CAD tip # 11004:

If you are not happy with this default AutoCAD behaviour, there are several workarounds:

• automatic viewport pan in version 2004 - drag the selection window outside the view edge
• partial selection - e.g. use the SELECT command to window-select objects on one end of a long drawing, finish the command; switch to (with zoom, pan) the other end of the drawing on your monitor, start the requested editing command, use the "P" option to select the previously selected objects and use another window-selection to add additional objects for editing; if you have more than 2 areas, repeat the SELECT "P" procedure and add the objects sequentially
• the Fence option - fence-selection keeps the objects selected even if they fall off-screen
• the CPolygon (crossing polygon) option - this polygon-selection can simulate plain window-selection while keeping the off-screen objects selected
• the QSELECT command - sequential adding of objects selected through QSELECT