Windows 7 Taskforce

Devices and Printers double-click/right-click weirdness

Submitted by Calum.Cook on May 15, 2009 to Annoyance, Usability

Problem: I've got a Microsoft mouse and keyboard and a Canon all-in-one printer that show up with nice realistic icons in Devices and Printers. When I double-click on these, I get taken to mouse/keyboard settings and the Multifunction Printer device stage, respectively. That makes sense. What happens when I double-click on a non-Device Stage'd device? It opens an essentially empty property sheet. To access settings for these devices, I have to right-click on them in Devices and Printers. Seriously, Microsoft? You built a nice simple alternative to Device Manager and let something like this through? Joe User doesn't know to right-click.

Solution: Decide on one way to open settings, preferably double-click. This will be much less confusing.

Severity: Low

Impact: Medium

Status: Not fixed