Screen Instability (Flashing / Flickering)

After extensive review and testing, we have determined screen instability (flashing/flickering) to be an environmentally based issue. While we will continue to monitor this issue for whatever we can do to mitigate the problem, we are considering this an environmental issue that will need to be addressed by your local qualified IT provider.

It is important to note there are many details in this article, however we have found the screen instability issue to be multi-faceted in origin and can take a process of elimination to resolve. Therefore, please review all information in this article, including troubleshooting steps to narrow down the cause, and workarounds when the screen instability cannot be mitigated.

Possible environmental factors include, but are not limited to:

• Connectivity between the workstation or remote desktop application, and the server.
• Bandwidth
• Screen refresh/redraw
• Display/Graphics Drivers
• Multiple Monitors

First, aside from the main troubleshooting for this issue, we have found certain things that make a user more likely to experience screen instability. They are as follows:

1. Multiple Monitors and placement of Main Display.
   Instability is most likely to occur when a user has multiple monitors and the user's Main display is on the right, and additional monitors are on the left. Therefore, change the Main Display to be on the left in Windows Display Settings.
2. Single Monitor and Window Movement.
   If a user, with a single monitor, moves a module window off to the left to get it out of the way and leaves it slightly off screen, the issue could occur.
3. Frequently moving windows within modules.
   Frequent window movement increases the chance of encountering screen instability, therefore it is beneficial to perform the Reset Windows Position function routinely as a preventative safety measure.
4. Windows updates not up-to-date.
5. Windows Display Drivers that are incompatible or not updated.
6. Monitor refresh rate. 
   Check the refresh rate setting on the workstation or remote connection and verify it matches the monitor's refresh rate. If you can’t find the monitor's refresh rate, try different refresh rates to see if any of them resolve the flickering. 
7.  Remote Connections to RFMS with single or multiple monitors.
   * Issues in #1,3 & 6 are more likely to occur in remote connections; in particular, published/remote apps, Citrix Published App or Remote Desktop App. Therefore, change the Main Display to be on the left in Windows Display Settings.

Follow this link for troubleshooting suggestions from Microsoft Support: Troubleshoot screen flickering in Windows - Microsoft Support
Please note, while the article also mentions uninstalling and reinstalling an incompatible app, RFMS is NOT typically installed on a user’s workstation. Instead, the workstation is networked to the server running the RFMS program; thus, this step in the link is not applicable.

Troubleshooting Steps to Help Narrow Down the Cause

1. Display Resolution & Scaling: 
   • Ensure Resolution is set to minimum: 1600x900 or 1920x1080
   • Ensure Scaling is set to 100%
   • For more information go to: Resolution Recommendations – RFMS Help Desk
2. Multiple External Displays
   • In the Windows Display Settings on the workstation, make sure the LEFT most monitor is set as the Main Display.
   • When flickering happens, try disconnecting external displays (one at a time) to see if the flickering resolves.
   • If using a laptop with an external monitor, try closing the laptop to see if the flickering resolves. 
   • Note: we do not recommend using TVs as monitors due to increased likelihood of screen issues.
3. Display Connections
   • If using WiFi connection, try a wired connection.
   • Check to see if there are any loose connections or faulty wires/cables. Screen issues can also be caused by long, or poor quality cables. Try replacing cables or using a different type of cable, if possible. (Ex: DisplayPort instead of HDMI)
   • If using an Adjustable Height desk, check cables often to ensure they do not become loose.
4. Docking Station or Other Connected Equipment
   • Try restarting the docking station or other connected equipment.
   • If a display is connected to a docking station, try connecting it directly to the PC instead.
   • Manually update the firmware for the docking station.
5. Display Settings > Advanced Scaling Settings
   • Turn off the setting for, "Let Windows try to fix apps so they're not blurry." (Windows 10)
6. Electrical or Magnetic Interference
   • Move any objects that could cause electrical or magnetic interference away from the PC. Objects include, but are not limited to, speakers, cell phones, radios and other electrical devices.
   • USB connected devices can sometimes cause interference with displays. Test by removing USB devices, or moving them to a different port on the PC or docking station.
7. Windows Feature: Multiplane Overlay (to be done by local qualified technician)
   • Try disabling the Dwm.exe Process in Task Manager (note: information for this suggestion was found in this article:  https://www.partitionwizard.com/partitionmanager/windows-11-screen-flickering-problem.html
   • Here are two more links with more information about resolving screen issues that may be related to Windows Multiplane Overlay
     • https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-amd-nvidia-are-all-sleeping-on-windows-11-mpo-display-issues/
     • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPE-GUEgKvw
     • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeJjvMhmdU8

If you have any further questions or concerns about RFMS Attachments, please submit a new support ticket to [e-mail]

Additional Troubleshooting 

1. If the screen flashing can be tracked down to occurring with a single process in RFMS (for example, when costing an invoice and sending to Accounts Payable), run the following process to Reset Window Positions:
   • Close out all RFMS Modules on the PC.
   • Open Navigator.
   • Open Order Entry.
   • Close all screens within Order Entry (make sure to see only the gray RFMS background).
   • Go to Utilities > Reset Windows Positions and follow on screen directions.
   • Completely close RFMS (including the Main Navigator) then go back in.

IMPORTANT:  The following proposed solutions should ONLY be performed by a qualified technician.  Non-IT employees should not attempt them.
 

2. If the screen flashing appears to be random, the following commands may help alleviate it. Run these in a command prompt as an administrator on the workstation with the issue. Reboot the workstation after making the changes to ensure they take effect. For remote users, run commands on both the terminal session and the local workstation, then log off (not disconnect) the session and reboot the workstation. (Note: Please run each command once; running them additional times will have no effect)
   • netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled
   • netsh int tcp set global rss=disabled
   • netsh int tcp set heuristics disabled
3. If no change in the occurrence of screen flashing can be observed, the above commands can be reversed by running the following.
   • netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal
   • netsh int tcp set global rss=enabled
   • netsh int tcp set heuristics enabled
     Note: If the user experiencing the issue is on a thin client, the commands will need to be run by an onsite (not remote) technician as this will require unlocking write filtering or an equivalent feature of the thin client.
     These commands can only be run on windows operating systems, this includes thin clients. For example, if the thin client is not running windows embedded standard or CE, the command may not be able to run.
4. If the user connects through a Terminal or Citrix server, have the technician change the RDP Experience tab for maximum bandwidth for the user(s) experiencing the issue:
   • Change the profile to LAN, with all boxes checked.
   • Include Bitmap Caching and Reconnect on Lost Connection.
   • Log off (not disconnect) from the terminal session then reboot the workstation.
5. Try creating another user profile on the PC and see if it has the same issue. If this is a remote user, create a new Terminal / Citrix profile. (Important: do not copy any settings from the existing user profile).

Should a user encounter screen instability issues after implementing the above recommendations, the user should exit/reenter RFMS. For remote connections, an IT technician or network administrator should end the session for the user before reentering RFMS.

Widespread Issues with Users Connecting Through a Terminal /Citrix Server: 

This is going to be down to the total amount of bandwidth going in and out of the terminal/Citrix server, which unfortunately makes solving the issue a little more complicated.

For a Citrix server, the options available to the technician for bandwidth are going to be very dependent on the version – Citrix has made numerous changes over the years on what is and is not available. Generally, though screen flashing for a Citrix server due to bandwidth is rather rare as it is bandwidth optimized to some degree out of the box. The technician may be able to upgrade the video card if the box supports it, but there are many situations where this is not possible.

The first suggestion we would make in this situation as well as for terminal servers is to update the video and network driver to the newest available driver from the manufacturer – then, for terminal servers, the experience tab for users can be adjusted to limit bandwidth.

To limit bandwidth usage on a terminal server, we recommend setting the RDP Experience Tab to Modem, then checking the boxes for Desktop Composition, Font Smoothing, and Reconnect on Lost Connection – leave all other boxes unchecked. 

We have had reports however, that while the netsh commands are intended for single user/ small groups with screen flashing, they have also helped with at least some of the users with screen flashing when it has been widespread.

Workarounds for when screen instability cannot be mitigated: 

The following four workarounds have been shown to be helpful in individual instances of screen flashing / flickering. Each of these are geared toward forcing the screen to redraw itself for the module.

Workaround #1

1. Left click anywhere in the flashing module.
2. Click the show desktop button.
3. Click the show desktop button again. 

Workaround #2

1. Left click anywhere in the flashing module.
2. Hold down the windows key on the keyboard.
3. Press the D key on the keyboard twice.
4. Release the windows key on the keyboard. 

Workaround #3

1. Left click anywhere in the flashing module.
2. Hold down the windows key on the keyboard.
3. Press the right or left arrow key on the keyboard.
4. Press the up arrow key on the keyboard.
5. Release the windows key on the keyboard. 

Workaround #4

1. Left click anywhere in the flashing module.
2. Hold down the windows key on the keyboard.
3. Press the D key on the keyboard twice.
4. Press the right or left arrow key on the keyboard.
5. Press the up arrow key on the keyboard.
6. Release the windows key on the keyboard.