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Welcome to product support


For issues, bugs, questions, and help regarding CursorNode, please contact support using the following email address. Trial users are very welcome too.

com
@CursorNode.
support


Alternatively, you can make use of the product forum at https://forum.cursornode.com where we will provide answers to any questions. The Public Commons area allows you to post quickly and anonymousely without having to register.




SOLUTIONS TO COMMON ISSUES


Bullet point  Setup issues

1. Cannot install using the downloaded ZIP file

To install, please extract the msi package from the zip file, then right-click the msi file and select "Install" from the context menu. Double-clicking the msi package while it is still in the zip file may cause an associated archiving/compression program to open it and list its content. An install cannot be initiated this way.


2. Stuck in the middle of the installing process

The installing process may appear to get stuck half way through. This is quite normal, and heppens when setup data are being validated. The apparent pause should last no more than 60 seconds. The install will continue successfully after that.


3. The installing process is failing with error

Check your antivirus errors and logs to make sure the AV software isn't blocking the installer. CursorNode is released without virus. If you download the installer from our site, then you are perfectly safe. In that case, any alert from the antivirus is a false positive. To allow the install to succeed, you may have to make an AV exclusion rule for the installer process or files, or temporarily disable the AV software.

If you don't want any AV false positives and don't mind reduced functionality, you can use the CursorNode Pure64 edition. More information is available from the Version Information page.


4. The installing process is very slow to start

This happens on a non-updated Windows 7 or on a Windows 7 system that isn't connected to the internet. This is just a limitation of Windows 7, and there is nothing wrong. Please be patient and things will get going eventually.

If the internet is available at the moment of setup, then Windows will pull in all the security certificates it needs from official certificate authorities. This will then allow the setup package to be identified as from a recognized publisher.



Bullet point  Starting and running issues

1. CursorNode exits unexpectedly

This can happen for an out of date product version. The 1-readme.txt file in the program directory provides guidance on when update for the product is required. The guidance should be followed to avoid interruption to the product use.


2. Error message "A referral was returned from the server"

This error can pop up on CursorNode start after a major Windows update. The update can cause some required CursorNode components to be lost. A reinstall of CursorNode will fix this problem.

This error also pops up if CursorNode is out of date. Updating to the current version will correct the problem. Additionally, this error can occur if Windows itself is not up-to-date.

If everything is up-to-date but the problem persists, the following console command may correct the problem on Windows 10:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\App Certification Kit\signtool.exe" verify /v /pa "C:\Program Files (x86)\Cursor Node\CursorNode.exe"

Signtool is a small program installed as part of Windows SDK. If you don't have it, the SDK can be installed from an official Microsoft download, and then uninstalled after use.


3. CursorNode is very slow to start

This happens on a non-updated Windows 7 or on a Windows 7 system that isn't connected to the internet. This is just a limitation of Windows 7, and there is nothing wrong. Please be patient and things will get going eventually.

If the internet is available at the moment of CursorNode start, then Windows will pull in all the security certificates it needs from official certificate authorities. This will then allow CursorNode to be identified as from a recognized publisher. Thereafter, everything will work quickly and normally.

A side effect of slow starting is that the option "Panel-tab >> Interfacing >> Administrator mode" may not work. This is because the administrator mode CursorNode instance must be started within 6 seconds or the attempt will be abandoned. If this happens, CursorNode will stay running in User mode.



Bullet point  Incompatible with Windows 10 Ease-of-Access Cursor Scaling

CursorNode is not compatible with the cursor scaling feature found in Windows 10 release 1903 and later. This feature is accessed from:

  Start Menu right arrow Settings right arrow Ease of Access right arrow Cursor & pointer

It is recommended that CursorNode not be used with this feature. To return Windows to the state that CursorNode can work with, please do the following:

  1. Start Menu right arrow Settings right arrow Ease of Access right arrow Cursor & pointer right arrow drag size slider to the smallest

2. Right click start button right arrow Run right arrow Control Panel right arrow Mouse right arrow Pointers
    right arrow Customise: Normal Select
    right arrow Browse right arrow C:\Windows\Cursors\aero_arrow_[l or xl].cur
    right arrow Open right arrow Apply


Bullet point  Incompatible with Virtual Machines

CursorNode is not designed for use in virtual machines. Although you can test run it in a VM briefly, you will not be able to license such an installation. Because of limitations of VM's, various features of CursorNode may not work properly. To evaluate the full capabilities of CursorNode, a real machine is needed.



Bullet point  Cursor customization not working

Various reasons can cause cursor customization to not work properly. Here are some of the known scenarios and solutions. If your specific scenario is not covered by this, then please contact support or ask a question in the forum. We should be able to give you an answer quickly.

1. Customized cursor doesn't show in 32bit program

This happens if you are using the CursorNode Pure64 edition. The Pure64 edition is not fully compatible with 32bit programs. You can check what edition you have from the Info-tab. A 32bit program is shown in Windows 10 Task Manager as having "(32 bit)" in its process name. Most older games and apps are 32bit. There are a couple of solutions: A) You can use a highlighter to make cursors more visible. Tick the "Highlighter" option for a CursorNode cursor you want to use as a highlighter. B) Install the Standard or Legacy edition of CursorNode. Both are compatible with 32bit and 64bit programs.


2. Customized cursor doesn't show in administrator mode program

This happens if you are running CursorNode in User mode. The mode is indicated by Panel-tab >> Interfacing. While running in user mode, CursorNode does not have the needed system privileges to work with programs running in administrator mode. Any program that produces the UAC prompt on starting is running in administrator mode. Any program started by the windows installer runs in administrator mode. Many standard windows apps such as the Task Manager, Event Viewer, etc run in administrator mode by default. Many games run in administrator mode. To correct this problem, there are a couple of solutions: A) You can use a highlighter to make cursors more visible. B) Restart CursorNode in administrator mode. You can do this by right clicking the CursorNode shortcut and select "Run as administrator". If you want CursorNode to start in administrator mode automatically, then follow the instructions given (if any) after selecting CursorNode Panel-tab >> Interfacing >> Administrator mode. While running in administrator mode, CursorNode will work with programs not running in administrator mode, and programs running in administrator mode.


3. Customized cursor doesn't show in game with anti-cheat

While running in User or Administrator mode, CursorNode does not have the system privileges to work with many anti-cheat protected games. The current run mode is indicated by Panel-tab >> Interfacing. There are a couple of solutions: A) You can use a highlighter to make cursors more visible. B) Run CursorNode in System mode. The system mode is like administrator mode but with more system privileges. You can start CursorNode in system mode by following the instructions given after selecting CursorNode Panel-tab >> Interfacing >> System mode. While running in system mode, CursorNode will work with programs not running in administrator mode, programs running in administrator mode, and programs protected by well-known anti-cheats.


4. Customized cursor doesn't show in non-focused window

This is a designed limitation of CursorNode when working with a UWP program. The solution is to give the window focus. UWP programs are found on Windows 10 and later. The Windows 10 Calculator is a typical UWP program. Many games from Windows Store are UWP programs.


5. Large customized cursor doesn't show in game

Customized cursor (non-highlighter) larger than 64 pixels in width or height may not show up in a game running in exclusive full-screen mode. This happens on Windows 7 and earlier, or in older games. This is a limitation of legacy Windows or legacy game graphics engine, and can be corrected by configuring the game to use windowed full-screen mode rather than exclusive full-screen mode. All cursor sizes are usable in games running in windowed mode.


6. Customized cursor doesn't show at all, anywhere

This can happen for the Standard and Legacy editions of CursorNode. Make sure cursor customization hasn't been disabled by ticking the option "See-tab >> See customized cursor now". if the customized cursor doesn't even show on the Windows desktop, then it is possible part of CursorNode has been blocked by your antivirus software. You can confirm this by checking the antivirus logs. If the antivirus is quarantining or deleting any files from the CursorNode program directory, this will prevent CursorNode from working properly. To correct this, you have to make an AV exclusion rule for the blocked files. On some AV's, you may also need to make an exclusion rule for the in-memory process of the blocked files. Please consult your AV vendor or manual on how to create these rules.

The CursorNode program is built, tested, and released without virus. You can verify the installed files are genuine as we have released them by comparing their SHA256 checksums against our published data. Any alert from your AV on a genuine file can be treated as a false positive.

You are welcome to submit any CursorNode files to your AV vendor for white listing, thereby eliminating any false positive nuisance. The AV vendor may assign extra weight for submissions made by their paid customers.

If you don't want any AV false positives and don't mind reduced functionality, you can use the CursorNode Pure64 edition. More information is available in the Version Information page.


7. Highlighter not showing in game

This happens usually in older games built using legacy graphics engine. This problem can be corrected by configuring the game to use windowed full-screen mode rather than exclusive full-screen mode. The highlighter will always work with games running in windowed mode.


8. Highlighter not tracking game cursor correctly

If the highlighter's position is wrong relative to the game cursor being highlighted, then this is caused by bugged graphics scaling in the game. To correct this, you can configure the game to run in windowed mode. Do not maximize the window, although you can manually size the window to be as large as you need it.


9. Highlighter shadow

When using a highlighter cursor on Windows 7 and earlier, a black shadow may follow the highlighter cursor in a game window. If the game is busy loading, the shadow may end up "painting" a large part the window black. This issue is caused by non-optimum Windows display settings. To correct this, please apply the following settings:

  services.msc right arrow Desktop Window Manger Session Manager right arrow General right arrow Startup type right arrow Automatic

Control Panel right arrow System right arrow Advanced system settings right arrow Advanced right arrow Settings right arrow Visual effects right arrow Adjust for best appearance

The following variation will also work:

  services.msc right arrow Desktop Window Manger Session Manager right arrow General right arrow Startup type right arrow Automatic

Control Panel right arrow System right arrow Advanced system settings right arrow Advanced right arrow Settings right arrow Visual effects right arrow Custom

Tick "Use visual styles on windows and buttons"
Tick "Enable desktop composition"

After saving these settings, please restart windows and then double check the settings are still there because sometimes the save may fail with no warning.



Bullet point  Losing CursorNode or cursor settings

CursorNode saves all settings it uses to the Windows registry at:

  Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\CursorNode

These settings are not deleted even if you uninstall CursorNode. If another program/process on your PC is deleting or changing data under this registry key, it will cause CursorNode to lose/forget its settings.

To correct this issue, please stop any other program from manipulating this registry key, or add CursorNode and the registry key to the program's exclusion list if it has one. A good place to start is to check if any antivirus software is configured to delete new and unrecognized registry keys.


Bullet point  Downgrading

If you run into problems with the latest release of CursorNode, you can try downgrading to a previous release that we have determined to be stable. The stable version is available for download from the Version Information page.

Downgrading is only intended as a temporary measure. Users encountering problems are encouraged to submit reports to Support. This is the quickest way to have problems fixed. All we need to know are the Windows version and the name of the program CursorNode is having trouble with. Support is available for both licensed and trial users alike.

Old version of CursorNode will be withdrawn as time passes. Users who rely solely on the downgraded version will end up not having access to a usable version as we move forward with releases and withdraw old versions.




SOLUTIONS TO LICENSING ISSUES


Bullet point  You have paid, but where is the license?

Full instructions are given in the Activate page under the heading "What happens after you buy".


Bullet point  How to use a license

Once you have your licence, please enter it in the Info-tab of CursorNode in the indicated box. The Authorize License Code button (the button with a door key symbol) must be pressed to complete the licensing process. If an error is indicated, then please correct the error, or see other solutions below, and try again.


Bullet point  Program message "#L0003 Network error"

The CursorNode program is unable to contact the licensing server. Often, this is because the local firewall is blocking access. In that case, granting internet access to "CursorNode.exe" will resolve the problem. For an activated CursorNode installation, internet access is not required beyond activation. For an installation that uses a subscription, ongoing but intermittent internet access at user selectable interval is required.

On rare occasions, this error can be caused by external issues, such as loss of internet connection to the ISP, or that our server is down. External issues can be diagnosed by visiting our websites. If either of our main and forum websites remains accessible (be sure to use the browser refresh button to exclude a locally cached copy), then there are no serious external issues affecting the licensing service.

CursorNode only needs to access port 443 on cursornode.com and srv1.cursornode.com. You can configure your firewall to restrict access only to these URL's and port if you so wish. These URL's are fixed. However, the underlaying IP addresses may change because sometimes we relocate the server to different commercial data centers to improve network reliability and speed. The reason two URL's are used is for geographically dispersed fault tolerant redundancy.


Bullet point  New license is invalid/expired

This can happen if CursorNode is out of date and not recognizing a changed license code format. Updating to a current program version will fix the problem.


Bullet point  Deleting or replacing a license

If for some reason you want to replace the license you are using with another license, you can manually delete the following file:

C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Local\Cursor Node\CursorNode.dat

Where "[user name]" is your actual Windows user name. Note that AppData could be a hidden directory on your system. Even if you cannot see the directory, you will be able to access it by entering its path in the Windows file explorer. Once the .dat file is deleted, CursorNode will become unlicensed after a program restart, and will allow you to enter another license in the Info-tab. You can also re-enter your existing license if you just want to check the validity of it.


Bullet point  Retrieving a license

If you lose your license, you can retrieve it by sending a request to Support. Your email address should match the original address that received the PayPal receipt when you made the purchase. We use the email address to identify the owner of a license. Therefore, you do not need to provide other identification information if you contact us using the appropriate address. However, if your original email account is lost, then you can use an alternate address. In that case, we will take additional steps to validate you as the rightful owner of a license.



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