08/19/2022 Windows: The Fir tree mouse cursor

This is definitely one of the strangest Windows bugs I've ever encountered. It runs from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Here I show you the cause and a workaround.

08/19/2022 Windows: The Fir tree mouse cursor


What is the "old" man in the monitor actually talking about?


To understand the problem, it is best to look at a picture.
fir_tree_mouse_cursor_picture

This is what the mouse cursor looks like when the error occurs (sometimes it looks slightly modified). This is usually accompanied by certain features:

  • The error disappears (if necessary for a short time) after a reboot.
  • Reinstalling the operating system does not help - error reappears immediately or after a short time.
  • The bug does not affect all types of cursors (for example, it can affect only the hand icon or the normal cursor but the hand icon looks normal).


The cause is that Windows "forgets the icon" - whether this is fixed in the meantime, I can not say, I have seen the bug at a work colleague on his Windows 10 computer. I myself had this in Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.

This is how we verify the error:

  1. Open control panel
  2. Select mouse
    3. control_panel_choose_mouse
  3. Select the Mouse Pointer tab
    4. choose_mouse_pointer_tab
  4. The field at the affected mouse pointer is empty here. Windows "forgets" in live mode that this icon exists. If you now click on the "Browse" button and scroll through the menu, you will not find the icon file either.
    5. browse_mouse_pointer

The workaround is to simply select a different mouse pointer. The error will no longer occur after that, since it really only affects this one icon. So pick one that fits for you and that's it.