1)selecting all to a specific point ...and 2) ctrl drag doesn't always copy for me

Two questions I can't find in X2 reference guide:
1) Is there a time limit on how long one can ctrl drag (copy) in PRV?
I ask because regardless of how hard I'm pushing down on ctrl if I take more than a few seconds it doesn't copy...just moves the selection.
2) Let's say I want to export my 1st 40 measures...I hit "ctrl a" and it selects past that 4o measures to the end (as expected) so what key should I hold when clicking meas 40?
I've tried shift, ctrl etc but it almost always selects everything after meas 40.
There have been times when holding shift while clicking did select what I wanted (1-40)
That said, considering both questions I wonder if it's an issue with my keyboard.
Thanks very much,
Randy

I usually do CTRL+A first to make sure everything is selected, then click-drag in the timeline for whatever portion I want to actually export.

After Ctrl+A, the now time needs to be moved to where the Select Thru=Now operation needs to occur. Check the Edit>Select menu options. In most cases, I use the timeline drag method described in the post after mine.

There are also marker and selection modules in the Control Bar which may work for you.

g_randybrown
 I wonder why trying it "my way" sometimes selects from start to where I click in the timeline and sometimes from where I click to the end.

 
If you don't have the Selection module showing in the Control Bar, add it, and things will start to make more sense. When you deselect everything, From and Thru are both set to the current Now time. Then Shift+clicking the timeline at a point later than the Now time will select from Now to that point, while clicking at a point earlier than the Thru time will select from there to Thru. Where it can get confusing is if you move your Now time while nothing is selected; From and Thru remain set to the previous Now time, which could be anywhere in the project so the selection will seem to go to no place in particular.
 
And, of course, if you have some range already selected, Shift-clicking on either side of it will extend the selection to that point - conventional Windows behavior.
 
Incidentally, for many moons before the X1 came along, the following hotkeys were in effect. I've restored them because I use them constantly and these functions were burned into my muscle memory over many years:
 
F7: Go to From
F8: Go to Thru
F9: From=Now
F10: Thru=Now
Ctrl+F9: From=Beginning
Ctrl-F10: Thru=End
 
EDIT: Not sure about the drag-copy "timeout" issue. I can't reproduce that.

There are also marker and selection modules in the Control Bar which may work for you.
I was already using the marker module but adding the selection module to the control bar is already helping immensely.
 
Where it can get confusing is if you move your Now time while nothing is selected; From and Thru remain set to the previous Now time, which could be anywhere in the project so the selection will seem to go to no place in particular.
 
Yessir that must have been my confusion because it's all making sense now...thanks to everyone for helping me... before I destroyed my keyboard!