CS4 Eyedropper tool icon is not normal and does not work well

Suddenly my eyedropper tool doesn't work or look the same once I click on the tool menu. Instead of an eyedropper graphic to go select a color on the image on the screen there are 3 extremely faint objects in a row, side by side. Cannot tell what they are of but doesn't matter. So when trying to select a color from my screen image I am working on it sort of picks a similar color to what I am aiming for and seems to blend colors near by so close but not the actual color I am trying for. I am using 3 x 3  and 5 x 5 sample size. If in a large area no problem but if trying to hit a small area, it doesn't happen. Anyway, I just want to get it back to "normal" so I can keep going on my project.

I have used Photoshop for over 20 years and never seen this or had this problem and I have found no help online. I realize there are options when one clicks on the eyedropper but I am selecting the top one that is the most often used I am sure. Thanks for any help!

Photoshop CS4, Windows 7