Windows 11 upgrade flashing screen

metaltoby · Oct 5, 2021

Hi all,
I got the option to upgrade to Windows 11 today so I accepted it.
After the upgrade the screen is flashing on and off non-stop.

I made a video of it here:

Any ideas what I can do to fix it?
I booted into safe mode and reverted back to W10 without any issue.

Spec:
Ryzen 7 3700X
32GB Ram
RX570 Graphic
MSI B450

Thanks!

barman58 · Oct 5, 2021

Could be as simple as the Video driver not yet supporting Windows 11, keep your eyes on the manufacturer's update notices, for your card drivers - if you have certified Win 11 drivers check of any specific requirements or setting for your card and resolution etc

metaltoby · Oct 5, 2021

Thanks. I'll investigate the drivers.

BunnyJ · Oct 5, 2021

barman58 said:
Could be as simple as the Video driver not yet supporting Windows 11, keep your eyes on the manufacturer's update notices, for your card drivers - if you have certified Win 11 drivers check of any specific requirements or setting for your card and resolution etc

I checked and there are drivers for 11 available.

barman58 · Oct 5, 2021

The fact that they have bespoke drivers for the two operating systems would suggest to me that there are differences that could be at fault here with the flashing screen

BunnyJ · Oct 5, 2021

Likely..

metaltoby · Oct 5, 2021

Thanks I saw those as well.
If I do the update again how do I get the drivers to update? When the screen is flashing I can't do anything so I wont be able to run the installer. Can I install the W11 drivers first??

wordsworth · Oct 5, 2021

metaltoby said:
Thanks I saw those as well.
If I do the update again how do I get the drivers to update? When the screen is flashing I can't do anything so I wont be able to run the installer. Can I install the W11 drivers first??

At AMD's site the Win 11 and Win 10 drivers are the same, in fact the Release Notes both say Windows 11. For that reason, I'd say install the driver for Windows 11 in Win 10 then try upgrading again to Win 11. I'd also though check your display refresh rate while still in Win 10 and make certain you select the highest refresh rate your monitor will do (look up that spec for your monitor if you do not know what it is). It appears to me there may be a problem with the synergy between Win 11, display drivers, and the monitor refresh rate.

metaltoby · Oct 5, 2021

My drivers were out of date so I updated them to the latest versions and ran the upgrade again.... same issue. Screen flashing.

The strange this is that the login page is fine. No flashing at all.
Also, my PC has 2 users so I logged into the other user (my wifes) and everything was fine. New start menu and no flashing. The flashing is only happening when I login with my user.

I did notice that when I logged into my wifes user I got the "Hi, we are setting things up" screens. When I first logged with my user I never got this.

I have a spare SSD so swap it in and try a fresh windows install. Otherwise I'll just wait a few weeks and try again in the hope things improve.

Shawnlovehorses · Oct 6, 2021

metaltoby said:
My drivers were out of date so I updated them to the latest versions and ran the upgrade again.... same issue. Screen flashing.

The strange this is that the login page is fine. No flashing at all.
Also, my PC has 2 users so I logged into the other user (my wifes) and everything was fine. New start menu and no flashing. The flashing is only happening when I login with my user.

I did notice that when I logged into my wifes user I got the "Hi, we are setting things up" screens. When I first logged with my user I never got this.

I have a spare SSD so swap it in and try a fresh windows install. Otherwise I'll just wait a few weeks and try again in the hope things improve.

This could be a rare bug that you may be the first, please report this through Feedback Hub also share link here so that those who have similar can upvote.

Also please use the video file you shared above in your report so they can understand the issue : ) This most likely a bug since early builds of Windows 11, so best to wait for updates or just use another user acount.

Thank you

Shawn

metaltoby · Oct 6, 2021

Done. Feedback added. Lets hope this is useful to MS.

metaltoby · Nov 9, 2021

Quick follow up.... The issue was never resolved. I ended up doing a fresh Win11 installation which worked fine.

Tekkie Boy · Nov 10, 2021

In your case the problem was that Explorer.exe kept crashing and when the screen went dark, an error report was created.

Mostly it is incompatible programs or driver that cause such a crash.