Can't drag in Finder

Question

My work MacBook has a weird intermittent problem - when I try to drag a file or multiple files within Finder, it just won't let me. I find that I can drag from a files large icon in the cover flow view, but that's only one item at a time. Also, I have the same problem dragging files that are attached to an email.
If I switch to another program and come back to Finder, sometimes it works as usual. My home Mac doesn't have this trouble, running the same OS version. Any ideas?

Answer 1

That symptom is usually a LaunchServices error. Unless, as others have suggested, it is a List View issue.
Create a new account, name it "test" and see how your apps work in that User acct? (That will tell if your problem is systemwide or limited to your User acct.) This account is just for test, do nothing further with it.
Open System Preferences >> Accounts >> "+" make it an admin account.
If the problem is present in the test account also, then it is systemwide. In this case try repairing this with the 10.5.5 Combo Update This is a fuller install, as opposed to an incremental "delta" update so it should overwrite any files that are damaged or missing. It does not matter if you have applied it before.
Remember to Verify Disk before update and repair permissions after update from /Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.
If the problem does not appear in the test account try starting in "Safe Mode" (It will take a bit more time to startup because it runs a directory check first).
If that works go to System Preferences >> Accounts >> Login Items and remove them. Boot normally and test. If there are still problems, go to /Users/(yourname)/Library/Contextual Menu Items and move whatever is there to the desktop. Then do the same with /Library/Contextual Menu Items. Lastly, try moving /Users/yourname/Library/Fonts to your desktop and restarting.
Log out/in or restart, if that sorts it start putting items back one at a time until you find the culprit.
Let us know.
-mj