Odd mouse cursor behavior in all games.

[Guest]

I've been having this problem for ages, but I finally decided to look into
ways of solving it.

In almost every game I've tried (recently, Battlefield 2, Battlefield 2142,
World of Warcraft, and Black and White 2), the mouse cursor flashes rapidly.
This was always annoying, but recently it's gone beyond that. Sometimes,
after quitting a game where this behavior occurs, the cursor will be
invisible in explorer. I can see the effects when I mouseover certain areas
like the Start button, but I can't see the cursor itself. Very, very annoying.

One thing I've found is if I start up a game again when this happens, then
repeatedly alt+tab back to the desktop, I can get the mouse cursor back as
long as I'm lucky enough to hit it while the cursor is visible in the game.
Mind you, the cursor flashes REALLY quickly, so this is pretty much a crap
shoot.

Any idea what's causing it? And even more importantly, any idea how to fix it?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Elmo]

I've been having this problem for ages, but I finally decided to look into
ways of solving it.

In almost every game I've tried (recently, Battlefield 2, Battlefield 2142,
World of Warcraft, and Black and White 2), the mouse cursor flashes rapidly.
This was always annoying, but recently it's gone beyond that. Sometimes,
after quitting a game where this behavior occurs, the cursor will be
invisible in explorer. I can see the effects when I mouseover certain areas
like the Start button, but I can't see the cursor itself. Very, very annoying.

One thing I've found is if I start up a game again when this happens, then
repeatedly alt+tab back to the desktop, I can get the mouse cursor back as
long as I'm lucky enough to hit it while the cursor is visible in the game.
Mind you, the cursor flashes REALLY quickly, so this is pretty much a crap
shoot.

Any idea what's causing it? And even more importantly, any idea how to fix it?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

It's a graphics card problem. Lower the graphics hardware acceleration
and the pointer may remain visible. If that helps, you probably need
updated drivers for your card. Besides the suggestions below, a quicker
way to get to the acceleration slide: Open Display Properties, Settings
tab, Advanced button, Troubleshoot tab.

Run DXDiag and see if it complains of uncertified drivers; try lowering
graphics hardware acceleration, etc.. Also look at the computer
manufacturer site and the graphics card manufacturer site for different
drivers. Try upgrades, reference drivers, and drivers for other model
cards till you find one that works. Do a search at
http://groups.google.com entering the game and graphics card model for
more suggestions.

Look for drivers and utilities at these sites:

http://www.guru3d.com/
http://www.reactorcritical.com/download.shtml
http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=3&faq=7&Search=
http://www.voodoofiles.com/
http://www.ati.com/support/driver.html

See if there's a BIOS upgrade for your system. Look at the
manufacturer's site, Compaq, PB, etc., and also at the motherboard
manufacturer's site.

 

[Guest]

One thing I noticed is that this behavior seems to happen after I install
Battlefield 2. Battlefield 2 updates DirectX when it installs, so I figured
this might also be a problem. I've tried installing the latest Direct X
update, but this doesn't help.

Also, I'm using an SLI setup with two GeForce 7800 GTs. Might this be part
of the problem?

 

[Elmo]

One thing I noticed is that this behavior seems to happen after I install
Battlefield 2. Battlefield 2 updates DirectX when it installs, so I figured
this might also be a problem. I've tried installing the latest Direct X
update, but this doesn't help.

Also, I'm using an SLI setup with two GeForce 7800 GTs. Might this be part
of the problem?

Other than lowering the graphics acceleration, or getting updated
drivers for the cards, I don't know what to suggest. SLI is probably
the cause; the interlacing could be picking up the pointer only on one
of the cards. Dunno what else to suggest..

 

[Guest]

Same problem. I have a NVIDIA GO7300 and basically the same games described
above. I have latest drivers and even tried some "tweaked" drivers from a
reputable gaming site. When the cursor is idle its invisible when I move my
mouse it becomes visible but blinks rapidly. This is a big problem for many
gamers and none of the forums seem to be able to identify why? I don't think
I have SLI either? Since NVIDIA support is sooo crappy maybe one of you
microsoft techy's can help. I would be a gaming God if someone can answer for
me. I will even give appropriate credit just want to resolve the issue.

Thanks!