WordStar for Windows

The Mouse Pointer Disappears when Moved off the Side of
the Document in WordStar for Windows

Introduction

In WordStar for Windows the mouse pointer may become invisible when moved outside the page boundary when in Page Editor view. This can occur whenever the mouse pointer is between the 'paper' of the document and the document window edge (in the illustration below the pointer may not be visible in the grey area to the right of the document).

WordStar for Windows Screen with Grey
Application Background Colour Showing

Cause

With the move from Program Manager in Windows 3.x to the Explorer based Windows shell in Windows 95, microsoft changed the Application Background Colour from green to a dark grey. The Application Background is the colour of the background within a program's window (dark grey in the illustration above). In WordStar for Windows and some other programs (Word 97, for instance) this can make the mouse I-beam cursor become invisible when moved over the Application Background.

Solution:

The solution is to choose a different Application Background colour. Note that this will affect all applications, not just WordStar for Windows.

1. Resize WordStar for Windows so you can see the Windows desktop, but keep the page size small enough so you can see the grey background to the right of the 'paper' (as shown in the illustration above).
2. Right-click the Windows desktop and select Properties...
3. In the Display Properties dialog, click the Appearance tab. The Display properties dialog is shown below.
4. Click in the Item drop-down list*.
5. Select the Application Background item from the list.
6. Click the Color drop-down palette - the top-right (dark grey) box should be selected.
7. Click on the darker of the two green options, or any other colour if you prefer.
8. The color selector will close and show green, or whichever other colour you chose.
9. Click Apply.
10. Move the mouse pointer over the area of the WordStar for Windows window that shows 'behind' the 'paper' of your document, the mouse pointer shouldn't disappear any more. If it still disappears, try a different colour.
11. Click OK in the Display Properties dialog to confirm the change.

Changing the Application Background
Colour in Windows 2000

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Copyright © 1999-2004 Michael Petrie, United Kingdom.

FAQ: Q1004