Cursor stops blinking

Hello Don,

You might check and/or adjust the cursor blink rate using an option in the tutorial below to see if that may toggle it to work properly again.

Change Cursor Blink Rate in Windows

Do a System Restore to a time before this happened

Don Cole can't be the only one with this issue or the only one to take time to report it.

I have the same problem in many utilities; however, it is not bothersome enough to do a restore to troubleshoot something that I know started two cumulative updates ago. (HINT) Cumulative update KB4489899.

Odd thing; the cursor only stops blinking in system based applications opposed to being online in Browser applications for me anyways.

It's exactly five blinks in notepad, wordpad and numerous other system based utilities until it freezes.

I'm replying to confirm that I am also experiencing this same behavior. I noticed it months ago, yet it doesn't really bother me too much. I agree that it's kinda strange why Microsoft did this to the cursor's blinking. I prefer it to all be infinite, like it used to be.

• In Notepad: 5 blinks
• In WordPad: 5 blinks
• File Explorer: 5 blinks
• Word 2013 (ancient Microsoft Word... when the dinosaurs used to roam the earth... apparently I was 27 years old when the dinosaurs used to be here... ): 28 blinks
• Google Chrome (not a Microsoft product): Seems like infinite blinks

Whatever happened to winking instead?

Hence, I highly believe that Microsoft intentionally added this strange feature.
One reason I would think is for people who have some sort of ADHD syndrome that would make them irritated when staring at infinite blinks.

pepanee said:

Hence, I highly believe that Microsoft intentionally added this strange feature.
One reason I would think is for people who have some sort of ADHD syndrome that would make them irritated when staring at infinite blinks.

I know; right? I mean how much of the resource cache could actually be needed to make the cursor blink. Obviously they felt it was a strain on system resources or something.

Also, if this was indeed intentional for ADHD cases, then why not have the cursor stop blinking when in a browser as well instead of just for system based applications?

Furthermore, I thought people with ADHD had trouble focusing on just one thing, so how would they know if the cursor actually stopped blinking. People with OCD would spot the problem first .

EyeInTheSky said:

Furthermore, I thought people with ADHD had trouble focusing on just one thing, so how would they know if the cursor actually stopped blinking. People with OCD would spot the problem first .

Haha yea... I had my syndromes mixed up. But who know, it could also as well be a remix. A person who has ADHD could turn OCD after seeing the the blinker going at an infinite rate.

And you're right, it's weird how non-Microsoft products have their own programming of having the cursor blinker go at an infinite rate. I used to think it was all part of the system; the system decides how many times the blinker goes for. I just made that connection today.

I guess I thought it was that way because back in the day, every single program's blinker was infinite.