topic Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors) in Graphics

Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Fri, 17 Nov 2017 18:57:44 GMT

About a month ago I bought an HP Pavilion desktop system with Intel HD 630 integrated graphics. About a week ago I started noticing very random "glitches" - screen flicker or jumps. On several occasions it got quite sever, and one (or both) monitors went totally black. As far as I can ascertain, there is no "trigger", it just happens. It has happened under various conditions (temp, software, on web, off line, etc.). I am using two ViewSonic VX 2257 MHD 24" monitors (primary connected to the HDMI port, secondary to the D-Sub 15 pin port). After searching the web, I read an Amazon review by a guy that bought 13 of these monitors for his office. He wrote that he had the exact same issues with all the monitors, and ViewSonic offered no help. Somehow (he did not elaborate) they traced the issue to the graphics driver (brand unspecified). Sooo... I was wondering if there is a known issue with these monitors and the HD 630 driver?

Also, since I did not notice this issue for a few weeks (which can be deceiving because I may have just not seen it - it is very random) and there was an Intel update that was applied around Nov 8th (shortly before I noticed this issue), would it be advisable to roll back the driver? Are older drivers available for download?

I realize there are many variables here, and I saw your post about using a chart (frankly I was confused about how to use it) to provide info. Here is my system info:

Windows 10 Professional (x64) Version 1709 (build 16299.64)

HP Pavilion Desktop PC 570-p027

3.00 gigahertz Intel Core i5-7400

12 GB DDR4 RAM

128GB SSD (primary)

2TB SSD (data)

2TB & 800GB USB drives

4TB WD MyCloud Home Duo

The ViewSonic Display Drivers are current.

This issue usually is insignificant (i.e. just an inconvenience), but maybe 5 times so far, one or both monitors are unusable for maybe 10 minutes. I worked with HP for over an hour running various tests, and the computer itself seem faultless (the screens broke up during a test of the video, but the tests all passed, so I thought the issue was the monitors, which seemed unlikely since they both do the same stuff - albeit NOT at the same time usually - however when I found a guy with 13 of them doing the same thing, I started to dig deeper). Any advice is appreciated. This is extremely frustrating since the system is less than 2 months old. Thanx!

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

idata — Sat, 18 Nov 2017 01:20:46 GMT

Hello MikeyChris,

Thank you for contacting Intel® technical support. I will be more than happy to help you.

I understand that you are having issues with a dual monitor setup in your computer with an Intel® HD Graphics 630 controller.

Please let me know if you are using splitters, a docking station, or any kind of adapters to connect these monitors to the computer.

Also, to better assist you with your request, I will need to check some information about your computer. Please follow these steps:

In the keyboard, press WinLogo key + R.
In the Run box please type dxdiag and hit Enter.
Click on Save All Information (save it in your desktop).
Attach to this thread the file

To attach a file, you must click the "Attach" option on the bottom right hand corner of the response box.

Regards,

Xavier A.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Sat, 18 Nov 2017 21:53:10 GMT

No splitters, etc. The computer is a desktop HP Pavilion with integrated Intel HD 630 graphics. I am using both the HDMI and d-subminiature 15 pin outputs to feed two identical ViewSonic VX2257-MHD monitors. Both monitors are exhibiting instability – flicker, sometimes going totally black. Both monitors work fine with a cable TV convertor box (feeding the HDMI ports on the monitors).

I ran DxDiag, but do not see an ATTACH option, only @mention. Please advise. Thanx.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Sat, 18 Nov 2017 22:02:09 GMT

My problem is I can't locate the RESPONSE BLOCK. I guess I'm just not seeing it (first time using this board). Please explain. Thanx.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

idata — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 23:08:09 GMT

Hello MikeyChris,

Please click "Use advanced editor" in the top right and then click the "Attach" option on the bottom right hand the response box.

Regards,

Xavier A.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 23:28:17 GMT

We don't seem to be on the same wavelength here. I do not see a "response block" nor do I see "attach", so I can't select "use advanced editor".

Perhaps I am missing the obvious.

>> Please click "Use advanced editor" in the top right and then click the "Attach" option on the bottom right hand the response box.

I am looking at the top right of the screen and I see an "@" sign, a profile drop menu button and a search "spy glass". Am I supposed to see "use advanced editor" while I am posting this message? I do not see it anywhere. Maybe a screen grab would help.

OK, I just saw an "attach" in the bottom right corner, and clicked it and was able to attach the file. Sorry for all the confusion, I just wasn't seeing it.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

idata — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 23:46:34 GMT

Hello MikeyChris,

Thank you for the information provided. In this case, I would recommend uninstalling and deleting the graphics driver in your system, and then doing a manual installation of the latest driver release.

Please follow the steps below to uninstall the graphics driver:

On the keyboard, press WinLogo key + R, then type in devmgmt.msc
Expand the Display Adapters section.
Find the Intel® Graphics Driver. The driver can also be called the Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver (Intel® GMA Driver).
Right-click the Intel Graphics Driver and select Uninstall.
Select the check box Delete the driver software for this device.
Reboot the computer after the uninstall process has finished.

Please follow these steps in order to update the graphics driver:

Download the graphics driver ZIP file: https://downloadmirror.intel.com/27266/a08/win64_15600.4849.zip
Unzip the file to a designated location or folder.
Right-click Windows Start icon and open Device Manager.
Click Yes when prompted for permission from User Account Control.
Expand the Display adapters section.
Right-click the Intel® graphics entry and select Update Driver Software.
Click "Browse my computer for driver software".
Click "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer".
Click "Have Disk".
Click "Browse".
Access the designated location or folder, and access a folder called "Graphics".
Select the file called "igdlh64" or "igdlh".
Click Open, then click OK, and finally click Next. Drivers are now being installed.
Reboot your computer.

Regards,

Xavier A.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 02:36:41 GMT

We seem to have gone from bad to worse. After doing all that (seemingly successfully, after rebooting, I found I had NO display adaptor listed in device manager, not even a place holder. A generic MS adaptor seems to be installed, and it evidently doesn't support two video outputs because both monitors have the same video and selecting "display settings" and right clicking and trying to detect another monitor shows no other monito available. On top of that, the sync problem is still here, so I guess it was not the Intel drivers. Any idea how I can restore Display Adaptor to Device Manager? When I click ACTION in Device Manager, the only choice is HELP. Help!

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

idata — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 20:56:21 GMT

Hello MikeyChris,

I am sorry to see that this happened. Just to confirm, did you follow the two set of steps and did you reboot the computer after each set?

Also, please attach to this thread a screenshot of what you see in the Device Manager in order to confirm what would be best the way to assist you with this new situation.

Regards,

Xavier A.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 00:51:47 GMT

Hello Xavier,

Last night I rolled back to a restore point before I tried to change the driver, then did the procedure again, and it worked fine. However, the issue with unstable video remains, albeit not as bad (often) as before - however, it was very random, so this probably doesn't mean anything. After I updated the driver, the system was stable for over an hour, then started becoming unstable on the VGA monitor, then the HDMI monitor and eventually was bad enough as to unusable. I left the system alone for several hours, and have been back at it for an hour or so, and it is fine right now.

It is a very strange issue. The system worked fine for about three weeks, never a bounce. Then an occasional flicker or jump, then an occasional black screen. I started out with two new Viewsonic monitors, then bought two new HP monitors (HP support acted like they wouldn't help due to the third party monitors, so I bought more monitors). All four of these monitors showed the same issues (jumpy video, often going to black screen), but I also hooked the system to a cheap 15" TV (also has an HDMI input) and it worked flawlessly for two days.

The HPSA support people had me run some video tests, and even though the monitors were jumping during the test, the system passed all the tests. These were video memory tests mainly, from a pre-boot troubleshooting routine.

I appreciate your help, and am willing to continue troubleshooting (I really don't want to get another computer, I just finally got this one almost set up the way I want it). Any more ideas?

Thanx,

Mike

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

idata — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 19:57:04 GMT

Hello MikeyChris,

I am sorry to see that the issue still persists even with the latest driver.

Another suggestion I can give is to install the driver provided by HP for this computer. I can see that they even released a few updates, so you can try the latest one.

Please try the latest driver from HP and let me know if the issue persists afterwards. You can download it in the next link: http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp81001-81500/sp81175.exe

Please be aware that the content on that site is not controlled by Intel®. This information is offered for your convenience and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Intel® for the merchants or services offered there.

Regards,

Xavier A.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 16:37:38 GMT

Hello again Xavier,

And happy thanksgiving!

Well, since I installed the new Intel driver a couple days ago, the system has been MUCH better, but still has two random issues:

1) The VGA output randomly goes to black for 1 - 2 seconds. Rarely it will last a few seconds longer. When this happens there is no instability in the video before or after the black screen.

2) The HDMI output randomly and infrequently (maybe 6 times in the last two days) shows instability in the bottom of the video. I am a retired video systems engineer, and this display reminded me of the early days of helical scan VTR's. They had skewing and instability at the TOP of the picture that resembled this issue (which is at the bottom of the picture). In any case, the problems are no where near as severe as they were originally.

I will try the HP driver you mentioned tomorrow or someday soon (too many things to do right now).

I really appreciate your help! You have gone above and beyond what I could have possibly expected.

Mike

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 16:48:41 GMT

One more thing Xavier. The links you provide seem to behave oddly. When I clicked the link to the Intel driver, my browser would not allow me to download it. I got a message saying the page was blocked or something (I forget the words used). I tried MS Edge, Chrome and Firefox and they all did the same thing. I then simply copied the link into Edge's url line, and it worked fine. Just now when I clicked the link to the HP driver, I went to a forum page. So I copied the link into the url line, and the file ftp'ed just fine. I don't know if it's my system or your links, but something is weird.

Mike

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 18:09:29 GMT

OK, this is the latest update - Nov 24, 2017.

I installed the "new" HP driver. Turns out it was the same driver I had already installed on the computer, driver (version 22.20.16.4771) dated 8/13/2017. However, system became very unstable again after reinstalling that driver. After I went back to the latest Intel driver (version 23.20.16.4849) the system is much more stable, albeit still randomly unstable.

Does this mean it is a driver issue, or is this inconclusive?

Thanx again.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

idata — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 22:15:28 GMT

Hello MikeyChris,

Thank you for the information. I cannot tell for sure that the issue is specifically related to the driver, but we can go ahead and perform a test in our laboratories to look for a solution or a workaround.

We will need to replicate the issue in our labs. Per procedure to replicate the issue, please follow the next link to find a table. Reply to this post and add that table answering all the requested information.

https://communities.intel.com/thread/77761 https://communities.intel.com/thread/77761

Regards,

Xavier A.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 16:35:48 GMT

Hello Xavier,

Thank you again for your help. Here is all the data requested:

Category

Questions

Answers (N/A if not applicable)

Description

Provide a detailed description of the issue

Primary Monitor (HDMI) Random sync instability, mainly at bottom of screen.

Secondary Monitor (VGA) goes totally black. Note: VGA problem happens more than HDMI problem, both are very random, but when they occur often it is when a window is opened (on either monitor).

Please place an X to the right of the option showing how often you see this issue using specific steps. (Ex: 'Every few times a game is started it flickers.' <- This would be "Often")<p>

Always (100%):

Often (51-99%):

Sporadic (20-50%):

Very Sporadic (<20%): X</span>

Hardware (HW)

Brand and Model of the system.

HP Pavilion Desktop PC 570-p027

Hybrid or switchable graphics system?

ie Does it have AMD or NV graphics too?

Integrated Intel HD 630 only

Make and model of any Displays that are used to see the issue (see note2 below).

LFP = Local Flat Panel (Laptop panel)

EFP = External Flat Panel (Monitor you plug in)

2 x HP 22cwa (product # T4Q59AA)

One connected to the HDMI port, the other to the VGA (15 pin) port.

How much memory [RAM] in the system (...

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

idata — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 20:46:41 GMT

Hello MikeyChris,

Thank you very much for the information. We tried to replicate the issues in our laboratories, but we were unable to do so. Since we were not able to replicate the issue, we cannot recommend you a workaround at this moment.

However, in order to further assist you with your situation, I am going to escalate this forum thread to the next level of support, and we will be posting back as soon as possible with any information that we can provide you with.

Regards,

Xavier A.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 18:11:56 GMT

Hi Xavier,

Thanx for the lab tests. Since the variations (hardware & other installed software) present zillions of permutations, I understand the difficulties in trying to replicate issues. Also, thanx for

elevating my posts. Can you tell me if I am the only person with this issue, or have others experienced it? I don't know how many of this model (HP 570-p027) Pavilion computers are out there, but I would assume there are many. When I was dealing with HPSA (their local computer to support chat service) I asked if this was a "known issue" and was told it is. However, I'm not at all sure the tech understood my question. He kept trying to steer me to their pay service (I forget the name, something with friend in the title I believe). I also asked him how to boot into SAFE mode (because this procedure is NOT in the User Guide for the computer), and he either wouldn't or couldn't tell me the answer (I asked him out right if he was refusing to answer, he said NO but never answered), and again tried to steer me to the pay service. That was when I decided I wasn't getting anywhere with HP and started looking for alternatives, and eventually realized Intel may be able to help. So I am quite grateful for your efforts.

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

MChri9 — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 17:31:33 GMT

Hello, I thought I should add this update. It seems that the longer I go between reboots, the more stable the system is. Immediately after a reboot the system seems to be quite unstable, with the VGA monitor going to black and the HDMI monitor displaying the "skewing" at the bottom of the picture. Also, the problem seems to be aggravated when I have a browser (either Firefox or Edge) open. I can't determine if this is due to the browser software itself or because of the nature of internet communication. In any case, the latest Intel driver has improved the situation considerably (compared to the latest HP driver).

The system is also unable to reboot without manually turning it off. IOW, when I click restart, the display goes to a blank screen with only the word RESTARTING in the center, and nothing happens after than. I have to manually hold the power button down for 5 seconds to turn the system off, then press the power button again to restart. I didn't notice this until after the last Windows update, but can't be sure if that was the cause because I have been doing so many things to try to isolate the video issue as well as installing software (this is a new system, so all my software had to be installed). I only mention this in case you think it can help determine the video issue (doubtful, I know).

Mike

Re: Random flicker and/or totally black screens (2 monitors)

idata — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 19:38:16 GMT

Hello MikeyChris,

Thank you for your patience and the additional information. This information has been also take in consideration by the next level of support.

I have received a request from the higher of support to ask you to test the system with a more recent driver that was released a few days ago. This new release includes many fixes and compatibility improvements.

Please follow these steps in order to update the graphics driver:

Download the graphics driver ZIP file: https://downloadmirror.intel.com/27355/a08/win64_15.60.01.4877.zip
Unzip the file to a designated location or folder.
Right-click Windows Start icon and open Device Manager.
Click Yes when prompted for permission from User Account Control.
Expand the Display adapters section.
Right-click the Intel® graphics entry and select Update Driver Software.
Click "Browse my computer for driver software".
Click "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer".
Click "Have Disk".
Click "Browse".
Access the designated location or folder, and access a folder called "Graphics".
Select the file called "igdlh64" or "igdlh".
Click Open, then click OK, and finally click Next. Drivers are now being installed.
Reboot your computer.

And let me know if you have any issues after the installation.

Regards,

Xavier A.