MARQUIS TOOL ONLY WORKS IN 1PX SQUARE MODE

Okay folks...this may be the most obvious newbie question of all time or just today, but I am stuck and flummoxed.
Photoshop CS / Mac Panther: When trying to set a ratio of 1 to 1 in the marquis tool, I can only get 1 pixel by 1 pixel, so although the frame lines show the frame I am hoping to achieve, when I hit return to execute the command, the image is trimmed to a one pixel by one pixel size.Fine I suppose if you are into minimalist art, but not practical for much else.
What is the obvious thing that I am overlooking?
Thanks for your help.
Ralph

Are you doing Fixed Ratio or Fixed Size? Something not making sense in the question.

You have a fixed size selected in the Options Bar when your rectangular marquee tool is selected.

Reset it.

I "try" to use a fixed ration 1/1, but it defaults to 1px X 1px and I cannot seem to find a way to get it to simply go to the desired ration without going to a 1X1 pixel ratio. If I delete the *px* after typing in the number 1, it still goes back to pixels.
aaaarrgghhhhhhh!!
Thanks for your efforts.
RN

Ralph:

If you really have "Fixed Aspect Ratio" selected in your Options Bar, you should be able to draw a square of any size with the marquee set to 1:1.

If you are getting 1 pixel x 1 pixel squares, it would indicate that you have selected "Fixed Size" instead.

If that is not the case, try trashing your Photoshop preferences.

There are no units in ratios. If you are deleting px then that means you are on Fixed Size, not Fixed Aspect Ratio.