I don’t know if Windows Vista has this bug or not. But, like the MMC bug I mentioned before, this bug is also a weird one.
You can reproduce it by performing the following steps, literally:
- Open Control Panel.
- Enter a page-based control panel item. It means, this item is a window that integrated into control panel window as a page, not a new dialog. For example, Network and Sharing Center is an item like this. The re-designed System Properties (The one we look up the Windows activation information in) also counts.
- Try to remember the positions of the links in left column, then go back to the previous page. Using System Properties as an example, there are the links such as Device Manager, Advanced system settings in left column. Remember their positions, then go back.
- In current page’s left column, find the positions, which are now blanks, according to the ones you just remembered. Try to move the mouse cursor to these blanks, see if the cursor changes to a hand. If it changed, it means you can click it.
- If the cursor changed to a hand, try to click it, and see what will happen.
Originally, if you are in one of the category pages, clicking a text link in left column should switch to the corresponding category page. However, if you have done the steps mentioned above, and you clicked the blank area, it will not switch to the category page you want. Instead, it shows or enters the window of the feature in previous control panel item.
Well, the description above might be a little complicated for some of you. Let’s see a practical example:
- Open Control Panel. Same as the first step mentioned above.
- If you did not change the views of the control panel window on purpose, you should see a category under Adjust your computer’s settings or search for specific tasks called System and Maintenance. Click it.
- Click System.
- There should be a link in left column called Advanced system settings. Remember where it is. OK, now we click Back button to go back to the previous page.
- Now, the position that contained the link of Advanced system settings should be blank (it might have a link in this area, leave it). Move the mouse cursor to this area, and you can see the mouse cursor becomes a hand.
- Click it, it will not open the link before where the mouse cursor currently points to. Instead it will open Advanced system settings.
For other items the behavior is the same. If you entered such an item at least once, and you found the blank area corresponding to the link in left column, then such a link “behind the wall” will work.