Typing Disappears after Installing Last Windows XP Update

[Dana]

After updating our computers for the last Windows XP
update (W/E 10/17), our office has noticed problems in
Word and Outlook Express. After typing for a little
while, our typing "disappears" and we have to physically
pick up the mouse and put the cursor back in the document
to begin typing again. I've noticed in Outlook Express
that when the disappearance occurs the blue border around
the e-mail message goes grey. This problem only started
occurring after we installed the latest Windows XP
Update. Has anyone else noticed this problem? Any
suggestions? I've already installed critical updates for
Office to help with "stability" and that didn't solve the
problem.

Any suggestions would be helpful as this problem is
really reducing the productivity of everyone in our
office.

 

[Rob Schneider]

After updating our computers for the last Windows XP
update (W/E 10/17), our office has noticed problems in
Word and Outlook Express. After typing for a little
while, our typing "disappears" and we have to physically
pick up the mouse and put the cursor back in the document
to begin typing again. I've noticed in Outlook Express
that when the disappearance occurs the blue border around
the e-mail message goes grey. This problem only started
occurring after we installed the latest Windows XP
Update. Has anyone else noticed this problem? Any
suggestions? I've already installed critical updates for
Office to help with "stability" and that didn't solve the
problem.

Any suggestions would be helpful as this problem is
really reducing the productivity of everyone in our
office.

Best you ask this in a newsgroup more closely related to XP ...

However, that being said, it is my hunch that the root cause of this
problem has nothing to do with the XP Updates.

I would first look for some rouge programs (worms, viruses, etc.) also
albiet unlikely but given that you see this behavour on multiple machine
there is something on common with all.

Try to determing exactly under what circumstances typing "disappears".
(I'm not sure what you mean by this ... e.g. presses of keyboard keys
makes no affect, or stuff previously typed goes away, or typing new
characters overwrites text in front rather than inserting text, etc. If
the latter, check that you aren't simply pressing the insert key and
toggling over-write mode).

 

[Dana]

My reference to disappearing type means that we are
typing along and then all of the sudden our characters
don't get typed. What's there previously stays. It's
not a problem of typing over characters.

We have run our Virus Scan and no viruses have been found
on any of the machines.

And, we do a lot of typing here (as we are a desk-top
publishing firm) and did not encounter this problem until
the Update--so we still firmly believe that the Update
triggered something, but not sure what. I will try to go
to an XP message board but the problem shows up in Office
software so I was hoping that I could find some
resolution to our problem here.

 

[caidfw]

I got exactly the same problem, however I could not
associate the problem with any update or program
installation to get a reference. T
The cursor keeps jumping back to where it was when I
started typing, or highlights the text and delete it.
Please let me know if you find the solution to this
problem. Thank you.