See below screenshot. This just appeared today. It shows up in screenshots, so it isn't stuck pixels. It's on top of every window, but it disappears when the screensaver comes on.

Any ideas?

if it appears on screenshots, then it is not a moniter problem is it.

...

it likely a graphics card error.

No it's not. It's the glow effect Vista puts on the minimize and maximize window buttons. I'll say something done f*** up in one of Windows' graphics subsystems and it didn't get removed properly. I've had the same thing happen with tooltips before.

Reboot and it'll go away.

Edit: Wait, no you're running XP. Just reboot and stop using crappy Vista imitation themes.

Gotta love windows. "I know my mouse is over the X, but I sure am glad they put this glow around the button to confirm what I already knew! Thanks Microsoft! "

Considering we've been staring at just my mouse over the X since windows 93 , I think its a welcome change. Any refresh that doesn't effect functionality is a good thing IMO. Unless of course it causes problems like the OP's.

Eh, I don't really care for much graphical improvements to the OS UI... I still like how Windows 2000 looks, just too bad it functions like turd.

In Windows sometimes effects get "stuck" but they usually go away after a while, or if you reboot. Possibly if you log off and back on.

Usually happens with menu selections with me. Commonly occurs when there is high cpu usage but then it's usually temporary until the cpu usage goes down. More rarely is it permanent.

I tend to strip away any sort of extraneous graphical "improvements" that do nothing but add flash. Hell, I went so far as to switch to a minimalist linux UI anyway