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I'm having problems with graphics that get "stuck" in Windows 7, usually when selecting an item in a menu. See screenshot.

It's removed if I change the resoultion of the screen.

How can I fix this?

alt text

Gaff
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    I think you may be able to right-click on the Desktop and choose "Refresh" to clear it. – Jared Harley Jan 07 '10 at 04:15
  • Related: [Menu select item stuck on screen after context or command menu has closed](http://superuser.com/q/57016/10342) – awe Jan 02 '14 at 10:37

5 Answers5

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This problem started in Windows 2000 when fading menus were added. I believe they implemented this in kernel code, so it's integrated deeply into the OS. Nobody seems to have found a solution to the stuck fading menu item bug, but you can turn off fading menu items.

Simply uncheck Fade out menu items after clicking in performance options:

alt text

Gaff
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John T
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  • Just adding that I came on here looking for a fix for this solution, as it happens in Chrome to me when CPU is running other tasks, even with my i7-2600k. This solution fixed the issue, so thank you and +1. – Paul Sep 13 '11 at 20:00
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The answer above, disabling menu fade out, will prevent it from happening in the future. If you need to clear a menu item that's already stuck on your screen without rebooting, you can go to the Display control panel, select "Change display settings" on the left, and change your resolution. When asked if you want to keep the changes or revert, click the "Revert" button. Your display settings will stay the same, but the annoying floating menu item will go away.

Adi Inbar
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    Actually, that doesnt work =( – Ted Nov 01 '11 at 09:19
  • I set it to a lower resolution, saved it, and it looked like the orphaned graphic wasn't there, but when I put the resolution back to the original value it was in the same place, so it had 'disappeared' just because it was off-screen. As this works for some people and not for others I guess it depends on the type of graphic that is orphaned – guymid Jan 22 '15 at 08:22
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If you want to remove the menu item that's stuck on your screen, simply click on the Ctrl button. It disappears. That doesn't solve the problem, but it helps to make it less irritating.

terry
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    That doesnt work... – Ted Nov 01 '11 at 09:19
  • It works for me. If it matters, I do have turned on to make a visual animated ring to point out where the mouse pointer is located when I hit the [Ctrl] button. Maybe this effect also refreshes the screen so the stuck item is removed. – awe Jan 02 '14 at 10:22
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For me changing the screen resolution worked. Try the steps below:

  1. Right click and select "Screen Resolution" from the menu
  2. Select a different screen resolution to your normal one
  3. Select the "Apply" button (bottom right)
  4. Select the "Keep Changes" button
  5. Repeat the above steps but select your normal screen resolution during step 1
Clegg
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You can also clear an element that's already on screen without rebooting by going to Services and restarting the Desktop Window Manager Session Manager.

Rich
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