Laptop screen flickering, exe download suggested but not done

Question

Hello: My laptop screen is flickering. It says download the Vcrunchtimef140_1.dll. I've been advised not to do that. How can I restore my laptop so it works properly?

Answer 1

Screen flickering in Windows is usually caused by either a display driver problem or an incompatible app. The message about downloading Vcrunchtimef140_1.dll should be ignored; do not download random DLLs from the internet.

To restore normal operation on Windows 10, follow these steps:

1. Reset the graphics driver
   • Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + Shift + B.
   • The screen may blink and you might hear a beep. Check if the flickering improves.
   • If not, restart the PC once and test again.
2. Check whether Task Manager flickers
   • Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, then select Task Manager.
   • If Task Manager does not open that way, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
   • Observe the screen:
     1. If Task Manager flickers along with everything else, the display driver is likely the cause. Go to step 3.
     2. If Task Manager does not flicker but the rest of the screen does, an incompatible app is likely the cause. In that case, uninstall or update any recently installed or suspicious apps instead of downloading DLLs.
3. Fix the display driver (if Task Manager also flickers) a) Roll back the display driver (if a recent update caused this)
   1. In the taskbar search box, type device manager and open Device Manager.
   2. Expand Display adapters.
   3. Right‑click the display adapter and select Properties.
   4. Open the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver > Yes.
   5. Restart the device.
   • Note: Administrator privileges are required. If Roll Back Driver is unavailable, there is no previous driver to roll back to.
   b) Update the display driver
   1. In Device Manager, expand Display adapters.
   2. Right‑click the display adapter and select Update driver.
   3. Follow the prompts. If needed, contact the PC or display adapter manufacturer for the latest driver.
   c) Uninstall and reinstall the display driver (if problems persist)
   1. In Device Manager, expand Display adapters.
   2. Right‑click the display adapter and select Properties.
   3. Go to the Driver tab and select Uninstall Device.
   4. Check Delete the driver software for this device (if available), then select OK.
   5. Restart the device; Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver automatically.
   • If the Delete the driver software for this device check box is not visible, start the PC in Safe Mode first using the documented safe mode procedure, then repeat the uninstall.

If the screen flickering is due to an app (Task Manager does not flicker), update or uninstall any recently installed or suspicious programs instead of downloading DLL files. If the screen is too unstable, use Safe Mode to perform these steps.

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References:

• Troubleshoot screen flickering in Windows