuff for me. I done graduated 6th grade and can decide for myself when a word should be capatalized.

And, most annoying. How do I tell Word to stop trying to guess my numbering sequence?

If I want a list that reads:

1. Apples
3. Oranges
5. Lemons

I don't want Word deciding that I meant 1,2,3. I spend several minutes trying to trick Word by copying and pasting to confuse it as to what I'm doing. I know its a nice program that is only trying to help me, but in attempting to save me 1 second, it costs me several minutes.
 
Computer science news on Phys.org
:smile: :smile: USE LINUX... :smile:

Daniel.

P.S.Sorry,man,but it's really funny...
 
Go through the options in word. There is a check box to stop word from automatically formatting your text.

Also, invest in windows xpm annoyances and swing by annoyances.org

finally, I'd say get a mac.
 
Now all we need is graphic7 to suggest Solaris. :smile:

As faust9 mentioned, the auto numbering annoyance should be buried in one of those formatting options boxes, right next to "I hate Clippy" field.

Since the selection issue also happens in IE, it is probably a system option, if there is any.
 
tony873004 said:
How do I make Windows XP, and especially Word stop trying to guess what I'm trying to highlight and just let me do it myself. I waste minutes of my time by having it try to save me 1 second.

For example, if I type

Hello There

and I want to highlight

lo Th

it won't let me do it. It has to give me the whole words. This happens in all applications, Word, IE, etc, and it is annoying.

Place your cursor at the beginning of the string you wish to highlight. Press and hold the [Shift] key, then click your mouse at the end of the string you wish to highlight. You may also use the arrow keys to select text while holding down the shift key.
 
Now we have to start holding shift to select things correctly? Blasphemy I say!
 
The autocorrect features of Word can be useful at times. When it starts autocorrection you can press ctrl+z or "undo" to undo the autocorrection (for example in the case of auto numbering).
The highlighting problem is for all the OS and I think you cannot correct. Just practice. :frown:
 

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