The Challenge

Q: Dear Mr. Hobbs,I have presented other computer techs with this problem and have yet to haveit solved. I am hoping you will be able to help me. About 50% of the time when I boot up and then when Windows XP Pro is booting up the mouse indicator, the arrow and hourglass, is split in half by about 1/4 inch. I have two partial arrows and hourglasses. Although I can maneuver the mouse in the usual manner you have to be careful where and which partial arrow you use. As you can imagine if one is not careful you can click on the wrong place. This is just not convenient to use as you can imagine.My only recourse at the present is to shut down then re-boot. The arrow usually returns to normal. I am hoping that you can tell me why this happens and also what can I do to correct it.I find your column interesting and helpful.Sincerely,J. Wiemanne
A: You have quite a problem. Quite an unusual problem, but to every problem there is a solution. What may elude you is the explanation for the problem. Off the top of my head I can’t tell you definitively what the root of your quirk is. I can however give you a very likely reason for the cause of your problem. I would like to state for the record that I have never heard of this happening unintentionally. Most people who have a problem with two mice want two mice, but only have one. So you are truly unique.
With that said, I think that your problem stems from a file not consistently loading properly. The next time that you have this problem you should run a scandisk without rebooting the computer. You can find scandisk in System Tools folder under the accessories header in the program files in the start menu. The scandisk should detect most errors, and fix them. If this doesn’t resolve your malady then you can move on to option two. If you have a commercial system maintenance tool like Norton’s or McAfee, then run that and see if anything is detected.
If the two for one pointer becomes a major annoyance do to the reasons that you listed, then you have an option that has a greater chance of correcting your problem. You can always reinstall your operating system. If you ultimately choose this route, then there are some things that you want to keep in mind. If this problem is a recent occurrence you can perform a System Restore back to a time when the problem did not exist. Needless to say, you should perform a backup of all of your files. This is to prevent the lost of any information, and save time with restoring specific files. The System Restore option is also listed in the System Tools folders.
One of these options should resolve your issue, and clear your double vision.