Screen Flashes or Flickers When Active Desktop Is Enabled

• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.0, 4.01 for Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you use Internet Explorer 4.0 with the Active Desktop enabled, the screen may flash or flicker. This behavior is most noticeable on the Channel bar when the desktop is refreshed or redrawn.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the Color Palette setting in Display properties is configured to use 256 or fewer colors.

RESOLUTION

To work around this behavior, use one of the following methods:

METHOD 1

If your display adapter can display more than 256 colors, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Display.

3. On the Settings tab, click High Color (16 bit) in the Color Palette box.

4. Click OK, and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.

METHOD 2

If your display adapter cannot display more than 256 colors, or if some programs you use require 256 colors, disable the Active Desktop. To do so, click Start, point to Settings, point to Active Desktop, and then click View As Web Page.

MORE INFORMATION

If an exact color match is not available when the screen is refreshed or redrawn, the next closest color is used. The fewer colors that the color palette is configured to use, the more the screen flashes or flickers when it is refreshed or redrawn because fewer colors are using an exact match.