Primary display corrupts when watching YouTube videos.

[ClutchHunter]

READ ME:  Ways to fix/workaround this issue until AMD fix it properly in their drivers. Try them one by one separately until your problem is solved.

 

Test) Disable hardware accleration for flash videos on YouTube to confirm that this is the issue. If this is the issue, your playback should cease corrupting. Now enable hardware acceleration again.

Test #2) Completely uninstall the video card drivers with this utility and see if the problem persists after a restart. If so, the drivers aren't the problem. If not, reinstall the drivers and continue below.

1) If using DVI, enable the two DVI settings under "Properties (Digital Flat-Panel" in Catalyst Control Center. If running some sort of adapter involving DVI like myself then unfortunately the option won't be there.

2) If your primary card's memory clock is overclocked, reset it. You can leave the core clock overclocked as desired. Now use some sort of hardware monitor to ensure that when you start watching hardware accelerated content the memory clock doesn't change. If it's different, over/underclock your memory clock to whatever it sits at when running hardware accelerated content. This particular step fixed it for me.

3) Change output from DVI to something else. 

 

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I originally posted this elsewhere but have yet to receive a reply, so I'm going to do a direct copy/paste, hence there being another post compressed into this one at the bottom. 

 

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I'm not sure whether this is down to a driver update, a Windows update or something else. It's been happening for about a week, and happens after a few hours on both 13.4 WHQL & 13.5 beta2 (yes -- I've tried uninstalling drivers and reinstalling, etc). Curiously, reinstalling the drivers does appear to delay the issue's reappearance. 

 

My card is an XFX 7950. 

 

Here's is what I'm talking about: 

 

 

It happens irrespective of whether I'm overclocked, at stock clocks or underclocked. My temperature (idle) is about 50C. 

 

If I disconnect the first monitor, the second monitor inherits the corruption immediately, and vice-versa. 

 

This happens on both Chrome and a clean Firefox installation. 

 

This only appears to happen when watching YouTube videos. Heavy gaming does not produce similar problems. 

 

Closing the window with YouTube open usually solves the issue, however not always. 

 

The only potentially relevant software I've installed in the last week is an Adobe Flash Player update, however I think this was after the problem first arose. 

 

The only Windows update I've installed in the past week was a security update (KB2840149). 

 

What on earth is at fault here? This is such a peculiar problem.

 

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Was just doing some more testing with Nightly (Firefox) and it gave me a BSOD.

 

My current assumption is that this is a flash player/video card driver conflict, so I'm trying to disable flash hardware acceleration. The option under control panel -> screen resolution -> advanced -> troubleshoot is greyed out.

 

Edit: Completely uninstalled flash player, still happening. Going to try uninstalling the video card drivers and then reinstalling them bar the bit about video decoding/hardware acceleration/whatever AMD calls it.

 

Edit: Currently have 13.4 display driver + catalyst installed but nothing else from the driver options. No flash player. Currently no problems, will stay like this for a few hours and see how it goes.

 

Edit: Still managed to corrupt. Going to try the above again but for 13.1 where it didn't see any issues.

 

Edit: Uninstalled using Atiman, installed 13.1, still happens. What the deuce? Anyone, help?

 

Edit: Tried a system restore to three days ago, no dice. 

[mybeat]

tl;dr 

Have you tried to turn off hardware acceleration in flash player itself?

[ClutchHunter]

tl;dr 

Have you tried to turn off hardware acceleration in flash player itself?

 

I pursued that but there was no option. That's what led me to the control panel route whereby it's greyed out. 

[ClutchHunter]

The issue still happens with Flash Player uninstalled. VLC doesn't seem to have the same issue -- is there any way of using VLC in-browser for flash videos?

[mgsstar]

The issue still happens with Flash Player uninstalled. VLC doesn't seem to have the same issue -- is there any way of using VLC in-browser for flash videos?

Just paste the youtube link with the http:// into VLC by choosing "Media" and choosing "Open Network Stream" :http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57554622-285/play-youtube-videos-in-vlc/

Or

Get this plugin for chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vlc-for-youtube/ablmclcliiiegfmpbkfhnhipoejclmel?hl=en

[ClutchHunter]

The former doesn't let me pick display quality and the latter doesn't work.

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An update on the issue at hand. Windows is fine with YouTube, but as soon as I install any AMD drivers I get the issue above or worse yet a BSoD. I got a memory dump from the blue screen and have the debugging tools installed, and am investigating. This bit has peaked my curiosity:

Probably caused by : atikmpag.sys ( atikmpag+8db8 )

[mgsstar]

The former doesn't let me pick display quality and the latter doesn't work.

---

An update on the issue at hand. Windows is fine with YouTube, but as soon as I install any AMD drivers I get the issue above or worse yet a BSoD. I got a memory dump from the blue screen and have the debugging tools installed, and am investigating. This bit has peaked my curiosity:

Probably caused by : atikmpag.sys ( atikmpag+8db8 )

Use CCleaner to fix any registry issues and to delete temp files before installing the driver.

[DoctorNick]

Are you sure its your display its wrong with? Is the other screen a 120hz? Have you tried changing the dual DVI cable? What about 60hz mode is it the same story?

[XCatenaccioX]

@ClutchHunter,

 

same problem here with XL2411T (running just one monitor via DVI-D Dual Link), Gigabyte 7870 Windforce and newest ATI drivers (13.5 beta) and older. It's actually a freeze, no chance to quit with e. g.  ALT-F4, need to reboot. Do you know any solution yet?

 

Btw, just to tune Firefox scrolling for 120Hz/144Hz (does not resolve YouTube/Flash problem):

1. https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/smoothwheel/

2. Enter " about:config " in Firefox URL bar.

3. Edit " layout.frame_rate " to 144 (or 120).

 

EDIT:

 

1) deactivated hardware acceleration in flash context menu

2) installed .inf-driver from Benq DVD replacing entry "PnP Monitor" with "Benq XL2411T"

 

144Hz I did not experience the video error freeze problem with YouTube videos, at least yesterday. Did you yet try the "device manager"-trick (2))?

Edited May 8, 2013 by XCatenaccioX

[ClutchHunter]

120Hz seems fine whereas 144Hz produces the problem, so I think I've narrowed that down. I'll check that out in a few minutes though, Catenaccio :)

 

Edit: (Windows 8 now) Although the drivers did rename the monitors in Device Manager, 144Hz is still corrupt when watching 4oD (another video playback that was causing issues). Looks like I'll have to settle for 120Hz. 

[Adashmada]

I have the exact same issue with my 7850, but it only affects my primary screen, not my secondary side monitor. I then unplug my main screen and the issue then occurs on my second. I havn't yet found a way to fix this yet. I was starting to think it was the graphics card itself causing the problem

[ClutchHunter]

I have the exact same issue with my 7850, but it only affects my primary screen, not my secondary side monitor. I then unplug my main screen and the issue then occurs on my second. I havn't yet found a way to fix this yet. I was starting to think it was the graphics card itself causing the problem

 

Is this above 60Hz or not? Curiously enough on dual-link DVI the problem only occurs for me on 144Hz, not 120Hz. I still suspect it being a driver issue at root though. 

[SkulD]

Hi, i have the same problem, this thing appears while watching youtube videos, or when I run de windows assesment tool (he windows experience thingy that evaluates the performance of your pc)

 

I have 2 HD7870 in crossfire, 1 is the vanilla 7870 from sapphire, while the other where my monitor is plugged in its an OC 7870 from saphire (1050mhz gpu, 1250 memory).

 

The vanilla 7870 has been with me longer than the OC one and it has proved itself to be reliable, but the OC one is new and it gave me that black screen flicker ONCE, then I undid the factory OC to vanilla levels using MSI afterburner, and this setup worked fine for like 5 days, then this error appeared yesterday.

 

something I noticed is that the audio driver from the graphics card automatically disabled itself from the device manager, so Im guessing there is some sort of conflict between the integrated sound card and the sound from the HDMI port.

 

please help me too D:!

[ClutchHunter]

Although my solution doesn't seem to be universal, I'm glad that a few of you have come in to post about this. Previously I hadn't found a single person with the same problem - anyone think they could contact AMD about this?

[SkulD]

I just uninstalled the drivers and cleaned the registry, already did a windows assessment, no problems, currently watching the youtube livestream from yesterday and browse the internet in another tab to force a video crash.

 

then I'll reinstall the drivers without the sound thingy from AMD and see what happens.

[Adashmada]

I haven't actually had the issue for a few weeks now, but I haven't changed anything I don't think. If it reoccurs then I shall post again. I still think it was probably a driver issue because I never used to have the issue and the only think I have changed a bout my graphics card is the drivers. 

[SkulD]

I uninstalled the sound driver and the video driver, removed any traces from the registry.

 

Then re installed the latest sound driver from gigabyte (not directly from realtek as I did before "GA-990FXA-UD5"), after that I re installed the graphics driver without the sound and video decoding stuff, just the catalyst and video driver, and everything is back to normal, been playing some games in crossfire no problem, no hiccups no crashes.

 

I did reboot in between each step for good measure, I mean, after uninstalling something, and after each install, (since i use windows 8 this was fairly quick xP).

 

I'll be stressing the PC for a while and see if its still stable, but for now everything is fine.

 

Just wanted to end this on a high note, so that people that come and see this post don't leave thinking that my/our PCs are malfunctioning because of AMD graphics cards xD .

 

If anything happens I'll be back :D!

[ClutchHunter]

Really long overdue update. So I was fine at 120 Hz for quite a while until I enabled 120 Hz on my second display, at which point the issue came back again, and only when enabling or disabling a flash video of some description. It wasn't a hardware issue as it happened on both the 7950 in the OP and my current 7970. Disabling hardware acceleration would be a workaround but not a fix so I set out to find a fix.

 

I'm hoping I just found one here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1037034/how-to-fix-dual-monitor-screen-flicker-ati-amd-guide#post_18732616.

 

Basically you're going to attach your overclocked memory clock to your profiles.xml file so that your card doesn't downclock the memory clock when providing hardware accerlation to video.

[ClutchHunter]

The above didn't work but the issue was accurate - the issue has been fixed by leaving the memory clock at whatever it sits at when running hardware accelerated video content. See OP.

[Adashmada]

I've just come back to this topic aswell, I still get the issue with my 60hz monitor... so what did you find out was causing it sorry because i didnt understand the previous post.

[ClutchHunter]

I've just come back to this topic aswell, I still get the issue with my 60hz monitor... so what did you find out was causing it sorry because i didnt understand the previous post.

 

Basically just don't overclock the memory clock.

[Mr. Brovahkiin]

I have this issue every once and a while except it's usually with steam flash. Try system restoring back to a time when it didn't do it. Seems to work for me.

Edit: Nevermind, you fixed it already :P

[hiddensniper861]

i own the asus vg24bqe a 144hz i also have this problem when i watch youtube i just set it to 60hz and it works fine sine i only use the 144hz for csgo btw i run dvi imput