mydevicedefineme yes!!!! All the time!! Any solution?
Windows 10 Version 2004
JonnyT Nopes...i myself is searching solution. Dithering software as suggested by si_edgy works for intel. But, first, there is a need to document what kind of specific problems is being faced by AMD users.
a month later
2 months later
My 20H2 install got trashed, but it's not a big deal. Currently typing this from 2004/20H1 with updates blocked so it's currently nice and creamy. The nice thing about installing everything after 7, it's very easy to have multiple partitions on a drive and you can install different versions of the Windows OS or even the same OS but different builds to different partitions and simply choose which one you want to boot from from the normal bootloader. Mixing non-Windows OSes into it (Linux, Haiku, BSD, etc) needs to chain bootloaders.
To that end, here is a 24-hour link to the iso of 21H1 if anyone wants it. It's going to be the same as 20H1 and 20H2. The big changes won't be till the fall, with "Sun Valley". This iso has one very curious feature in it which surprised me. Legacy edge is in it, and it wasn't in the 20H2 one but I'm not complaining because this is part of why I reinstalled 2004 into this partition.
Software update will install the March cumulative update into it, and you will end up with a build # of 19043.867 (844 on install). If your system is fine, don't bother with this iso as there are no changes for a PC.
8 days later
I currently spend all my time in 20H2 now on my HD 6000. My recommended update procedure for any version of the OS on a clean install with the network not connected, separately download the SSU update and install that first (especially if you're using something ancient like 1507!). Then install the cumulative update from the windows update catalog. This way it won't be a script getting confused as to what to install in which order. You just need a 40 GB free space partition to play around, it won't screw up your other OS install if you do custom install and select the new partition.
In addition, in the classic control panel for color management, once your monitor is populated in device manager with a profile instead of generic pnp, two additional boxes need to be checked.. on the first tab "Use my settings for this device" then on the advanced tab click on change system defaults click on the advanced tab there and check on "Use windows display calibration".
In Intel driver settings, my monitor is currently connected through a displayport to hdmi adapter and in the settings I have "full range" under qualitative, it content "off" and in color settings I have YCbCr set (this is running in 4:4:4 mode for me, not 4:2:x).
Be careful what sharpness level you have the display set to.. you want to avoid white ringing around black or black ringing around white. Use a calibration pattern. On my monitor I was using 40 for a long time which is sharper than 50, but I've recently determined I was experiencing more ringing/haloing around letters than with 50 and this was more visible because I don't use anti-aliasing around text. Optimal setting depends on the display being used.
Use the Inspectre tool to turn off spectre and meltdown protection to regain some system responsiveness especially if you have an older CPU.
23 days later
I have been experimenting with Windows 10 Cobalt, which will probably end up as 21H2. The insider preview has now been designated as co_release. I tested a previous build and now the latest build 21354.1.
At the very least it is not better than 2004 and 20H2, and I think it may be worse.
Best not to assume it will stay this way forever, I've noticed things changing on the 2004/20h2 branch because of fixes and stuff, so whatever it ships with, will not remain static.
3 months later
- Edited
A couple of days ago I accidentally upgraded to 1909. That was a rough experience indeed. I didn't know it could be rolled back pretty easily, so I kind of panicked and tried to install Windows 7 then searched for 2015 LTSB etc. The former can't be installed on my system and the latter can't be legally activated anymore from what I've learned.
So my question: is 20H2 indeed the same as 2004? I ended up installing 20H2 which instantly feels bad (uncomfortable) for my nerves. Not terrible but this is a stark contrast to 1903 from which I upgraded. I wonder if I should try 2004 now. Or return to kind of safe 1903.
I think that we have the same problem/sensitivity. I am stuck with the 1809 / 1903 too and I am not able to use W10 1909/2004 with 3 different computers (really different, I mean one gaming desktop with AMD GPU and 240hz monitor vs 2 notebooks with intel GPU).
Honestly, I dint try 20H2 and 21H1 because I want to try directly W11 but if you are on 20H2 I suggest you update to the last version 21H1 just to give it a try!
If you want to use a LTSB / LTSC build you can find the 2019 that is built on W10 1809!
What happens if you use Anydesk or Teamviewer etc and then use the system from another device?
It's like… taking a picture of a room lit by bad LED's or "full spectrum" fluorescent bulbs. The room looks dark and flickery to me, but I take a picture with my phone and it's like "hey what a nice room".
Teamviewer or Logmein would be the same - rendering a picture of your bad desktop on your good desktop.
If I try a Windows 10 virtual machine on a Good Windows 7 system, the virtual machine WILL trigger my symptoms.
Be interested to see if https://parsec.app/
works for you the same way teamviewer does.
The latency with parsec is fast enough for gaming from another computer.
4 months later
15 days later
Solution for me is rebooting in "Windows 10 Audit Mode" ;
typing : "%windir%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /audit /reboot" after running CMD (command prompt) in Win10 reboots the computer to Audit mode and it changes (on my PC) the rendering (or how Windows functions with the display driver) in a way to substantially reduce (or nearly eliminate) the eyestrain/headache/mental fog symptoms I've been experiencing with my i5-6500 PC since late summer.
I've been using Windows 7 in VGA Basic adapter mode (Intel HD4000 disabled; enabling the driver would always cause headaches) at native resolution on an older Haswell based laptop and a separate pre-Haswell (2012-13) desktop running Intel graphics (driver enabled) through the VGA output (not DVI or Displayport) and it was also good with Win7. Both configurations were very comfortable at 100% hardware brightness to suppress PWM, but
I needed a higher-performance computer running a more current version of Windows.
I had purchased an i5-6500 based desktop running Windows 10 in late summer (preinstalled with version 1811 I believe, but later upgraded to 2004, 20H2 and then 21H1) but I had been grappling with eyestrain, reduced mental focus and ringing in the ears whenever I used this "newer" PC with all of these Win10 configurations. I've tried three different 4K monitors (LG 27UK500, Benq EW3270U, Lenovo L28U-30) along with my 10+year old TN FHD monitor (which was fine with the older PC running through VGA/analog output) with this newer PC (running Displayport via the integrated 530 graphics, or HDMI through a separate Nvidia 710 graphics card I purchased to see if it would help) and I would still get the same symptoms. Some days were better than others but it was never nearly as comfortable to look at and use as my 2013-2014 PC and laptop. The symptoms were slightly worse when I was running through Integrated Intel 530 graphics enabled, but they were still noticeable with the Intel driver disabled (ie running through Microsoft Basic Display adapter mode). The Nvidia graphics card didn't make any real difference, either.
I even tried installing Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 on this i5-6500 PC and I used it with Intel 530 drivers enabled or disabled (ie Basic Display adapter mode), and it was never fully comfortable. I was disappointed that even "trusty" old Win7, which had been very comfortable on my older 2012-14 laptop and desktop, was still providing symptoms with this i5-6500 PC, regardless of which monitor I connected it to. I also ran the monitors at 100% brightness to eliminate PWM. On the side, I don't believe most of the newer monitors advertised as "Flicker-free" have true unchanging illumination intensity at sub-100% brightness; from my own experience, I would always experience additional eyestrain or headaches at brightness levels under 90-100% settings, even on monitors advertised as Flickerfree or using DC modulation to control the backlight. And I'm certain it's not placebo.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I've been reading the ledstrain.org threads over the past several months and the consensus was that only the earlier W10 versions like 1511 would be comfortable for visually-sensitive individuals but I was never able to get a copy of this.
Somehow I read about rebooting Windows 10 in Audit mode and I tried it and to my great surprise and relief, it felt immediately more comfortable....and this is with the Intel HD 530 graphics driver ENABLED.
To my great surprise, running this system on Windows 10 21H1 in Audit mode with the Intel 530 Graphics enabled is much more visually comfortable (and provides better mental endurance and clarity) than running the exact same hardware (4K monitor Displayport native resolution) with either Intel 530 graphics driver enabled or disabled (Basic Video Adapter/VGAadapter mode) on Windows 10, 8.1, or Windows 7 at the same 2160p resolution.
I can't explain logically why this works since I'd assumed that Windows 7 or 8.1 running through the Basic/VGA adapter would cause the least additional image processing, but apparently not in my case. Apparently the Win10 Audit mode, at least on this i5-6500 setup, gives the cleanest most comfortable image.
Anyway I just wanted to share this with the group and perhaps running in Win10 Audit mode will provide much needed relief to some other people as well.
a month later
jthompson7804 Are you still using Audit mode?
20 days later
Until December I could use my private PC (Win 10 Pro, 21H1) with a VGA->DVI cable without eye strain. Since December this no longer works (although nothing was changed at that time, but I had a lot of stress).
My work laptop (win 10 education, 21H1) is still somewhat comfortable (at least significantly better than the private pc). I have yet to find out if this is due to the Intel GPU/drivers, the special enterprise image, or Win 10 Education. When I boot Linux (on a USB stick) on the work laptop, I have eye strain again.
10 months later
Yesterday I completed the assembly of the new PC. I decided to keep the monitor and GPU and change everything else. I switched from a ryzen 1700 to a 7900X.
I installed W11 with updated drivers and after two hours of use I was very sick. Disorientation, headache, etc., the same thing had happened to me with the old PC and W10 2004.
I have an ISO of the old SSD so I will try to restore the image and go back to W10 21H1 and hopefully be able to use the PC.
I am really sad 