Q: When I use my ANI file as a shortcut on the Windows desktop, the icon just sits there. How can I get the ANI to be animated?

• Your problem with ANI's is a limitation of the Windows desktop shell. The Windows desktop only displays the first frame of an ANI when used as an icon. You may, however, use the ANI as an animated cursor by opening the Control Panel and clicking on the Mouse cursor. Under the Pointers tab, you can choose to replace one or more of the default Windows cursors with your ANI creations.
   
  Note: Windows 3.1x users must rely on hardware drivers to display ANI cursors. Check your Mouse and Video card software to see if this feature is included.
   
  If you wish to use your ANI files as desktop icons, you must run a utility such as ActivIcons to force the icon to animate. Our SecurDesk! LV desktop replacement allows you to use ANI animations on its desktops without requiring any background utilities to be running. ANI's may also be used with other software programs, such as programming languages, databases, etc.