Java Apps in browser flash/tear when scrolling - why is that?

Question

I have a Dell Dimension 4400 with an ATI Rage 128 Pro AGP on Windows XP Pro, latest updates. Previously this computer used Windows 2000, but I upgraded it to XP two weeks ago.

One of the things I do on my computer is use a Java app in-browser (IE8) which prints tables of information. I frequently scroll through these tables to analyze the data. On Windows 2000, and on any other computer, scrolling is smooth as it should be. On this machine, though, the window rapidly flashes/tears while scrolling. I can't read anything until I stop scrolling. This only happens in Java apps that require scrolling, while scrolling.

I'd heard that video drivers can cause this, so I installed the latest drivers for the Rage 128 Pro from Dell. That did not fix anything. Is it possible there is a right and wrong way to update these drivers?

If not that, what else could be causing this problem?

Answer 1

You need to go into the Display Properties dialog, click the Settings tab, and click Advanced. On the Troubleshoot tab, make sure Hardware Acceleration is set to Full. If it is already set to full, try each setting and see if it still happens with lower levels.

To update graphics drivers, you generally need to uninstall the old drivers and install new ones. You can also install the wrong drivers. Verify that the drivers you installed are for that specific Dell model, and make sure that that is the only ATI card that was available for that model. It will install the wrong drivers and things will just not work correctly.