Question Graphical artifacts on laptop screen are driving me crazy ?

[meburke]

I have an Acer A717-72G-76V1 Laptop. It seems to be fast and fairly reliable EXCEPT:

1. In Facebook within my Brave browser, when I pull the mouse pointer across a picture, it leaves a trail or cluster of artifacts that spoil the look of the picture. Clicking outside the picture usually resets the picture to normal.
2. I recently installed Obsidian, and I have the same problem in the application no matter which theme I use. Sometimes I have to reload the app to get rid of the artifacts.

I tried disabling the anti-aliasing and/or playing with the settings on the graphics cards. (This system has two: an intel card and an additional NVIDIA card. There are a LOT of combinations I tried!) The drivers for both cards are up-to-date. Using the Intel card by itself, disabling the NVIDIA card, diminishes the effect but does not eliminate it. (Besides, I like the enhanced video in my movies and games.)

I have installed Obsidian on other systems and don't have this problem. (My Surface Pro 3 works beautifully, but it only has a 13-inch screen, and the Acer has a 17-inch screen.) The Acer is my normal workhorse apart from my desktops. None of my other computers have exhibited this problem in Brave, FB, and Obsidian.

I am willing to learn: Could someone please point me to authoritative tech manuals, information, books, or sites that will explain in high detail the workings of different monitors and graphic card combinations?

Does anyone have specific experience regarding this type of problem? Could anyone point me to a resource or two where I might be able to find ways to pinpoint the problem and find a solution?

Does anyone know what this type of problem is called, specifically? I ask because it's possible that I am not describing it correctly...)

I Have 59 years dealing with computers and their problems. Not many things throw me, but this one does. It disturbs me that I don't know what causes the problem and don't know where to look for solutions.

Thank you for your help.

Mike

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Using the Intel card by itself, disabling the NVIDIA card, diminishes the effect but does not eliminate it.

if the issue persists whether using the integrated or dedicated graphics then it is likely another problem outside of the graphics processor(s) themselves.

though i would still first try removing all graphics related drivers & data and reinstalling the latest released driver packages.
running DDU in Windows Safe Mode is the best/easiest option for this process.

 

[meburke]

if the issue persists whether using the integrated or dedicated graphics then it is likely another problem outside of the graphics processor(s) themselves.

though i would still first try removing all graphics related drivers & data and reinstalling the latest released driver packages.
running DDU in Windows Safe Mode is the best/easiest option for this process.

Excellent reply. Thank you.

I have already done exactly what you suggested: I removed all the graphics-related driver software and installed only the latest drivers from Intel and NVIDIA. I disabled the graphics cards individually, but the Intel card wasn't giving me satisfactory results, and the system wouldn't work at all with only the NVIDIA card.

I also agree that the problem might be something outside the graphics cards themselves. In fact, I am well convinced that this is a program bug in the Brave browser and in the Obsidian app. The only reason I placed this problem in the "Graphics Card" section is that it is a graphics problem, and you can't have graphics without graphics hardware, and I thought more people with graphics problem experience would see it here.

I have a LOT of experience in solving computer problems, but this one stumps me. I hope someone can point me toward some authoritative tech or Engineering sources that will educate me. I don't even know where to look.

In an ideal life, someone would point me to sources that would describe how to build graphics cards and video software from scratch, and I could derive quality assurance tests that would help me make bullet-proof programs. In this instance, I am working with existing hardware, and I don't know enough about how it works to even imagine a solution. In the old days I would simply track inputs and outputs and figure out what inputs caused each anomalous result. (I imagine I could write a program that DELIBERATELY causes the artifacts when the mouse pointer crossed graphics fields, and that would be a step toward finding the solution. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about the field to get started.)

I only have 1,393 weeks to live before my 103rd birthday, and I'm not sure I have all the time I need to learn all the stuff I need to build a testing system for something that will be irrelevant by then. So, I am here looking for a shortcut.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I removed all the graphics-related driver software

how you accomplished this is a major piece of the situation.
just using their incorporated "uninstall" option is not going to do the trick.