How do I stop the screen from flickering when I login?

[Gemini48 Royce]

I got a new computer; I downloaded SL and Firestorm viewer. When I login, the screen flickers and has various colors on the edges. The flickering is occurring  on the edges and the text won't stay on the screen, flashes in and out. What is causing the flickering on this new computer that wasn't happening on my old one? How do I stop the flickering? There was a notice when I started Firestorm about graphics, but I'm not sure if I have to add or download something else.

[Innula Zenovka]

I don't know, but the first thing I would check on buying a new computer is that the drivers, and most especially the graphics drivers, are up to date.

You don't give us any technical details to go on, so obviously I don't know what sort of graphics processing unit (GPU, aka "graphics card") you have, but I would suggest you go to the website of whoever makes your GPU and download and install the latest driver from there -- don't trust the ones Windows may have installed for you from the Microsoft site (I don't know why, but the MS ones often don't work too well).

See if that helps.

If it doesn't, I think we'll need more details of your computer (get them from the top part of Help>About SL).   Please add them to your original post by using the edit option.

[Madelaine McMasters]

Hi Gemina,

Others have had this problem. Here's a link to the solution offered by KarenMichelle Lane...

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Technical/Second-Life-I-can-not-open-it-with-Windows-8-1-What-can...

Good luck!

[KarenMichelle Lane]

Oh Lordy, I have seen this exact issue with the Intel HD Graphics Systems on a few new PCs. There may not be a solution after updating the Video Drivers to the most current available 

Non curable symptoms on these GPUs seem to be:

1) Text blinking around the edges of the text

2) Text boxes that jitter

3) Line edges that jitter of pop into and out of view.

[Quan Xeltentat]

Well I've tried a few things in the past that work. There's just stuff that has to happen in your preferences. First thing to try is, go Me>preferences>graphics on the lower right, you should see Advanced Button and next to that Hardware - click in Hardware - that will open to Hardware Settings. Look over on the left, go down to Enable VBO, if selected DESELECT IT (the square should be blank then), no checkmark. Next thing to check, is go to control panels (in your computer). Find then select Personalization. Locate Basic and High Contrast Themes (in Windows 7, it may be slightly different in other op systems). Select (bottom left), Windows 7 Basic. This will prevent desktop pics from interfering in any way, if at all. Next go to your Antivirus, and shut if off. It must be disabled temporarily (you must remember to turn it back on again later, when you net surf). Finally, make sure you update via window updates. Also, have the latest viewer up. Top left of viewer then scan righ a bit, you will see help. Scroll down that, to the very end - it will read About Second Life, scroll down and select that. It will give you the numerical info of your browser. These days it updates automatically but maybe something went amiss, good to check anyway. Don't forget to write down the number. Mine is Second Life 6. 3.13 Also, you want to check make sure you have the latest flash version, and java. Second Life seems to need to have those on the up and up. Hope that has been a help. i heard that AMD based Graphics Cards have problems w that VBO setting. It has helped in the past. More often than not though, it's a bad combination of things. Worse comes to worse, will have to get a more compatible or better graphics card (no biggie, just look on craigs list).

[kyla Roecastle]

I know this is a old thread but I recently had a issue with my screen blinking in and out I recently had to refresh my pc (windows 8.1) I cleared up the issue buy going to  hardware settigns and clicking on the box that read enable opengl vertex buffer objects.I am using a nvida card and remembered having a issue with opengl in pass. This fixed my issue I hope it helps