In Windows 2000 and later, there is a special effect called "Pointer Shadow" which requires a 24-bit color depth for the display.

I have installed a new version of Windows 2000 server, and my pointer correctly shows this shadow when the system boots and the "Press Ctrl-Alt-Del to log on" screen appears.

However, when I log in with my user name and password, as soon as it loads my user profile, the pointer shadow disappears and I can't make it come back as long as I'm logged in.

The computer is a Dell Optiplex GX110 which uses the Intel 810e chipset, with built-in video on the motherboard. This video chipset is capable of 24 bit color at my chosen resolution (1280 x 1024), and has no problem doing it.

I have done the following diagnostic and corrective procedures:

- Open Control Panel, Mouse, Pointers. Click the checkbox saying "Pointer Shadow". It lets me put a check into that checkbox (indicating that the operating system believes that the video card is capable of it). Press "Ok". No pointer shadow appears, and the next time I navigate into this dialog box, the checkbox is unchecked again.

- Install TweakUI which also has a checkbox to control the same effect. I get the same response from the TweakUI program as I do from Control Panel/Mouse. Although with TweakUI, I have to log off and log back on before the checkmark disappears.

- I have tried all sorts of combinations of checking and unchecking the boxes in TweakUI and the Control Panel, and reboots, just in case the two programs were fighting over the setting, and all the behaviors remain the same. It does not appear that these two programs are fighting over the setting in any way.

- I have Googled the problem and come up with only one relevant reference. It says that if I have multiple monitors enabled, and if one of the monitors is 256 colors, then the pointer shadow will not appear. However, I do not have multiple monitors enabled. I don't even think this computer is capable of doing that.

- I have verified that my display is set to 24 bit color.

- I have verified that the video card is capable of making a pointer shadow at this resolution, because it appears during the "Press Ctrl-Alt-Del to Log On" screen, which is the same rez and color depth as my logged-in desktop.

- I have made sure I'm logging in with a user account that has administrator privileges.

- I have NOT updated the video drivers for this card. Well, actually I did at one point but I deinstalled them because the newest Intel video driver utility adds crap to my right-click menu that I don't know how to get rid of. (Side question: How do I get rid of the crap on the right-click menu when I click on a blank area of the desktop? Where is that in the system registry?) Anyway, I think this is moot because I'm pretty sure this problem happened equally whether I had the new video drivers installed or the old ones.

- I had a suspicion that it might be related to Terminal Services, which is installed on this copy of Windows 2000 server. However, the Terminal Services service is currently turned off on this box. I also installed DameWare Mini Remote Control, but only as a client to connect to other computers, and it's not running right now and the server component isn't installed.

- I thought it might have something to do with the fact that this box is Win2K server instead of Workstation, but I'm running 2K server on my box at home and it has no trouble with the pointer shadow.

- I have noticed that the menu fading effects (also settable in TweakUI) seem to have the same problem. If I set them, they do not work and the checkmarks disappear from the boxes the next time I log in.

- I have noticed that in the Display Properties, on the "Effects" tab, most of the checkboxes in the "Visual Effects" section are grayed out. Things that require 24 bit color and alpha blending are grayed out, such as "Use transition effect for menus and tooltips", and "Smooth edges of screen fonts". Yet I do get proper antialiasing on my screen fonts.

Anyone have any other ideas of things I should check or try?