Mouse Pointers Disappear in Media Center

[mfaklis]

I have Win 7 Ultimate x64 with two monitors. One monitor for working, and the other monitor for media center. I had a problem with the mouse pointers getting locked into media center and had to use the "Windows Logo" key to unlock the mouse pointer to get back to the main monitor. Since last Update Tuesday, the mouse is not only locked into the media center, but it disappears as well. Any click of the mouse in media center causes the mouse pointer to disappear. I have to precede every mouse action by first pressing the "Windows Logo".
I have Microsoft Wireless Mouse 5000. I had Microsoft Intelligent Point installed, but uninstalled it as a test. It made no difference at all. I've tried different themes of pointers, which also made no difference.
Does anyone have a better idea or fix to this problem?

 

[Miranova23]

I just opened my Media Center for the first time and discovered this happened to me, too. I swung it over to my 2nd screen, & my mouse was corralled at the edge of the screen, unable to jump back. I wouldn't be too alarmed, though. Media Center likes to be center stage. My XP Media Center on my laptop hides the taskbar, so you have to either close or minimize MC, or hit the windows logo key as you said. It's been that way since 2005 at least. I wouldn't be surprised if this is what they wanted to happen with that update. My apologies that it is only speculation...

 

[tootal2]

I think your windows media center is in touch screen mode. It happen to me before but i forgot how i fixed it

 

[warrenhaydock]

The mouse is constrained to the MC screen when run in full screen mode, change MC to a window to free your mouse.

 

[wasupwitdat]

I am also having this problem now. I built my own HTPC and originally used a WD Raptor hard drive. Problem with that was it was just to slow. I recently installed a Samsung 840 Pro SSD and installed all the same programs as before. I never had any problems with the mouse until this new install of the SSD. My cable was incoming through an Mcard installed on an Infini4 TV tuner card. I had Netflix, etc., etc., needless to say Windows Media Center made me happy and saved me money. I was able to use the Windows compatible remote control or the mouse to wonder through Windows Media center, Netflix, and other programs within MC. Now I can only navigate using the remote control. Also, I have a desktop application called "Dream Aquarium" that runs like a screen saver, I guess one would call it, but the mouse curser does the same thing there. In that program there are options that come up in a window so I can select the fish, what I want the tank to look like, feeding times, etc., but I can't set this up at all now because of the dissapearing curser. The computer didn't act like this before with the original HDD installed. I know it's not the HD's fault, it's a setting somewhere in Windows. So does anyone have an answer as to where that setting is? Funny, I didn't set anything when I did my first install of the operating system and I think I repeated the same when I installed Windows and all the programs on the new SSD. So What, why, or how has this happened.

 

[mfaklis]

I'm now running Windows 8 Pro with Media Center (x64) and the mouse is still locked in media center if media center is in full screen mode. This is a bug/feature of Microsoft Media Center and I doubt MS has any plans to fix it. IMHO, I think they're waiting for someone else to come up with a compelling "Media Store" app to coax people off of Media Center.

 

[wasupwitdat]

I've been doing more reading since my last post and I think I know what it is. It's the pointer trails enabled. I haven't have the change to verify until I get home but I didn't have trails enabled before and I know I enabled this function during the set up this install. I will check this this evening and reply back here.

 

[ThrashZone]

. It's the pointer trails enabled.

That's exactly what it is Display Pointer trails.

 

[mfaklis]

Not so fast ...

I beg to differ since I do not have mouse tail and never had mouse tails. I think this is just another example of MS putting a feature out there and then ignoring it for a decade.

Windows Media Center came out in a special flavor of Windows XP Pro. I can't recall they fixed anything in it since then. IMHO they are letting it rot on the vine. Feature just disappear or die of neglect. Netflix and Hulu are gone.

On the TV feature, the station scan is finding less stations every time I rescan, yet the Hauppauge WinTV application finds more stations. The Media Center TV schedule is showing less and less detail so it's (again IMHO) useless for scheduling recordings.

In Windows 8, we had to pay a premium for Media Center, as we did when it was originally released with Windows XP Pro. Shame on Microsoft. Shame!