Member Avatar for jennette81

randomly ive started getting this problem where my screen starts flashing and doesnt let me click on it to close the screen, when i finally get the scren to close, i cant access anything on my computer without it flashing , (my normal desktop scrren look is fine) i went to 'my computer' to see if i could go to system restore and it started doing it again even on that page which obviously isnt the internet.

Everytime norton does a scan it tells me i have tracking cookies which i delete every time but they still come back again,

not sure if the 2 are connected.

also i cannot do a system restore on any of my restore points, any ideas????

Your response would be very much appreciated as i have to phone a premium rate no for technical support from my provider

Many thanks, jennette x

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by tiger86

Dani AI

Generated

Building on suggestions from and , below is a focused, practical checklist to isolate a flashing screen and why System Restore might be failing. It prioritizes low-risk checks first and gives concrete commands to run from Safe Mode or a recovery prompt.

  1. Quickly separate hardware vs software
  • Does the flicker appear before Windows starts (BIOS/boot screens)? If yes, suspect monitor, cable, or GPU hardware. Try a different cable or a second monitor.
  • If it only happens once Windows loads, test with a minimal Windows environment (see next step).
  1. Test in a minimal Windows environment
  • For older Windows press F8 while booting to get Safe Mode. On Windows 8/10/11 hold Shift and click Restart -> Troubleshoot -> Startup Settings -> Safe Mode. If the flicker stops, a driver or startup app is likely.
  1. Commands and checks to run in Safe Mode or recovery
    Run these from an elevated prompt to check disk and system files and to inspect shadow-copy services:
    sfc /scannow
chkdsk C: /f /r
vssadmin list writers
vssadmin list shadows
rstrui.exe
  • sfc repairs protected system files. chkdsk catches disk corruption that can break restore points. vssadmin shows Volume Shadow Copy writers and existing snapshots; errors there often explain restore failures. rstrui.exe launches System Restore from a command prompt if GUI access is flaky.
  1. Driver, software and malware follow-ups
  • In Device Manager, use Roll Back Driver (if present) or uninstall the display adapter driver and install a vendor driver you download directly from NVIDIA/AMD/Intel.
  • Disable hardware acceleration in browsers or uninstall recently added browser extensions.
  • Run an up-to-date offline malware scan (Microsoft Defender Offline or Malwarebytes) — persistent “tracking cookie” alerts can indicate adware/PUPs but are unlikely to cause hardware-like flicker.
  1. If System Restore still refuses to run
  • Check that Volume Shadow Copy and System Restore services are enabled and that there is free disk space for restore points. If restore points are corrupted, use recovery media to repair Windows or restore from a backup.

Caution: back up personal files before major repairs or a reinstall. If the display flicker persists even in pre-OS screens or on another monitor, pursue hardware replacement/repair (cable, monitor, or GPU).

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for techniner

Boot into safe mode and do the restore.

As far as the the flashing it sounds like you might have a bad video drive installed and when something like "flash" is being called it is barfing.

Does it happen in all browsers?

FireFox? Opera?IE?

Member Avatar for tiger86

Boot into safe mode and do the restore.

As far as the the flashing it sounds like you might have a bad video drive installed and when something like "flash" is being called it is barfing.

Does it happen in all browsers?

FireFox? Opera?IE?

Techniner is right it could be your video driver or your video card going bad. You also have to put a few other things into account though, like is the refresh rate on the monitor refreshing to fast, when she is on the net is it a page with bad css which can result in the page to "flash" there are plenty of variables you may want to look into. I would suggest checking your screens refresh rate and installing the latest drivers for your video card.

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