Windows 10: Desktop Icons and Taskbar Icons are Flashing, Continously

Hi:

I am experiencing blinking/flashing of several icons that are located on my Win10-64 Pro desktop PC's screen, and several icons for programs and for File Manager, that are pinned to within the taskbar. The PC is a DELL XPS 8700 desktop. I think my PC has Windows 10 version 1803 installed on 5/19/2018, and am getting updates automatically from Microsoft.

Observations:

When booting the PC, after the login screen, it is taking an unusual amount of time to load the "image" part of the desktop icons; sometimes, the filenames' text appear first and quickly, and then a delay occurs before the icon images are "painted" onto the monitor's screen. I also noticed that while having File Manager opened, the same file names blink in the directory structure pane, at the far left.
I have allowed the PC to run overnight, and, upon returning and making use of browser for a period of approximately ten minutes, Windows crashes: the flashing taskbar icons disappear and are replaced with blank, box outlines; there is no response when clicking on a desktop icon or on a pinned taskbar's blank box; this happened several times; I had to reboot PC to regain control of taskbar and desktop icons.

What I have tried thus far and results:

1. I ran the inbuilt DELL diagnostics, and all hardware passed the "thorough" tests.
2. I followed instructions given in this YouTube video: Windows 10 - How to Fix Screen Flashing and Flickering Issue - YouTube, and by using msconfig, to locate and uncheck the boxes for two services: (1) WindowsErrorReporting and (2) ProblemsReportandSolutions.
I also uninstalled iCloud, which was suggested in that same YouTube video. But the flashing continues. This was done during Windows normal mode (while icons were blinking).
I then performed these same steps while in Windows Safe Mode; same results: flashing continues. (I struggle each time I atempt to find Windows Safe Mode booting.)

So, it does not appear that the (1) and (2) services nor iCloud are the cause of this problem.

3. I followed instructions given in this YouTube video: Disable Flashing Taskbar buttons or icons on Windows 10 taskbar - YouTube, and using regedit to locate (1) ForegroundFlashCount (set at 7h) and (2) ForegroundLockTimeout (set at 30d40h) and reset each of those to 0 (zero). The result of doing that is no improvement/change in the flashing icons. Have since reset these two services to 7h and 30d40h.

So, it appears that hacking those REG DWORDs has not helped me.

4. I also used Windows Restore to go back to 4 OCT 2018. That has not helped, either.
5. While running Windows in Normal Mode, I have stopped the Windows Search service using Administrator Tools>Services, but did not help. Have restarted the Windows Search service.
6. At some point along the line, I ran System File Check routine; found no errors. Ran DMIS(?);found no problems.

Any help would be appreciated.

TNX.

.





:)

 

Remove Linux Desktop Icons

I am not sure whether this will work (Ubuntu does not have icons like that on the desktop by default), but I suggest opening the trash bin and sweeping the icons into the window showing the trash bin.

 

System Icons on taskbar

Hi,

Thank you for posting on Microsoft Communities.

Are you referring to the clock system icon on the taskbar?

If so, I suggest you to follow the steps mentioned below:

• 
  Click on the search bar on the taskbar.
  
• 
  Type system icons.
  
• 
  Under Turn System Icons ON or OFF, turn On the Clock and check with the issue.
  

Hope it helps.

 

Removing desktop icons

the icons are located in 'all users' folder somewhere (for example, i see a few shared icons in "C:\Users\Public\Desktop" )

The only way to fix those, is to remove the icons from there, and place them on to each users desktops manually. an admin may need to do this.