Why is my cursor live on web pages?

[Steve Steere]

It matters not whether I am using Firefox or IE6, my cursor is active and flashing on all web pages.

For instance on this page I'm viewing I can click the cursor between 'Post' and 'New', and it can then be moved all around the page, even passing through a hyperlink by individual letter by letter.

My PC is clean, I use AVG, Bazooka, Spybot & Adaware, Zone Alarm, I'm behind a router, use Mailwasher, Firetrust Benign, and I've checked everything.

I connect using broadband, and do have problems with NTL Bromley accessing some secure sites, so if that happens I have to use a proxy address given to me by NTL, which I then take off afterwards.

Is it NTL allowing me 'access' to web pages, or is it some obscure setting that I cannot find, and yes I've tried deleting all temporary internet files, and cache content on & offline on both browsers.

While not a serious problem it does bug me, as sometimes I click on a link and just get the cursor blinking at me instead of hitting the target. I cannot remember when it started, but the niggle has finally got to me.

Any advice please?

Regards,

Steve

[Ed Bradford]

Steve, I’m clueless as to how or why this is happening. However, there appears to be one thing that you didn’t mention and that is what programs start when you boot up your computer. You’ll find the programs in the various Start folders (there’s more than just one). One of them might be putting your computer in a state that causes the cursor to be displayed the way you’ve described. To identify the program, I’d create another folder in a location easy to find and move the icons temporarily into it, one at a time, from the various Start folders and then reboot your computer each time. Test to see if the problem is gone once the computer is rebooted. If the problem persists, then move the icon back to the appropriate Start folder and try another. Sorry that I can’t be more help. Maybe one of our learned colleagues has run into this and has a solution at hand. ………….Ed

[Steve Steere]

Hi Ed,

My Startup folder is empty, and the only programs I allow to auto start on boot up are AVG & Zone Alarm.

Regards,

Steve

[Bengie]

It could be caused by a program you have run in the past.
Click on my computer
Double click on the C: drive
Select the Windows folder
Right click on 'Prefetch' and delete it.

This has all the programs that you have ever run (well 128 of them) and is there to second guess what you want. Although it can speed up the start of a program, you can't notice this, and ultimately it slows down you computer.
If you have a read of the things in there you will see programs you have no intention of ever using again, but Windows prefetch will still be ready to load it just in case you might use it again.

Windows will reinstate this folder automatically and start filling it up again.

[Steve Steere]

Hi Bengie,

I'm running Windows 2000 Pro which doesn't have Prefetch. I had a look on Microsoft and it seems it is an XP thing, precisely why I've stayed on 2000.

Thanks for the thought though. I still cannot possibly think of a program that lets you treat a web page like a word doc!


Regards,

Steve