Windows 11

tck175

Hi all , I have already reported my case through Microsoft Feedback Hub . They said they will report my case to engineering team ? Anyone can help me ? I am starting to think about changing job if I cannot use the windows 11 because of the eyestrain and headaches/Migraines (my left side of my head) or i just tolerate my headaches/Migraines and continue to work ? Many thanks !

Dicky

macsforme

There is some consensus that Windows 11 incorporates more GPU-accelerated rendering which can reduce image stability and increase flickering. Sensitivity seems to vary between users, but more users seem sensitive to Windows 11 than to Windows 10 (from reports I have seen).

Generally speaking, exploring methods to disable GPU acceleration may be worthwhile. This includes methods such as disabling the GPU driver, connecting the monitor through an external dock or DisplayLink connector, running Windows 11 inside a virtual machine on a “safe” host, or simply using a different computer model. Keep in mind though, I have not heard of any of these methods (other than changing hardware) relieving strain on Windows 11 specifically. Edit: I would add to that list, using remote access software such as VNC to access the machine that causes strain.

tck175

macsforme I agree but we can I do. Microsoft forced us to upgrade to Windows 11. Any other alternative to use windows ? What is a virtual machine?

WhisperingWind

tck175

Try installing the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter driver for your GPU to see if it makes a difference, or—as @macsforme suggested—disable the GPU in Device Manager. In both cases you’ll lose hardware acceleration and some of the image processing your GPU applies to the output, which might be the key to solving the issue.

P.S. One more thing I noticed when moving from macOS Sonoma to macOS Tahoe. I’m not sure if the same applies when going from Windows 10 to Windows 11 (I don’t have 11), so consider this a hypothesis. I use a 6‑bit+FRC monitor. The FRC can be sensitive to an interface’s “saturation” (an interface’s “saturation” is determined by the exact RGB values chosen by the OS design), which may change between OS versions. Sonoma is fine on this monitor, but Tahoe is worse—my eyes start to feel strained after 20–30 minutes. On a true 8‑bit monitor, though, I don’t see any difference between Sonoma and Tahoe. So if you’re on a 6‑bit+FRC panel, that might also be adding to eye strain. Just a hypothesis.

tck175

WhisperingWind I tried Basic Display Adapter driver, still face the eyestrain. I tried a true 8-bit monitor in a computer shop , still face the eyestrain ! I am so depressed now.

tck175

tck175 i tried all the methods such as disable temporal dithering software but no use .

WhisperingWind

tck175

The issue might be with the monitor. I’ve seen monitors that don’t use FRC but have pixel inversion or PWM, which can cause eye strain. Choosing the right monitor is a complicated topic in its own right.

Did Windows 10 work ok with your monitor?

tck175

WhisperingWind yes , it works only with windows 10 installed few years ago. But it doesn’t work with windows 10 installed recently . I am serious ! It is the same monitor !

WhisperingWind

tck175

What’s the model of the monitor?

What GPU are you using?

To be honest, I don’t know of any other way to get Windows 11 usable on bare metal besides what I listed above.

tck175

WhisperingWind i just tried to use a notebook of Lenovo E14, upgraded to Windows 11 today. I feel eyestrain and face tension and headaches.

Reinhard62

tck175

Forget it. With Windows 11 you will ALWAYS have eye strain. No matter what you do.

In another thread here it was said that the dithering and other harmful things are deeply integrated into the DirectX 12 of Windows 11. There's no way to get rid of this.

The only way is the downgrade to Windows 10.

tck175

Reinhard62 even downgraded to windows 10, I still feel eyestrain, unless the windows 10 was installed few years ago originally but not recently, it makes me depressed!

macsforme

tck175 Did you try installing an older edition of Windows 10 without an internet connection, and holding off on updates? It would make sense if an update triggered strain, but if you can recreate an older installation in modern times, it’s hard to comprehend how that would be different from an installation from a few years ago. Someone also suggested that a BIOS reset and removing the CMOS battery for a while to clear settings will help remove traces of the newer system.

tsb

tck175 you have to install Windows 10 21H2 and look for a solution how to lock windows updates to that version, so it is not updating to 22h2. Somewhere in group-policy I believe you can constrain this.

I have the same setup. If you have an nVidia gpu, the last good driver for me is 528.02

This is why your old install was working flawlessly.

Reinhard62

tck175

What do you expect? Your eyes are completely strained by Windows 11, you downgrade to Windows 10 and expect that all of sudden your eyes feel okay?

Of course not.

Wait some days or even weeks until your eyes have recuperated. Then Windows 10 will be okay.

ensete

There is no solution. The issue is DirectX 12 (specifically DirectWrite and DirectDraw) on Windows 11 is much more deeply integrated with the GUI than Windows 10 was. Windows 11 pretty much eliminated GDI rendering entirely from the OS.

I learned this from talking with Microsoft engineers through my employers MSA agreement with Microsoft. There is (currently) no solution to fix this. Trying to slipstream Windows10 system files into the Windows 11 install results in an unstable system.

Using a VM will not make any difference, the VM does not change how the OS works, at all.

I have gotten some limited relief by switching to the Microsoft Basic Display adapter, routing my HDMI output through a KVM switch which downgrades the HDMI signal to 1.4, and patching my right eye. But it is still much worse that Windows 10.

ocean10

ensete

Were you able to determine with them what the actual issue/change is? Understand that there isn't a fixable solution but I'd love at least know WHAT is causing such bad symptoms for all of us who can't use Windows anymore (for me it's even Windows 10 after some sort of update roughly around May 2024. This has also happened to me with later iOS versions on LCD screens that were previously perfectly usable.) Is it flicker, order in which colors are "drawn" on screen, refresh method? It seems like of any forums discussing this you are one of the only people who have made it deep enough into one of these big companies to actually discuss with someone who might know.

I really struggle with how software updates can make perfectly usable devices completely unusable for me and many of us. It's love to be able to intellectually explain it even if I can't "fix" it.

Nickonomic

ensete Using a VM will not make any difference, the VM does not change how the OS works, at all.

Isn't the VM using the host's video rendering? I'm running Linux from a safe Windows environment. I can't use Linux otherwise at all.