using Win11, frequently have to reboot to get mouse to work again after 'lock'ing desktop - help!

atyar1973 

If you don't have the latest graphics drivers installed (WHQL) from the OEM or vendor, things like drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop will not work properly (most animations and visual effects depend on the shader cache.) The mouse pointer / trackpad / peripheral device could be in a low power state, but it's probably just related to your graphics drivers. It's hard to say. You could try this even:

Control Panel -> Power Options -> Balanced -> Change plan settings -> Change advanced power settings -> USB Settings -> USB selective suspend setting -> Disabled

Control Panel -> Device Manager -> Mice and other pointing devices -> Select the device (mouse / trackpad, etc.) -> Right Click -> Properties -> Power Management -> Uncheck: Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power

Start Menu -> Run -> C:\Windows\System32\SystemPropertiesAdvanced.exe -> Performance -> Settings... -> Visual Effects -> Select: Adjust for best performance