You can:
1. Ctrl Alt Del ... shut down the process in task manager.
2. Change the resolution on your desktop.
3. Turn off the fancy graphic interface in Vista (I forget the name now)
I have the same problem...and I use option 2 to get around it. Just right click your desktop, chose Personalize, Display Settings, change your screen resolution to anything besides what it is. Then change it back.
Also, if you get a utility (my graphics card driver came with one) that lets you change resolutions using hot keys, it saves some time.
Not sure why EA does not patch this. It is something that could be fixed on their end.