Screen flicker/blackout when using handwriting panel in Windows 10 1903

[Sbaud]

Hi,

I noticed a short flicker when writing into the handwriting panel on my two Dell machines using UHD Graphics 620 driver.

Whenever I hit the handwriting panel and start moving (with pen or mouse) the screen blacks our for a split of a second.

• Laptop panels and external monitors are affected.
• Tested windows 1903 with MS Basic display driver - no flicker
• Tested latest Dell / latest Intel / Windows-update MS-Intel driver for UHD 620 - all show the same symptoms on Windows 1903, fresh install, even.
• Tested Windows 10 1809 with UHD 620 driver - no flicker!
• Tested 1903 on a Workstation with Geforce GTX - no flicker.
• tried several control panel settings, like refresh etc. - no help.
• Drawing in onenote i.e. is fine.
• Same flickering symptom when drawing into the new snip and sketch tool. Snipping tool not affected. Seems like it's got to do with GPU/GUI support.

I have attached a snap of the input panel I am referring to. Swiping across the virtual keyboard with mouse or pen does not cause flickering. I am assuming snip and sketch is well-known

This will need fixing as handwriting / touch input is virtually unusable for the affected apps.

Thanks!

[Wanner_G_Intel]

Hello Sbaud,

Thank you for posting on this Intel Community.

For testing purposes, please follow these steps below to install the latest Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) drivers as they are customized and validated for your system configuration.

1. Disconnect from the Internet.

2. Uninstall the generic DCH drivers via Start > Settings > Apps & Features.

3. Uninstall the (DCH) Intel® Graphics Control Panel via Start > Settings > Apps & Features. 

4. Restart the computer.

5. Reconnect to the Internet.

6. Go to Device Manager > Right-click on "Intel® HD Graphics" or "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter".

7. Select "Update Driver".

8. Allow Windows Update to Search for the best drivers for your system.

9. Install the driver.

10. Restart the computer.

If the issue persists, you can try forcing the generic DCH drivers. This option is not recommended as it overrides any customization done by your OEM. If you still wish to use generic DCH drivers then follow these steps:

1. Download the latest DCH driver from downloadcenter.intel.com and save it on your Desktop.

Windows® 10 DCH Drivers Version: 26.20.100.7000 (Latest)

2. Disconnect from the Internet.

3. Uninstall any existing DCH Graphics driver via Start > Settings > Apps & Features.

4. Uninstall the (DCH) Intel® Graphics Control Panel via Start > Settings > Apps & Features.

5. Restart the computer.

6. In Device Manager > Right-click on "Intel® HD Graphics". If "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter" is already listed skip to step#10.

7. Select "Uninstall device".

8. Enable the option "Delete the driver software for this device" and click "Uninstall".

9. Restart the computer. This should delete any non-DCH driver stored on Windows driver repository. Repeat steps #6 through #9 until "Intel® HD Graphics" changes to "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter")

10. Install the DCH driver downloaded in step #1.

11. Restart the computer.

12. Reconnect to the Internet.

13. The (DCH) Intel® Graphics Control Panel should be downloaded automatically after a few minutes upon restart. If it doesn't, go to Microsoft Store and download it.

14. Restart the computer.

Please let us know if the issue persists.

Wanner G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[Sbaud]

Hi Wanner and team,

unfortunately no luck with both - see screenshots attached for the versions applied for OEM and DCH drivers.

As soon however as the basic display adapter is the active display driver, no flicker - so it's definitely bound to the drivers / GPU accelerated GUI.

Issue not apparent with Windows 1809 / same machine or Windows 1903 and Nvidia GPU.

[Wanner_G_Intel]

Hello Sbaud, 

Thank you for your response. 

The fact that this problem occurs while running Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and generic drivers in one specific Windows* version hints at a hardware or driver compatibility problem.

We will attempt to replicate this behavior in-house to gather more information and update this thread as soon as possible.

Wanner G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[Wanner_G_Intel]

Hello Sbaud, 

We are still working on replicating the issue reported on this thread. We will update it soon.

We would like to gather more information about your current system configuration and system model. Please run the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) and attach the report to this thread.

1. Download the Intel® System Support Utility and save the application in your computer.
2. Open the application and click "Scan" to see system and device information. The Intel® SSU defaults to the "Summary View" on the output screen following the scan. Click the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View".
3. To save your scan, click Next and click Save.

Wanner G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[Sbaud]

Hi Wanner and team,

I have uploaded the SSU export / attached the text file to the ticket.

Rgds.

[Glenn]

G'day Wanner,

I have 115 X HP EliteBook x360 1030 G3 in our fleet that have this same problem. This is really impacting our ability to use our fleet effectively so much that we will not be purchasing any device that requires this Driver. If you want any information to support please let me know.

OS: Windows 10 Enterprise (64 bit)

Build: 10.0.18362.295

Version: 1903

Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard

Model: HP EliteBook x360 1030 G3

Memory: 8 GB

Processor: Intel Core i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz

Motherboard: HP 8438

Graphics: Intel(R) UHD Graphics 620 1.0 GB

MirrorOp Virtual Graphics Adaptor 

[Wanner_G_Intel]

Hello Sbaud,

We tried to replicate this issue on an HP EliteBook x360 1040 G2 with Windows* 10 1903 and it worked fine on our end:

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Download and install the 'snip and sketch' app from MS Store, or use the Handwriting tool in Windows.

2. Make sure Windows* is build 1903 and latest graphics driver.

3. Hit the handwriting panel and start moving (with pen or mouse)

Please let us know if we are missing something. If so, please help us attaching a short video showing what is needed to reproduce this problem. If the steps we took to reproduce this behavior are fine, then our recommendation is that you can contact your Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for further validation and their custom hardware.

Glenn,

Thank you for your feedback. It is highly appreciated. 

Please review the information provided above and let us know if we are missing any step.

Regards,

Wanner G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[Sbaud]

Hi Wanner,

thanks for driving this forward.

I have attached a short video -it's not from Hollywood, apologies, but it shows the issue well in handwriting panel and snip & sketch.

The G2 Elitebook on which CPU/GPU is it running? I had only found the issue on Gen 7 and 8 so far - don't have an older machine at hand. Glen's x360s are Gen 8 as well.

Specific Windows build is: Win 10 ENT 1903, 18362.295 with all latest patches through Windows Update service installed.

Thanks

[Wanner_G_Intel]

Hello Sbaud,

Thank you for your response. 

The system is using an 8th Gen Intel® Core™ Processor.

In this scenario, the recommended solution is to contact your OEM so that they can reproduce this issue.

Regards,

Wanner G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

A Contingent Worker at Intel

[Sbaud]

Hi Wanner,

I will - however as the issue is present with Dell and HP machines and per the current status clearly dependent on the Intel GPU (driver) I'd kindly ask you to keep investigating / try to repliacte and pull in an expert team - Microsoft will have something to add to this as the issue only became apparent with the current 1903 release?

Rgds. + thanks

[BHieb]

Hi Sbaud, I'm having the exact same problem on my Dell Latitude 5258. Did you find out anything?

[Sbaud]

Hi all,

so, the recent patch day gave me some issues and the 09-19 cumulative update didn't install - kb4515384

I then got the 1903 ISO / Updated August 2019 (en_windows_10_business_editions_version_1903_updated_aug_2019_x64_dvd_f50487e6) and did an in place upgrade with a newer build, setup upgrades etc. enabled.

Guess what, no more flickering on both my machines (7400 2-1 and 7280) with the OS Build 18362.356. So this bug must have been bound to build 18362.295.

Happy fixing for all of you.

[Sbaud]

oh. FYI: Didn't touch the graphics driver after in-place upgrade - 26.20.100.6888 is currently on.

[BHieb]

This worked for me as well. Previously, Windows said I had build 18352.356, but it wasn't until I did an in-place upgrade that it fixed the issue.

Thanks Sbaud!