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I am trying to use the capture device where it uses a mouse pointer image. VLC version 2.0.2. Windows 7 64 bit.

I open the capture device as follows through the GUI:
- Media --> open capture device
- Capture Mode --> Desktop
- click show more options
- edit options
- my options looks like this:
" :screen-fps=10.000000 :live-caching=300 :screen-mouse-image=c:\Users\trevsmit\Desktop\mousePointer.png"

NOTE, the path to the mousePointer.png is correct. I copy and pasted instead of typing manually.

When I look at VLC log messages by pressing ctrl-M and upping logger to debug level. I get the following:
screen debug: Using c:\Users\trevsmit\Desktop\mousePointer.png for the mouse pointer image
main debug: creating access 'c:\Users\trevsmit\Desktop\mousePointer.png' location='', path='(null)'
main debug: looking for access module: 0 candidates
main debug: no access module matched "c:\Users\trevsmit\Desktop\mousePointer.png"
main debug: TIMER module_need() : 0.083 ms - Total 0.083 ms / 1 intvls (Avg 0.083 ms)
qt4 debug: IM: Deleting the input
main error: no suitable access module for `c:\Users\trevsmit\Desktop\mousePointer.png'
main debug: could not open c:\Users\trevsmit\Desktop\mousePointer.png for reading
screen error: Failed to open mouse pointer image (c:\Users\trevsmit\Desktop\mousePointer.png)

NOTE, I added the bold emphasis.

I checked permissions and the file has rwx for all users. so i don't think permissions is an issue.

How do you get the mouse pointer to capture in Desktop screen capture mode?

So there wasn't anything that I could find on google or these forums. but i did my own debugging. i enabled logging. i also went and output the vlc.exe -H and noticed that many of the files need to have a specific URL. i.e. file:///. i then saw what the syntax for opening a file is when you open a video file.

then i tried using the same screen-mouse-image option. but this time i used the file:/// url. here's the full option i provided to the GUI: Now there is not any errors in the log file and vlc is recording a mouse cursor.

Thank you so much for figuring this out!

I have had the same problem for a long time, but could never get it to work.

Hi, I used the suggested URL code (:screen-mouse-image=file:///c:/Users/trevsmit/Desktop/mousePointer.png) and it worked on one Windows 7 computer, but not on another. I got the error pop-up below on the latter computer. . . anyone know what this means?

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: vlc.exe
Application Version: 2.0.4.0
Application Timestamp: 507c71cd
Fault Module Name: vlc.exe
Fault Module Version: 2.0.4.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 507c71cd
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 00001795
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: ca03
Additional Information 2: ca03f781e1fe10b29c3297b35ab67ef4
Additional Information 3: 28aa
Additional Information 4: 28aacfab70213b86b52bbcfc2d9afc18