Question: Mask Highlighted instead of layer.

I have Photoshop CS4. It has recently developed a fault: when you click on a layer it does not highlight, if you open the channels option the mask channel is highlighted instead of the RGB channels. Please advise. Richard Batt.

(just looking out for Mac brethren Pierre)
Richard, do you mean Auto Selecting (with the Move Tool) clicking in the image? Or clicking in the Layers Panel?
Do you have Adjustment Layers with Masks? Are those being targeted?
Auto Select will target Adjustment Layers (which I find irritating. Don't know if there is a way to turn that off... except by locking the Adjustment Layer)

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