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Olem_Ivo
Olem_Ivo
Join Date 06/2013
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Start11 Taskbar App Preview Flicker

May 30, 2025 8:57:00 PM from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Hello,

Consistently on my second monitor, whenever I hover over whatever application is on the far right, the app preview will flicker, either directly above, or somewhere wildly different, only stopping when I click off onto the primary monitor.  

Currently using the most updated version of Win11 and Start11 as of writing.

Link below to example video.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eapub62ENtpxdprln5KF84WE4gVWNWr8/view?usp=sharing

Moved to Start Menu Products Area

bug reports start menu products
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Olem_Ivo
basj
Join Date 03/2001
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Reply #1 May 31, 2025 1:05:22 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. Please try, uninstall Start11, reboot immediately (important), download latest version available in your account product download page: https://store.stardock.com/myaccount/products. Install it, reboot immediately again. Retest it and report back.

If it issue still there after the final reboot. Need to know more details on your system

  1. Windows 11 24H2 OS Build number. Please use Winver.exe to get this number.
  2. Start11 full version number.
  3. Start11 enhance taskbar turn on or off?

Thank you,
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

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Olem_Ivo
Olem_Ivo
Join Date 06/2013
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Reply #2 May 31, 2025 8:31:58 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Thanks for the reply,

1. Windows ww 24H2 (OS Build 26100.4202)

2. Start11 Version 2.52.3 Business edition

3. Enhance taskbar is turned on

 

I will also add, that this issue has persisted through full reformats of my OS where obviously everything is reinstalled fresh, it has persisted now for some months.

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Olem_Ivo
basj
Join Date 03/2001
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Reply #3 May 31, 2025 8:46:41 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Possible conflict with other application or drives. First please test it on Windows sandbox. Refer here. https://support.stardock.com/space/SHC/1416855562/Testing+Start+in+Sandbox. Try it and report back. 

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

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Olem_Ivo
Olem_Ivo
Join Date 06/2013
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Reply #4 May 31, 2025 1:12:23 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Can't replicate it in Sandbox, as there doesn't appear to be a way to setup dual monitors in sandbox, and this only happens on a second screen.  However as I mentioned, I recently reformatted, about 6 weeks ago, and on a fresh install of the OS where Start11 was one of the first things installed it still happened. 

For a moment there I thought it might have been a conflict with Notepad++ as that was often starting the flickering at the same time it was running, however proved that wrong as it seems to just happen regardless of what's running.. Any other ideas on testing?

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Olem_Ivo
basj
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Reply #5 May 31, 2025 8:47:17 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Try Cleanboot : https://support.stardock.com/space/SHC/1334935592/Start11+Clean+Boot. Try it and report back.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

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Olem_Ivo
Olem_Ivo
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Reply #6 August 25, 2025 11:44:13 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Sorry about the long delay, didn't have time to test for a bit there, so I ran that, same error, the instant I run something like Notepad++, the taskbar preview popup flickers on my second monitor.  Today I just did a fresh install of windows, only thing now added has been my browser, notepadd++ and start11, still doing it.

 

Running the latest version of start11 downloaded this morning.

 

Seemingly even on a fresh install, the only way to actually stop this from happening is disabling the feature for 'Let Start11 Enhance the Taskbar'.

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Olem_Ivo
Neil Banfield
Join Date 04/2001
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Reply #7 August 25, 2025 12:57:05 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Quoting Olem_Ivo,
reply 6

Sorry about the long delay, didn't have time to test for a bit there, so I ran that, same error, the instant I run something like Notepad++, the taskbar preview popup flickers on my second monitor.  Today I just did a fresh install of windows, only thing now added has been my browser, notepadd++ and start11, still doing it.

 

Running the latest version of start11 downloaded this morning.

 

Seemingly even on a fresh install, the only way to actually stop this from happening is disabling the feature for 'Let Start11 Enhance the Taskbar'.

beta or release of Start11?

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Olem_Ivo
Olem_Ivo
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Reply #8 August 26, 2025 7:10:41 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

I tried both actually, first release, then beta, no difference.

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Olem_Ivo
adolphohipstero
Join Date 09/2019
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Reply #9 August 27, 2025 12:09:03 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Just want to chip in to this thread and say I have pretty much exactly the same issue as you. It started happening quite long ago and I basically have learned to live with it now, but just out of curiosity I disabled the "Let start11 enhance the taskbar" and voilá, the issue is completely gone now. 

I always suspected there was some other program causing this annyoing flicker issue, but it turns out to be Start11 in the end.

I have the latest(?) version of Start11 (v2.53) and the flicker issue is still present.

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Olem_Ivo
bdsams
Join Date 04/2013
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Reply #10 August 29, 2025 5:19:23 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Are you able to reproduce this issue consistently? We are trying to hunt this bug down and any data associated with what steps are occurring prior to seeing the bug would be helpful.

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Olem_Ivo
Olem_Ivo
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Reply #11 August 30, 2025 10:09:45 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

I am yes, if anything its hard not to have this bug occur. I can lay out the steps I took with my fresh windows install earlier this week where the bug still occurred.

 

Format/Fresh install windows 11

Install GPU and Chipset Drivers

Install Brave browser

Install Notepad++

Install Discord

Install Start11 and load backup from before format.

Open brave, task manager, discord and notepad++ on second monitor, hover over whatever taskbar tray item is on the far right, and flickers.  Typically that's notepad++ but not always, others can do it too.

 

This only happens on a second monitor, never the main monitor, and seemingly only with multiple apps open, Notepad++ has been my most easily triggered app, but others do it as well. Doesn't always require that full combination of open apps to happen, just simply my full list from this week.

Hope this helps, thank you.

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Olem_Ivo
Neil Banfield
Join Date 04/2001
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Reply #12 August 30, 2025 12:22:57 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Are both displays using the same scaling factor?

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Olem_Ivo
Olem_Ivo
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Reply #13 September 1, 2025 10:05:29 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

No, both monitors are 4k, but primary is 125%, and second monitor with the issue is 150%.

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Olem_Ivo
Neil Banfield
Join Date 04/2001
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Reply #14 September 2, 2025 9:58:28 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

As an experiment (and only an experiment), are you able to set them both to 150% and sign out and in again and see if the problem continues for you.

This is purely a test to eliminate mixed dpi as a cause and also 125% as thats a horrible scaling multiplier.

If it does not happen then try setting to 125% and again sign out and in again and see if the problem reoccurs.  

This will allow us to narrow down the differences between your setup and ours further.

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Olem_Ivo
Olem_Ivo
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Reply #15 September 2, 2025 2:16:48 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

I just tried setting both to 150%, and worked perfectly, no error, tried both at 125%, no issue, and both at 100%, no issue.  I then tried various other scaling combinations and anytime the scale is different, regardless of what value, the error happens.  So seems to be the key factor.

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Olem_Ivo
Neil Banfield
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Reply #16 September 2, 2025 5:24:29 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Quoting Olem_Ivo,
reply 15

I just tried setting both to 150%, and worked perfectly, no error, tried both at 125%, no issue, and both at 100%, no issue.  I then tried various other scaling combinations and anytime the scale is different, regardless of what value, the error happens.  So seems to be the key factor.

Thanks, thats useful.

You are using the very latest Start11 beta?

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Olem_Ivo
Olem_Ivo
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Reply #17 September 2, 2025 6:30:03 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

Prior to scaling tests, I had tried both live, and beta and was the same issue, so it seems unfixed.

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