I ended up doing a system restore. The laptop rebooted and showed the warning below (I am not surprised as a year ago attempts to recover from an unwanted BIOS update always miserably failed).

Perhaps the only positive thing is that the Experience of the OS went back to what it was before the most recent updates.

Edition Windows 10 Pro
Version 21H2
Installed on ‎11/‎08/‎2022
OS build 19044.1889
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.4180.0

However, the service stacking installed in the last bundle of updates is still in the control panel. I do not get it.
Opera and Firefox, which I installed after creating the restore point, have not disappeared, and I get a few errors/warnings (for example, Skype is not working anymore). The taskbar does not look as before the updates either (there are some Bing icons to the right of the Type here to search field).
It looks like the recovery of the system occurred only partially and not in a clean manner. I am given the option to undo the restore and I may take it after playing around a bit more and checking whether the system has become smoother on my eyes or not.
I should mention that prior to doing the system restore I scanned all the programs and drivers that could be affected. The list was infinitely long. There were so many recent updates of drivers of any sort that I was completely oblivious of, including from HP and NVIDIA. I am not an expert but I worry that all those sub-updates contained in the update package may screw up the screen and not fully reverse even if the Build and the Experience go back to what they were.
What do you guys reckon? Have you tried to undo updates by using an old restore point, and were you successful? Thanks.

  • AGI replied to this.
    9 days later

    Oshim

    I did a back up and went to Win11 22H2. Also went for the latest NVIDIA GameReady driver version which is 527.56
    IT IS FUCKING AMAZING!!!!

    hello Oshim, glad to hear that someone managed to solve the problem
    can you clarify your hardware/software configuration?

    Mobo: Asus TUF Gaming Pro Z390
    GPU: GTX 1080 MSI Armor OC RTX 3080 12GB
    Monitor: Gigabyte M32q connected via DP, 50bright/50contr
    OS Win11 22H2 22621.963
    GPU driver 527.56, RGB full range 8bit 60-164Hz
    ICM color profile https://i.rtings.com/assets/products/9YjCcDlV/gigabyte-m32q/rtings-icc-profile.icm
    monitor "driver" .inf from GB CD/site
    did I correctly list the key components of your setup?

    a few more questions if you'd like:

    1. what is the full name of the 3080 model?
    2. did you feel the difference with your previous 1080 graphics card?
    3. have you tried connecting the monitor via HDMI?
    4. do you use HDR in OS/monitor ?
    5. have you tried turning on/off the color profile?
    6. have you tried change "monitor driver" m32q.inf to default "PnP monitor" ?
    7. did you feel the difference between 60hz and 164hz, relatively temporal dithering?
    8. did you install any Windows updates or use clean 22h2?
    9. what method do you use to control temporal dithering OFF? own feelings? image sample? ...?
    10. Do you have any discomfort in UEFI BIOS screen ? (not in OS)

    sorry for so many questions, I don't lose hope to get to the bottom of the problem 🙂

          glvn

          Please see my answers below:

          1. what is the full name of the 3080 model? - ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 3080 OC EVA Edition

          2. did you feel the difference with your previous 1080 graphics card? - Not a bit, if anything, the new GPU is even better

          3. have you tried connecting the monitor via HDMI? - No, never needed to

          4. do you use HDR in OS/monitor ? - No, only SDR

          5. have you tried turning on/off the color profile? - As of the current moment ICC profile is turned off/not used as I love the more saturated color

          6. have you tried change "monitor driver" m32q.inf to default "PnP monitor" ? - It shows as default "PnP monitor"

          7. did you feel the difference between 60hz and 164hz, relatively temporal dithering? - No temporal dithering noticed, more so because I have 8 bit color in the NVIDIA control panel

          8. did you install any Windows updates or use clean 22h2? - Clean 22H2, OS build 22621.963, updates disabled

          9. what method do you use to control temporal dithering OFF? own feelings? image sample? ...? - NVIDIA control panel set to 8 bit, 32 bit color, RGB, full range. Sample image below - you can clearly see the banding (which helps you determine if there is dithering)

          10. Do you have any discomfort in UEFI BIOS screen ? (not in OS) - None whatsoever


              Oshim Sample image

              thanks for the replies and the sample image, on my work PC(win7 + HD630 + Philips 243V over HDMI) I see a slight horizontal banding 🙂

              last question, can I ask for a screenshot of the GPU-z utility on your current graphics card?

                  8 days later

                  AGI It looks like the recovery of the system occurred only partially and not in a clean manner. I am given the option to undo the restore and I may take it after playing around a bit more and checking whether the system has become smoother on my eyes or not.
                  I should mention that prior to doing the system restore I scanned all the programs and drivers that could be affected. The list was infinitely long. There were so many recent updates of drivers of any sort that I was completely oblivious of, including from HP and NVIDIA.

                  I undid the restore and the screen still hurt badly. Meanwhile I noticed that the BIOS version had changed, and in the past I had had issues after a BIOS update. I downgraded the BIOS to the last version that did not give me issues, and my laptop is again usable. Next I will progressively kick in updates one by one. I expect the BIOS version to change when installing certain update packages. If that happens, I will restore the old BIOS version and see if I can keep up with new OS builds / versions.

                    24 days later

                    Hi guys, news about Windows 11 best version for eyes.

                    I still use 22h1 and It's ok for me

                    For the record; I just have a small separate pc with Win11 22H2 Insider with all updates, but this pc Im connecting to my main pc (Win10 22H2 with all updates) via a capture card, which is an Avermedia Live Gamer Extreme G550.

                    Im not sure if this method is producing a better environment for the eyes, but personally so far I can tell I don't have any problems (I have problems with new displays and games with the ominous glowing/focusing produced strains).

                    What I'd like to tell is if you have the opportunity to experiment with such HW trials, give it a try, maybe it can help.

                    Best for all of you.

                    • AGI likes this.
                    2 months later

                    glvn Hello! I am here for all the same reasons - eye strain and other stuff. Bafore 2023 never experienced anything similar. In March 23 bought MacBook Pro 14 and sold it in two weeks because it was horrible for my eyes. Now I am on old Lenovo Carbon X1 Gen 5. Bought a new one Lenovo Carbon X1 Gen 10 beacause my old one became slow. After some work on it (Win 11) i found that I have the same symptoms. Installed Ubuntu on it - the same.

                    I restored laptop to factory defaults and gave it a pause. Yesterday I started again but all the time I was surfing through UEFI BIOS and did not installed any OS!

                    And I found your 10 question "Do you have any discomfort in UEFI BIOS screen ? (not in OS)". So I am in this case - I feel the same symptoms as in last MacOS (Ventura), last Ubuntu, Win 11 and UEFI BIOS without OS. Is it pointing to something new about OS or cartain laptop or something else?

                    Thank you

                        recye That would indicate hardware triggering your issue not software

                        Our issues can be triggered by hardware, software, or both

                            ensete But when UEFI BIOS is "showing me" something (like menus, lists and other options) it is also done by some kind of low level software, mayby some unified display driver. When I connect external displays (i have got two of them) to my old lenovo - everything is OK, but when I connect them to a new Lenovo - i have eye strain. External monitors are the same

                            • glvn replied to this.

                                recye Some folks believe on here that the motherboard could be at fault, perhaps by always dithering.

                                Did you try ditherig?

                                Are you interested in empirical research by using a lossless capture card + VideoDiff?

                                • AGI replied to this.
                                    6 days later

                                    recye When I connect external displays (i have got two of them) to my old lenovo - everything is OK, but when I connect them to a new Lenovo - i have eye strain. External monitors are the same

                                    sad but true 🙁

                                    now I can only confirm the effect of dithering 1.11 on desktop intel hd630 (windows 7)

                                    try on linux: "% sudo intel_reg_write 0x70008 0xc0000040 # no dither"

                                    does your lenovo carbon x1 gen 5 have hd530 or hd630?

                                      ryans Did you try ditherig?

                                      Have you tried it? I have been hearing about this for long, but never understood if it kills it or it is the nth potential fix that works only for someone and only for two days and then the eyestsrain is back...

                                          AGI

                                          Hi, it is not clear from the above posts…. have you figured out how to revert the changes that get installed after the 22H2 update? I installed it 2 weeks back, it was only the 22H2 update, but uninstalling this feature update AND reverting to a restore point right before this update was unable to remove eye strain I'm now getting with that PC…

                                          • AGI replied to this.

                                              machala The restore point thing has never worked for me. It has always incurred errors and left the system unstable, so I dropped it. Instead I used the Control Panel to uninstall all the updates until the OS would return to the last good version and build. However, this has stopped working too and I haven been in pain for the past few months even with 21H2 and a build that used to be good. What has irreversibly changed is the OS Experience. I think that's due to the service stacking updates that cannot be uninstalled, at least via the Control Panel. I tried to find out what a service stacking update effectively does, but I couldn't learn anything from the web.

                                              One last note about the restore point. There's a functionally that allows to check all that has changed between OS as per restore point and OS post-security updates/service stacking updates. I ran the check once and the list of all the edits to the system was infinitely long, including drivers.
                                              Unfortunately I cannot wipe everything off and reinstall Windows as it is a business laptop and I am already "illegally" downgrading updates for what is possible.

                                              • AGI replied to this.

                                                  AGI However, this has stopped working too and I haven been in pain for the past few months even with 21H2 and a build that used to be good.

                                                  @machala These have been the last decent settings for me.
                                                  OS build 19044.1889
                                                  Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.4180.0

                                                  The service stacking updated twice since, and I have never been able to cope.
                                                  Right now I am on

                                                  Version 21H2
                                                  OS build 19044.1889
                                                  Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.19041.1000.0

                                                  and it is hell.

                                                      16 days later

                                                      AGI

                                                      And what is your graphics card, motherboard, CPU?

                                                      • AGI replied to this.

                                                          machala

                                                          Intel(R) UHD Graphics
                                                          NVIDIA Quadro P520

                                                          BIOS Mode UEFI
                                                          BaseBoard Manufacturer HP
                                                          BaseBoard Product 8724

                                                          CPU Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10810U 1.10GHz

                                                            For the ones that are certain a windows update is to blame. There should be quite a few sandboxing apps where you can apply the update and see exactly what changed.

                                                              dev