A reader wrote to ask:
Question: I have WinXPSP2. Is it possible to uninstall Magnifier? Probably not. Every once in a while the Magnifier shows up on my desktop, and I don’t know how to get rid of it. If I shut down and reboot, it goes away. Thanks in advance…many users have the same problem. How come? Irv
There are two Magnifiers — I didn’t know (initially) which one is bothering him.
The Windows XP one is found under Start > All Programs > Accessibility > Magnifier.
To turn it off, uncheck the box beside “Show Magnifier”. That takes effect immediately. Click Exit. I never have used this one (except experimenting just now) and haven’t had it come on automatically.
There’s also a Magnifier that is part of most mouse software. By default, one of the mouse buttons triggers it, at least with the Microsoft Mouse.
If you’ve got a Microsoft Mouse, go to Start > Control Panel > Printers and other Hardware > Mouse. Then, on the Buttons tab, change Magnify to “Disabled.” Click Apply and then OK.
That’s what I did with my Microsoft notebook mouse — Magnifier was driving me crazy.
Irving wrote back to tell me that he was using a Microsoft Mouse and its software:
My mouse shows "magnifier" as default for one of the buttons. I don’t have an option for "disabled", so I selected "delete" from the menu. This should work. I tried to accidentally hit the small button on my mouse and no magnifier….don’t know what "delete" will do when I click on mouse’s small button
I think I’d pick a different option than "delete." I can imagine losing files and desktop icons because I accidentally clicked the button.
A better choice for Irving would be to go to www.microsoft.com and look for an update for his mouse software.
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