diff --git a/c-host/app.c b/c-host/app.c
index 206c148d..38194fcc 100644
--- a/c-host/app.c
+++ b/c-host/app.c
@@ -49,31 +49,31 @@ struct app
 
   bool             running;
   bool             reinit;
-  osEventHandle  * updateEvent;
   osThreadHandle * pointerThread;
-  osEventHandle  * pointerEvent;
   osThreadHandle * frameThread;
-  osEventHandle  * frameEvent;
 };
 
 static struct app app;
 
 static int pointerThread(void * opaque)
 {
-  DEBUG_INFO("Cursor thread started");
+  DEBUG_INFO("Pointer thread started");
 
-  while(os_waitEvent(app.pointerEvent) && app.running)
-  {
 #if 0
+  while(app.running)
+  {
     CapturePointer pointer;
     pointer->data = app.pointerData;
     if (!app.iface->getPointer(&pointer))
+    {
       DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to get the pointer");
-#endif
-    os_signalEvent(app.updateEvent);
+      app.reinit = true;
+      break;
+    }
   }
+#endif
 
-  DEBUG_INFO("Cursor thread stopped");
+  DEBUG_INFO("Pointer thread stopped");
   return 0;
 }
 
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ static int frameThread(void * opaque)
   int      frameIndex = 0;
   volatile KVMFRFrame * fi = &(app.shmHeader->frame);
 
-  while(os_waitEvent(app.frameEvent) && app.running)
+  while(app.running)
   {
     CaptureFrame frame;
     frame.data = app.frame[frameIndex];
@@ -92,12 +92,9 @@ static int frameThread(void * opaque)
     {
       DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to get the frame");
       app.reinit = true;
-      os_signalEvent(app.updateEvent);
       break;
     }
 
-    os_signalEvent(app.updateEvent);
-
     // wait for the client to finish with the previous frame
     while(fi->flags & KVMFR_FRAME_FLAG_UPDATE && app.running)
     {
@@ -155,8 +152,6 @@ bool stopThreads()
   bool ok = true;
 
   app.running = false;
-  os_signalEvent(app.frameEvent  );
-  os_signalEvent(app.pointerEvent);
 
   if (app.frameThread && !os_joinThread(app.frameThread, NULL))
   {
@@ -187,9 +182,6 @@ static bool captureStart()
   }
   DEBUG_INFO("Capture Size     : %u MiB (%u)", maxFrameSize / 1048576, maxFrameSize);
 
-  // start signalled
-  os_signalEvent(app.updateEvent);
-
   DEBUG_INFO("==== [ Capture  Start ] ====");
   return startThreads();
 }
@@ -270,30 +262,7 @@ int app_main()
     goto fail;
   }
 
-  app.iface      = iface;
-  app.frameEvent = os_createEvent(true);
-  if (!app.frameEvent)
-  {
-    DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to create the frame event");
-    exitcode = -1;
-    goto exit;
-  }
-
-  app.updateEvent = os_createEvent(false);
-  if (!app.updateEvent)
-  {
-    DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to create the update event");
-    exitcode = -1;
-    goto exit;
-  }
-
-  app.pointerEvent = os_createEvent(true);
-  if (!app.pointerEvent)
-  {
-    DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to create the pointer event");
-    exitcode = -1;
-    goto exit;
-  }
+  app.iface = iface;
 
   // initialize the shared memory headers
   memcpy(app.shmHeader->magic, KVMFR_HEADER_MAGIC, sizeof(KVMFR_HEADER_MAGIC));
@@ -310,19 +279,12 @@ int app_main()
     goto exit;
   }
 
-  // start signalled
-  os_signalEvent(app.updateEvent);
-
   volatile char * flags = (volatile char *)&(app.shmHeader->flags);
 
   while(app.running)
   {
     INTERLOCKED_AND8(flags, ~(KVMFR_HEADER_FLAG_RESTART));
 
-    // wait for one of the threads to flag an update
-    if (!os_waitEvent(app.updateEvent) || !app.running)
-      break;
-
     if (app.reinit && !captureRestart())
     {
       exitcode = -1;
@@ -333,7 +295,6 @@ int app_main()
     bool frameUpdate   = false;
     bool pointerUpdate = false;
 
-retry_capture:
     switch(iface->capture(&frameUpdate, &pointerUpdate))
     {
       case CAPTURE_RESULT_OK:
@@ -355,39 +316,12 @@ retry_capture:
         exitcode = -1;
         goto finish;
     }
-
-    if (!frameUpdate && !pointerUpdate)
-      goto retry_capture;
-
-    os_resetEvent(app.updateEvent);
-    if (frameUpdate && !os_signalEvent(app.frameEvent))
-    {
-      DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to signal the frame thread");
-      exitcode = -1;
-      goto finish;
-    }
-
-    if (pointerUpdate && !os_signalEvent(app.pointerEvent))
-    {
-      DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to signal the pointer thread");
-      exitcode = -1;
-      goto finish;
-    }
   }
 
 finish:
   stopThreads();
 exit:
 
-  if (app.pointerEvent)
-    os_freeEvent(app.pointerEvent);
-
-  if (app.frameEvent)
-    os_freeEvent(app.frameEvent);
-
-  if (app.updateEvent)
-    os_freeEvent(app.updateEvent);
-
   iface->deinit();
   iface->free();
 fail:
@@ -398,5 +332,4 @@ fail:
 void app_quit()
 {
   app.running = false;
-  os_signalEvent(app.updateEvent);
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/c-host/windows/capture/dxgi.c b/c-host/windows/capture/dxgi.c
index f4d49b3b..a03a4b58 100644
--- a/c-host/windows/capture/dxgi.c
+++ b/c-host/windows/capture/dxgi.c
@@ -32,17 +32,21 @@ Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
 // locals
 struct iface
 {
-  bool                     initialized;
-  IDXGIFactory1          * factory;
-  IDXGIAdapter1          * adapter;
-  IDXGIOutput            * output;
-  ID3D11Device           * device;
-  ID3D11DeviceContext    * deviceContext;
-  D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL        featureLevel;
-  IDXGIOutputDuplication * dup;
-  ID3D11Texture2D        * texture;
-  bool                     needsRelease;
-  osEventHandle          * copyEvent;
+  bool                       initialized;
+  IDXGIFactory1            * factory;
+  IDXGIAdapter1            * adapter;
+  IDXGIOutput              * output;
+  ID3D11Device             * device;
+  ID3D11DeviceContext      * deviceContext;
+  D3D_FEATURE_LEVEL          featureLevel;
+  IDXGIOutputDuplication   * dup;
+  ID3D11Texture2D          * texture;
+  D3D11_MAPPED_SUBRESOURCE   mapping;
+  bool                       needsRelease;
+  bool                       needsUnmap;
+  osEventHandle            * copyEvent;
+  osEventHandle            * frameEvent;
+  osEventHandle            * pointerEvent;
 
   unsigned int  width;
   unsigned int  height;
@@ -84,6 +88,25 @@ static bool dxgi_create()
     return false;
   }
 
+  this->frameEvent = os_createEvent(true);
+  if (!this->frameEvent)
+  {
+    DEBUG_ERROR("failed to create the frame event");
+    os_freeEvent(this->copyEvent);
+    free(this);
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  this->pointerEvent = os_createEvent(true);
+  if (!this->pointerEvent)
+  {
+    DEBUG_ERROR("failed to create the pointer event");
+    os_freeEvent(this->copyEvent );
+    os_freeEvent(this->frameEvent);
+    free(this);
+    return false;
+  }
+
   return true;
 }
 
@@ -364,6 +387,12 @@ static bool dxgi_deinit()
 {
   assert(this);
 
+  if (this->needsUnmap)
+  {
+    ID3D11DeviceContext_Unmap(this->deviceContext, (ID3D11Resource*)this->texture, 0);
+    this->needsUnmap = false;
+  }
+
   if (this->texture)
   {
     ID3D11Texture2D_Release(this->texture);
@@ -424,7 +453,9 @@ static void dxgi_free()
   if (this->initialized)
     dxgi_deinit();
 
-  os_freeEvent(this->copyEvent);
+  os_freeEvent(this->copyEvent   );
+  os_freeEvent(this->frameEvent  );
+  os_freeEvent(this->pointerEvent);
 
   free(this);
   this = NULL;
@@ -482,18 +513,40 @@ static CaptureResult dxgi_capture(bool * hasFrameUpdate, bool * hasPointerUpdate
       return CAPTURE_RESULT_ERROR;
     }
 
-    // wait for the prior copy to finish in getFrame
+    // wait for the prior copy to finish in getFrame and unmap
     os_waitEvent(this->copyEvent);
+    if (this->needsUnmap)
+    {
+      ID3D11DeviceContext_Unmap(this->deviceContext, (ID3D11Resource*)this->texture, 0);
+      this->needsUnmap = false;
+    }
 
+    // issue the copy from GPU to CPU RAM
     ID3D11DeviceContext_CopyResource(this->deviceContext,
       (ID3D11Resource *)this->texture, (ID3D11Resource *)src);
 
+    // map the resource (this must be done here as ID3D11DeviceContext is not thread safe)
+    status = ID3D11DeviceContext_Map(this->deviceContext, (ID3D11Resource*)this->texture, 0, D3D11_MAP_READ, 0, &this->mapping);
+    if (FAILED(status))
+    {
+      DEBUG_WINERROR("Failed to map the texture", status);
+      IDXGIResource_Release(res);
+      return CAPTURE_RESULT_ERROR;
+    }
+    this->needsUnmap = true;
+
+    // signal that a frame is available
+    os_signalEvent(this->frameEvent);
+
     ID3D11Texture2D_Release(src);
     *hasFrameUpdate = true;
   }
 
   if (frameInfo.PointerShapeBufferSize > 0)
+  {
+    os_signalEvent(this->pointerEvent);
     *hasPointerUpdate = true;
+  }
 
   IDXGIResource_Release(res);
   return CAPTURE_RESULT_OK;
@@ -504,24 +557,21 @@ static bool dxgi_getFrame(CaptureFrame * frame)
   assert(this);
   assert(this->initialized);
 
+  if (!os_waitEvent(this->frameEvent))
+  {
+    DEBUG_ERROR("Failed to wait on the frame event");
+    return false;
+  }
+
   frame->width  = this->width;
   frame->height = this->height;
   frame->pitch  = this->pitch;
   frame->stride = this->stride;
   frame->format = this->format;
 
-  HRESULT status;
-  D3D11_MAPPED_SUBRESOURCE mapping;
-  status = ID3D11DeviceContext_Map(this->deviceContext, (ID3D11Resource*)this->texture, 0, D3D11_MAP_READ, 0, &mapping);
-  if (FAILED(status))
-  {
-    DEBUG_WINERROR("Failed to map the texture", status);
-    return false;
-  }
 
-  memcpy(frame->data, mapping.pData, this->pitch * this->height);
+  memcpy(frame->data, this->mapping.pData, this->pitch * this->height);
 
-  ID3D11DeviceContext_Unmap(this->deviceContext, (ID3D11Resource*)this->texture, 0);
   os_signalEvent(this->copyEvent);
   return true;
 }