missing cursor

[rootbeer]

My dad just called me with a problem with his XP machine. It seems the blinking cursor has disappeared from the screen when he tries to make an email. I have never seen this so I couldn't help him. We tried shutting down and rebooting, to no avail. The pointer is an arrow outside the email area, then turns into the I-beam when inside, but there's no cursor. What do we do?

[candle_86]

Go into control panel then go to mouse open that go to the pointers tab and then restore defaults

[rootbeer]

My dad has a different version of XP than I do. I have the Media Editon; his is about 4 years old. I doubt it will mean much, though.

What exactly does "restore defaults" mean? I don't see that in my edition.

I'll send your solution along, in any event...

[candle_86]

My dad has a different version of XP than I do. I have the Media Editon; his is about 4 years old. I doubt it will mean much, though.

What exactly does "restore defaults" mean? I don't see that in my edition.

I'll send your solution along, in any event...

Ok I'm thinking of windows 98 in XP go to the pointers list and load a scheme, any will do, then apply. Next set the schmeme to none, and apply. This should deafult cursors to XP at start up

[rootbeer]

He says he has no Apply. I have no response for that one! I thought all Windows versions commencing with 95 (I never used it) had Apply. He's on the East Coast (I'm in the Pacific Time Zone) and has gone to bed already, so no progress until tomorrow.

He says he can put the I-beam between letters and words, but that it does nothing after that-- the I-beam does not turn into a blinking cursor when he clicks after placing it.

I don't know much about Windows, so I can't help much.

[candle_86]

I've never had this problem, and am using windows 2000 so I dont think i could make it happen either

[rootbeer]

Well, I'm sure he'll get back to me either way tomorrow. Until then, I'll go back to flying over Pearl Harbor in the B-2 Spirit.

After that, I think I'll flash through downtown Manhattan in the F-15.

[Politically Incorrect]

In the email writing area it should be only a I-beam, or are you saying within the whole email window? Much the same as when typing a post, in the reply window you should get a I-beam and outside the writing area a pointer.

The I-beam is also know as the "text selector"

I also belive there is a option in the mouse section of the control panel where you can have it hide the pointer when typing, cant curently remember where the settingis at

[rootbeer]

My dad says it's working correctly now.

What the problem is/was is that the blinking cursor disappeard. The I-beam is there when the arrow is within the email area. When he puts the I-beam between letters and clicks, the I-beam stays and no cursor appears. Or maybe the I-beam disappears and no cursor appears. I'm so cornfoozled now...

Anyway, it's working.

My dad has big hands and large fingers. I felt the back of them across my face many times when I was an unruly, punk kid. Sometimes he hits keys he did not intend and things happen. I've done it myself, as well. A string of obscenities usually follows...

Thanks to all for your help.