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Desktop Icons and Taskbar Icons are Flashing, Continously
Hi:
I am experiencing blinking/flashing of several icons that are located on my Win10-64 Pro desktop PC's screen, and several icons for programs and for File Manager, that are pinned to within the taskbar. The PC is a DELL XPS 8700 desktop. I think my PC has Windows 10 version 1803 installed on 5/19/2018, and am getting updates automatically from Microsoft.
Observations:
When booting the PC, after the login screen, it is taking an unusual amount of time to load the "image" part of the desktop icons; sometimes, the filenames' text appear first and quickly, and then a delay occurs before the icon images are "painted" onto the monitor's screen. I also noticed that while having File Manager opened, the same file names blink in the directory structure pane, at the far left.
I have allowed the PC to run overnight, and, upon returning and making use of browser for a period of approximately ten minutes, Windows crashes: the flashing taskbar icons disappear and are replaced with blank, box outlines; there is no response when clicking on a desktop icon or on a pinned taskbar's blank box; this happened several times; I had to reboot PC to regain control of taskbar and desktop icons.
What I have tried thus far and results:
1. I ran the inbuilt DELL diagnostics, and all hardware passed the "thorough" tests.
2. I followed instructions given in this YouTube video: Windows 10 - How to Fix Screen Flashing and Flickering Issue - YouTube, and by using msconfig, to locate and uncheck the boxes for two services: (1) WindowsErrorReporting and (2) ProblemsReportandSolutions.
I also uninstalled iCloud, which was suggested in that same YouTube video. But the flashing continues. This was done during Windows normal mode (while icons were blinking).
I then performed these same steps while in Windows Safe Mode with Networking; same results: flashing continues. (I struggle each time I atempt to find Windows Safe Mode booting.)
So, it does not appear that the (1) and (2) services nor iCloud are the cause of this problem.
3. I followed instructions given in this YouTube video: Disable Flashing Taskbar buttons or icons on Windows 10 taskbar - YouTube, and using regedit to locate (1) ForegroundFlashCount (set at 7h) and (2) ForegroundLockTimeout (set at 30d40h) and reset each of those to 0 (zero). The result of doing that is no improvement/change in the flashing icons. Have since reset these two services to 7h and 30d40h.
So, it appears that hacking those REG DWORDs has not helped me.
4. I also used Windows Restore to go back to 4 OCT 2018. That has not helped, either.
5. While running Windows in Normal Mode, I have stopped the Windows Search service using Administrator Tools>Services, but did not help. Have restarted the Windows Search service.
6. At some point along the line, I ran System File Check routine; found no errors. Ran DMIS(?);found no problems.
Any help would be appreciated.
TNX.
VinceB.
Last edited by VinceB; 15 Oct 2018 at 12:55.
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