HP Spectre x360 Spectre 15 inch 4K display flickers with black horizontal bars appearing

[Steve_BUStudent]

Brought this laptop for around 6 months now, it was perfect until recently.

After boot up, the screen flickers and black or staticy bars appear horizontally. Some bars cover 1/4th of the screen some are very thin. They all seem to be random in timing and placement.

The condition worsens randomly by flickering that particular section rapidly, and are at its worse when plugged in.

The condition can be temporarily smoothen by changing the Battery settings to High Performance via Intel HD Graphics Control Panel, but can only slows the flickering down for a short amount of time.

I have tried various methods suggested on the HP forums :
> Update/Rollback BIOS

> Update Graphic Drivers (Both Intel Graphic 620 and NVIDIA 980m)
> Full hard reset
> Change the refresh rate from 60 to 40 hz (Makes the entire screen flicker)
> Change the Battery/Performance settings
> Run Firmware testing on video/monitor (Passed)

None of the above has worked, in fact it is getting worsen slowly, thus I am suspecting the laptop hardware associated with the monitor is degrading quickly, which makes no sense as I always kept the laptop in a cool and clean area and have not dealt any physical damage to it such as dropping/hitting etc.

I really like this model , but seeing it starting to degrade after 6 month and cannot be fixed is kind of  heartbreaking, thus I would like to hear other successful solutions for this, as I do not want to worsen the laptop further

Many Thanks

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Steve_BUStudent

Thank you for posting on HP Forums, 

Riddle_Decipher is at your service. 

As I understand your display flickers with black horizontal bars,

No worries, as I'll be glad to help you, that said, I'll need a few more details to dissect your concern & provide an accurate solution: 

Did you check if the issue occurs on an alternate or an external monitor?

If you haven't, Please try an alternate monitor to understand if this is either a hardware or a software failure, 

if the issue does not appear on the alternate monitor, you may need to replace the display assembly on your computer, 

if the issue appears on the alternate monitor/TV as well, re-install the graphics card drivers & update it from the official HP Website: Click here 

  

If you don’t have an alternate monitor, I recommend checking if the issue appears on the BIOS screen (restart the computer and tap on F10 to access BIOS) 

If the issue does not appear in BIOS, reinstall the graphics card drivers & update BIOS using the above link, 
If it does, Contact HP to replace the LCD/Repair the computer: 

  

If the issue occurred after an accident (such as dropping it on the floor, liquid spilled on it, etc.) there could be a hardware failure and in such cases, you may need to get the computer repaired via HP (there could be a charge involved if the PC isn't covered by the accidental damage protection plan) 

  

Reply with the result of the above-mentioned steps, for further assistance. 

Let me know how that pans out

feel free to give me a virtual high-five by clicking the 'Thumbs Up' icon,

followed by clicking on 'Accepted as Solution' as it would help the community gain more knowledge,

And Have a great day Ahead!

[Steve_BUStudent]

@Riddle_Decipher
Thank you for the reply.

I have retried all the solutions above including connecting the laptop to external monitor via HDMI. However all the solution failed to resolve the issue. As for the external monitor testing >

External Monitor/TV findings :
1> Does not display horizonal dark grey line
2> Does not flicker like the laptop do

3> Does not flicker severly when set to 40 Hz refresh rate like the laptop do

As for the other solution :
> Update/Rollback BIOS

> Update Graphic Drivers (Both Intel Graphic 620 and NVIDIA 980m)
> Run Firmware testing on video/monitor (Passed)

Oddly enough the problem does not appear when in BIOS screen.  But the problem persists when the OS system loads.
I'm currently limitting the problem by dimming the brightness level on the screen, which can help muffle up the horizontal bar and the flickering. However I do not like working with low brightness for a long period of time.

The horizontal bar will continue to darken every minute of usage of the laptop, and then the flickering will happen after over 30 minutes of usage on full brightness, or shorter if the laptop is plugged in.

The main question here is should I have my laptop diagnosed on site and have the LCD replaced?

Many thanks

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Steve_BUStudent

Thank you for replying with this detailed response 😉 

I appreciate your time and efforts,

If the none of the issues occur on BIOS it's not a hardware failure,

That said, if the issue is limited to windows, I suggest you start with a system refresh:

Click here for instructions.

Do get back to me as I have a few more tricks up my sleeve, 

That said, If I have helped you resolve the issue, 

feel free to give me a virtual high-five by clicking the 'Thumbs Up' icon 

followed by clicking on 'Accepted as Solution' 

And Have a great day Ahead!

[Steve_BUStudent]

@Riddle_Decipher

Ah yes I forgot to mention but I have already reset my OS and hard reset my laptop twice. Didn't work either. And I'm quite concern to do it again which can further degrade the SSD.

Many Thanks

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Steve_BUStudent

Thank you for responding,

It's great to have you back 😉

A system refresh doesn't delete your personal data and therefore isn't the same as resetting/reinstalling the OS, that said, if you've already reinstalled the OS once it makes no sense doing a refresh, although, I will need to know if that's the retail copy of windows or the OEM version using HP Recovery manager? how did you reset the OS?

If it was a retail copy that you've used, I must let you know that HP neither supports nor recommends using the same, hence, I recommend using the recovery media to recover the OEM version: Click here to obtain one.

Also, if you have the OEM and yet it doesn't work, I recommend an extensive hardware system test:

1. Hold the power button for at least five seconds to turn off the computer.

2. Turn on the computer and immediately press Esc repeatedly, about once every second. When the menu appears, press the F2 key.

3. On the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) main menu, click System Tests.

4. Click Extensive Test.

5. Click Run once, or Loop until error.

   While the test is running, the time remaining and test result for each component are shown on the screen. The test can take 2 or more hours to complete.

Click here for more instructions

Keep me posted,

If the information I've provided was helpful, 

give us some reinforcement by clicking the solution and kudos buttons, 

that'll help us and others see that we've got the answers!

Good Luck.

[Steve_BUStudent]

Hi again, sorry for the late reply as I did not realise I got more replies, or any emails about this.
Back in December 2017 I reset the factory reset via the Windows 10 option. I was not aware that you need to use the Recovery Media which I currently do not have. 

As for BIOS system test I have already run every one of them, especially on the Displays section and they always come back Okay, while it's not.

I have tried using the solution in this forum to recude Frame Rate from 60Hz to 40Hz, along with that disable Panel Refresh on the Intel graphics settings. It helps with the frequent flickering, but only for 2 months and it's no longer just the horinzontal black bar that appears, but the whole screen will flicker occassionally. Tried revert back to the Intel's default settings, and the problem still persist. 

I'm out of options at the point as I cannot use this laptop to work without having to anxiously wait for it to flicker after 30 minutes of usage. The only way to "reset" the problem is to have the display to be turned off, i.e. put the laptop to sleep or shut it down.
I have tried updating the drivers contantly as suggested by many other HP support members but that's just not working.
I only got this laptop for 1 year and a little bit and it's already doing this 10 months after I got it, can I sent the laptop in for a proper diagnosis or repair at this point? 

[Riddle_Decipher · Accepted solution]

@Steve_BUStudent

Thank you for replying with this detailed response 😉 

I appreciate your time and efforts,

It's better late, than never!

That said, going through our previous conversations and the recent post, you've ensured all relevant steps have been done and the best move forward is to Contact HP to have the laptop repaired as it seems to be a hardware malfunction:

HP Support can be reached by clicking on the following link:  

1) Click on this link - https://hp.care/2moMFSc

2) Click on "Continue as guest".

3) Enter the serial of your device.

4) Select the country from the drop-down.

5) Click on "Show Options".

Fill the web-form. A case number and phone number will now populate for you.

They will be happy to assist you immediately. 

If the unit is under warranty repair services under the manufacturer's warranty will be free of charge.

If you would like to thank me for my efforts to help you, 

feel free to give me a virtual high-five by clicking the 'Thumbs Up' icon below, 

Followed by clicking on the "Accept as solution".

Have a great day!

[mdklassen]

> I am suspecting the laptop hardware associated with the monitor is degrading quickly,

There is a "ribbon-cable" between the laptop's motherboard and the internal monitor.

Though difficult to do -- because it involves disassembly of your laptop (a job best assigned to a qualified technician) -- check that the cable is tightly connected at both ends, and that there are no kinks in the cable, such that transmission of the video-output is not working 100%.

While the technician has it apart, they can test-attach a different screen, to see if that screen works OK, which implies that your screen is failing.

Note that if the original HP Warranty is still in effect, Contact HP, to make a claim against the warranty.

HP will repair/replace your computer, at no cost to you.