screen flashing High Contrast

[jbartlett323]

ok, so this is an odd one, and i'm having a hard time coming up with a proper google search to find a fix... Hopefully someone has seen it before...

Background: This customer is a repeat junk-ware offender. Like, we sold em a new machine, it was back 3 days later full of crapware. And by full, I mean like "Da Whole Innernetz was in dare". yeah, all of it...
So that was about 2 months ago. The reason they bought the new machine was because of the issues they were having problems with XP and junkware. This users machine is one of the very few that has stumped me to a point of Nuke and Pave is the only option, multiple times... I dont want to N&P again, because she is an avid game freak (like 40 installed at once), and always complains when none of them are there after. And its generally not a fun situation....

Ok, so I got the crap cleaned up, just left with a little fallout. Removed 55 junkware installs, and MBAM found 801 problems after that (temps all dumped, that was just what was left...). I'm left with a machine that is working for the most part, just a couple issues.

Issues:

First issue is already corrected, couldn't get to network shares. After lots of other failed fixes, did a windows repair to fix that (which is always a last ditch effort for us), hoped it would fix the next one too but no such luck...

Second issue is the screen flashing. On some screens throughout the OS, especially control panel screens, it will try for half a second to switch to High Contrast theme, then go back normal. Cant seem to get it to stop. This is all I got left to fix...

Things I have tried:

Changing themes - no defference
reinstalled video driver - no difference
Happens in safe mode - yes, yes it does
disabled everything in msconfig - yup still there
ran MBAM, MBAR RogueKiller, TDSSKiller, and a couple other scans - nothing of interest
Windows repair/in place upgrade - fixed network, did nothing for video
messed with Ease of Access Settings - yeah no help
All hardware checks out fine via PC Doc and Parted Magic

Here's a video http://youtu.be/4DfH9O6XA1c

Anybody got anything? Cause i'm outta ideas, and really, really dont want to N&P...

 

[Markverhyden]

Can you post a clip of the issue? Having a hard time picturing what is going on. I guessing you tried a different monitor as well.

 

[jbartlett323]

Can you post a clip of the issue? Having a hard time picturing what is going on. I guessing you tried a different monitor as well.

I'll try to get a video clip...
As for the monitor, this is our bench monitor, has 3 other systems hooked to my KVM and none of them exhibit any issues. It is a machine issue...

 

[altrenda]

Did you try booting with a Live Linux CD to make sure it's not a hardware problem?

 

[jbartlett323]

Did you try booting with a Live Linux CD to make sure it's not a hardware problem?

Ah, yes, should/will have added that to things i have done. All hardware checks out fine. no flashy flash in Linux...

 

[Markverhyden]

I'll try to get a video clip...
As for the monitor, this is our bench monitor, has 3 other systems hooked to my KVM and none of them exhibit any issues. It is a machine issue...

Ok, I re-read your OP and now understand. Switching to W7 basic just like when there is a logmein, TV, etc session, right?

At any rate I saw this and might give you some direction further down the post.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...c-and-my/c0d9003c-595d-4d3b-869d-849cc0d3b16e

 

[jbartlett323]

Ok, I re-read your OP and now understand. Switching to W7 basic just like when there is a logmein, TV, etc session, right?

At any rate I saw this and might give you some direction further down the post.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...c-and-my/c0d9003c-595d-4d3b-869d-849cc0d3b16e

Nope, not Basic, High Contrast... like the Ease of Access High Contrast theme. Still an Aero theme, just black and white and inverted other colors. And Aero works fine, except when i click..
Video is forthcoming. This is why I have a hard time googling it, its f'in weird!

 

[jbartlett323]

Here is a video.
http://youtu.be/4DfH9O6XA1c

 

[mr m]

This is a weird one. Perhaps playing with the screen resolution or refresh rate might help.

 

[jbartlett323]

This is a weird one. Perhaps playing with the screen resolution or refresh rate might help.

Yeah I know... really weird...
Does the same at 1600x900 that it does at 1920x1080. Refresh is locked at 60hz cause its on an LCD, so no other options...

 

[ohio_grad_06]

Found this on another forum.

"Ok, try this (provided you are allowed to).

1. Open the Make the computer easier to see page by clicking Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Ease of Access, clicking Ease of Access Center, and then clicking Make the computer easier to see.

2. Under High Contrast, uncheck all the options under “High contrast”.

Don't know if this will help you, but might be worth a shot.

Found this other link too.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...ast-mode/08a28d49-dd75-47f3-a359-19b679329657

Seems to suggest changing themes might help, which would be suprising, but we are talking about windows....

 

[jbartlett323]

Found this on another forum.

"Ok, try this (provided you are allowed to).

1. Open the Make the computer easier to see page by clicking Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking Ease of Access, clicking Ease of Access Center, and then clicking Make the computer easier to see.

2. Under High Contrast, uncheck all the options under “High contrast”.

Don't know if this will help you, but might be worth a shot.

Found this other link too.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...ast-mode/08a28d49-dd75-47f3-a359-19b679329657

Seems to suggest changing themes might help, which would be suprising, but we are talking about windows....

Yup, already tried all that. no dice... I'll try the Ease of Access stuff one more time, but I've changed the theme like 20 times already...

 

[ohio_grad_06]

Hit it with combofix maybe? Also, if you've got a copy, hit it with a bootable scan of avast in case something is hiding out you're not seeing. Though that list was decent, so one would think it's pretty clean.

 

[jbartlett323]

Hit it with combofix maybe? Also, if you've got a copy, hit it with a bootable scan of avast in case something is hiding out you're not seeing. Though that list was decent, so one would think it's pretty clean.

I can hit it with a boot scan of avast, but like you I don't think its an infection issue...
As for combofix, I won't run that again. I have ran it 3 times my whole career, twice it hosed the system, once it did nothing at all... that experience plus the fact that literally nobody except the authors of it knows what it does, puts a horrible nix on it for me. To this date, I have rarely been stumped enough for it to even possibly help. If all else fails, I might try it, then N&P the system directly after. If I knew what all it did, this would be a very different story...

 

[ohio_grad_06]

So far I've had good luck with it. Combofix does not seem to like antivirus being installed, I've found that. If you do have to do a Nuke and Pave, might create an image of the system and then if they come back, drop the image on and you are on your way.

 

[mr m]

I just looked at the display and color management settings of my rig/LCD. 32 bit true color and 59 Hz. Yeah, 59 not 60. I don't know why but I have both values to choose from. Under color management/advanced there were some settings that might be worth experimenting with.

MS recommends setting the LCD display to it's native resolution and 32 bit, true color.

Could the client have had this symptom before you cleaned the PC? Maybe she never realized it.

I'd try Tweaking's tool even though you already did a Win repair. Might be worth a shot. I see that you reinstalled the driver but maybe the manufacturer has a later version.

I'm grasping at straws here.

Good luck!

 

[ohio_grad_06]

Didn't think about the tweaking.com tool. I'd run that to be safe. Never know.

 

[jbartlett323]

I just looked at the display and color management settings of my rig/LCD. 32 bit true color and 59 Hz. Yeah, 59 not 60. I don't know why but I have both values to choose from. Under color management/advanced there were some settings that might be worth experimenting with.

MS recommends setting the LCD display to it's native resolution and 32 bit, true color.

Could the client have had this symptom before you cleaned the PC? Maybe she never realized it.

I'd try Tweaking's tool even though you already did a Win repair. Might be worth a shot. I see that you reinstalled the driver but maybe the manufacturer has a later version.

I'm grasping at straws here.

Good luck!

Refresh rate is all tied to the monitor, and for all intensive purposes 59 is 60. Checked again though, I have no other options but 60hz.

Entirely possible she had this issue, as she has had many other issues. Problem is, she doesn't know the difference between a bug and a feature. I can say that it was not there after I got done building the machine, it has occurred since it has been in her possession.

I may try the Tweaking tool. The display driver is the latest directly from Intel. I don't usually bother with hardware manu's drivers as they always seem to cause issues and are out of date...

Yeah I am grasping too! Thanks for the help everybody, keep it coming! I'm sure if I figure it out, I'm gonna kick myself for not have finding that simple fix sooner!