Screen flicker on startup and while in use

[drudge]

It wouldnt accept Microsoft updates either.  I think I have done that  - but the flicker goes on

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

@drudge 

Others may have different views on this, but in my experience, flicker is nearly always due to hardware failing.  More often than not, it's the screen, but it can also be the video chip.  There is the rare possibility that it is driver-related, but since this came with Win10 preloaded, it already had the right HP drivers and unless you went out of your way to remove those and replace them with the wrong drivers, this would not be a driver issue.

To find out the problem, you would need to be able run hardware diagnostics by pressing the Esc key repeatedly and then, when the HP Startup Menu appears, select Diagnostics (usually F2) and let it run.  If it's hardware, those diagnostics should find it.

[drudge]

Thanks!  Well I did start to worry as I'd tried over days every which way with website suggestions to refresh this that and the other.  So I had a go...

I couldn't start it up via F2 mebbe I'd deleted what I had already loaded in my fiddling about...

I had to download HP diagnostics from the web which I did with  difficulty as my internet is slow at the moment for reasons I don't understand either

There's a plethora of potential tests?  anyway I tried all the obvious ones - is it processor?- but all seemed to be ok unless I'm missing something

I must admit I'd be off to the PC shop with it like a shot but were all in lockdown - shouldn't pc repair be an emergency service - we're having to do everything including shop for food online!

What is very disappointing is that its a HP Spectre with all bells and whistles only just two years old so if it has failed its pretty bad

any further comments are very very welcome

Chris Allen