Microsoft KB Archive/123334

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Requirements for Animated Cursors

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Q123334

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 95

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SUMMARY
There are two requirements for animated cursors in Windows 95:


 * Protected-mode disk drivers
 * A Windows 95-compatible display driver that meets the specifications described below

Disk Drivers
To use animated cursors in Windows 95, you must use protected-mode disk drivers. Protected-mode disk drivers are necessary because animated cursors require large amounts of page-locked memory (approximately 250 kilobytes). By using protected-mode drivers, this memory can be moveable. If Windows 95 allowed you to use animated cursors with real-mode disk drivers, you might not have enough memory to run your applications. If you use real-mode drivers, your cursors are in color (but not animated) as long as the Windows API call GetWinFlags returns WF_DOSPAGING. Animated cursors will not be animated if they cannot perform SmartPageLocks or SmartPageUnlocks. The real-mode mapper prevents this.

Perform the following steps to determine if you are using protected-mode disk drivers:

 Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon. Click Performance. If you are using protected-mode disk drivers the File System entry should read "32-bit."  If the File System entry reads "Some drives are using MS-DOS compatibility," click an item and then click Detail for more information about which drives are using MS-DOS compatibility mode.

For information about troubleshooting MS-DOS Compatibility mode on hard disks, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q130179 Troubleshooting MS-DOS Compatibility Mode on Hard Disks

Q138899 Description of the Ios.log File 

Display Driver
To use animated cursors in Windows 95, you must also have a Windows 95- compatible display driver that uses the device-independent bitmap (DIB) engine and meets at least one of the following criteria:


 * The display driver must run at 8 bits per pixel (bpp) or higher and support color cursors.

NOTE: 256 colors = 8 bpp

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 * The display driver must allow Windows 95 to access its memory in a linear fashion (such as through a frame buffer). This allows for smoother animation because Windows gains entrance to the driver during interrupt time.

The following are examples of display drivers that do not support animated cursors:


 * ATI Ultra (mach8) This driver does not support a frame buffer.
 * Diamond Viper This driver is based on the Windows 3.1 video standard.
 * Standard Display Adapter (VGA) This driver is based on a standard established prior to the development of animated cursors.
 * Super VGA This driver is based on a standard established prior to the development of animated cursors.

If your system meets the requirements described in this article but you still cannot use animated cursors, scan your computer for viruses. Boot-sector viruses can prevent animated cursors from being available.

Additional query words: 32-bit compatibility mode pointer cursor icons

Keywords : kbdisplay kbenv kbhw diskmem win95

Issue type :

Technology : kbWin95search kbWin95