T42 Screen Flickering in Vista

[snabjab]

Thanks to both of you for the comments. Unfortunately whichever drivers Win7 automatically updates to aren't any improvement on what I'm using. And while I totally believe that replacing the LCD worked in your case, lexicon, I'm skeptical that this is anything other than a driver issue given that my display worked flawlessly before that. Unfortunately I'm also skeptical that updated drivers will ever appear. But perhaps I'm wrong about that?

[lexicon]

I've been struggling with Vista and W7(BETA,RC,RTM), the flicker exist on those OSes, but Never on XP.

Maybe the historical journey of my T42p has something to do with that, which I feel rather important.
When it was still under warranty, IBM replaced the whole LCD kit because some pixels problem -- or at least that's what they told me.
Maybe, just maybe, they put the 'not-so-compatible' LCD kit onto my T42p, without even knew it will raised a problem like this in Vista/W7.

[snabjab]

It's a disappointing problem, to say the least. Anyone want to speculate on the odds of a working driver ever appearing? I've never tried Vista on this machine but suspect that anyone with this video card would have the same problems with Vista and that OS has been out for years. If the issue hasn't been fixed by now, will it ever? I'd be very curious to know if others have found a permanent solution with mobility modder.

[stanfields]

i have two t42, one is flickering with the 12/1/2008 from windows update.

So i swapped to 02/06/2007 version 6.14.10.6547 from ati (signed) and no more flickering and...now no aero cause of lacking 3D performance.

Still wondering if it is a driver or lcd failure. Both t42 have 9600 and 1400x1050, but different lcd-oems, i guess.
The newer windows update driver locks the refresh rate at 50 hz, the older ati one at 60 hz (that's the typical refresh rate i have had in mind for long time, or?) So maybe it's because of the lower 50 hz refresh rate and the lcd can't handle it?

[pralix]

I solved this problem by using powerstrip and lowering the screen refresh rate to 49 hertz
You can get powerstrip here http://downloads.guru3d.com/PowerStrip- ... d-169.html. There is one catch though, the flicker does appear during login but soon as the application kicks in the flicker is gone. Also if you have the power setting to turn the screen black due to inactivity the flickering reappears. Just turn that off and use a screensaver of somekind and you'll be fine.

[hunterman223]

I solved this problem by using powerstrip and lowering the screen refresh rate to 49 hertz
You can get powerstrip here http://downloads.guru3d.com/PowerStrip- ... d-169.html. There is one catch though, the flicker does appear during login but soon as the application kicks in the flicker is gone. Also if you have the power setting to turn the screen black due to inactivity the flickering reappears. Just turn that off and use a screensaver of somekind and you'll be fin

Glad that works for you, but the only problem is that by doing that and allowing the screen to be on all the time, you are risking the life of your CCFL (backlight). Once that goes, you either replace it, which is a real PITA, and you risk destroying the screen itself, or you shell out and purchase an entire new lcd. Signs of a failing CCFL are a red or yellow tint to the screen, or a noticeable difference in the brightness. Just my 2¢...

[CoolRunnings]

I tried this on a number of T4x series Thinkpads and came to the conclusion that the driver does not allow the correct refresh rate for the screen. With a T4x laptop, you're better off with XP for performance reasons anyway though...

[hunterman223]

With a T4x laptop, you're better off with XP for performance reasons anyway though...

Yep, I definitely agree with you there. I tried vista on my R40, and it worked ok, but only for internet and email, and I also had issues with video drivers. I can't see how a comparable t4x would be any faster. I think xp is the way to go.