A small number of our users have recently encountered a problem with CrystalMaker for Windows in which the image displayed in the Graphics window suddenly seems to jump or shift, often while the displayed structure is being rotated. In addition, any palette window (e.g., the Tools palette or the Overview window) which may overlap the Graphics window may seem to disappear, or be partially overwritten with the contents of the Graphics pane. A typical example of this is shown in the image below:

This problem is due to a known bug in newer versions (6.0 and later) of Microsoft's Intellipoint mouse driver software, which causes screen flicker and redrawing errors with various applications, including Adobe Photoshop and, unfortunately, CrystalMaker. Users who don't even have a Microsoft mouse may encounter the problem anyway, since the Intellipoint driver software is often installed along with keyboard drivers or other peripherals, or as part of their manufacturer's default system installation.

Users can verify whether the Intellipoint driver is running by using the Task Manager:

1. Right-click on the Taskbar and choose Task Manager from the pop-up menu.

2. In the Task Manager window, click on the Processes tab.

3. At the bottom of the window, check the Show processes from all users checkbox.

4. In the list of processes, click the Image Name column header to sort the process names alphabetically.

5. Look for a process named "ipoint.exe".

If you do NOT have a Microsoft mouse:

• You probably have your mouse manufacturer's driver software already installed, and so do not need the Intellipoint driver.

• You can uninstall the Intellipoint driver using the Add or Remove Program control panel, choosing the Microsoft Intellipoint item in the list of installed programs, and clicking the Change button. When the options dialog appears, choose to uninstall the driver completely.

If you DO have a Microsoft mouse:

• If you are running Windows XP: you can install version 5.5 of the Intellipoint driver, which does not exhibit the problematic behaviour.

  1. Uninstall version 6.0 or later of the driver.

  2. Download the version 5.5 driver from Microsoft's downloads site here or go to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads, type "intellipoint" into the search field at the top, and locate the Intellipoint 5.5 driver in the resulting list (be sure to select either 32-bit or 64-bit, depending on your system).

  3. Run the installer to install the Intellipoint 5.5 driver.

• If you are running Windows Vista: you cannot install version 5.5 of the Intellipoint driver; Vista requires version 6.0 or later. In this case, your best option would be to purchase a mouse from a different manufacturer (e.g., Dell or Logitech), and uninstall the Intellipoint driver after installing your new mouse software. Another workaround is available, however, and is outlined below:

• If, either because you are running Windows Vista or for some other reason, you are unable to uninstall or replace your Intellipoint mouse driver software, you may be able to prevent the problem from occurring by adjusting the hardware acceleration settings on your system. You can do this as follows on Windows Vista (the procedure is similar on XP, using the Display control panel):

  1. From the Start button, select Control Panel.

  2. Locate the Appearance and Personalization item; below it, click on the Adjust Screen Resolution item.

  3. In the Display Settings window, click the Advanced Settings button.

  4. In the Advanced Settings window, click the Troubleshoot tab.

  5. In the Troubleshoot pane, you may have to click the Change Settings button to get permission from Vista to change the display settings.

  6. In the Display Adapter Troubleshooter window, move the Hardware acceleration slider one notch to the left (i.e., away from the "Full" position).

  7. Click the OK button. You may (or may not) have to restart your machine at this point; do so if so requested.

  8. Try running CrystalMaker and see if the problem persists. If it does, quit CrystalMaker, return to the Display Adapter Troubleshooter window and move the slider another notch to the left, click OK, and check CrystalMaker again.

  It should generally not be necessary to move the slider more than one or two notches to the left to stop the problem from occurring. This may affect the performance of other, graphics-intensive applications such as drawing programs or games, so just move the slider enough to prevent the redraw problem from affecting CrystalMaker.