Start11 v2: Flickering Taskbar - Conflict with GeForce Experience?

from Stardock Forums

Hello, I am having an issue with Start11 v2. I am in the 30 day trial and really like the program so far, but when I press the Windows key on my keyboard, the taskbar flickers and it is very distracting. This does not happen when I use my mouse to click on the Windows button on the taskbar.

System info / things I tried:

  • Latest version of Windows 11
  • Latest GPU drivers
  • Start11 is up to date, reinstalled it fresh with default settings
  • No other taskbar programs are installed
  • No wallpaper programs are installed

The flickering stops when I disable the GeForce Experience overlay, but this is not an adequate fix as I use the overlay for video recording and streaming.

I have dug deep into other forum posts, some of which are several years old and have not been able to find any sort of work around. What are the next troubleshooting steps?

Thanks

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2,512 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. Need more details.

  1. Windows full version and OS build number. Please use Winver.exe
  2. Start11 full version number.

First, please try uninstall Start11, reboot immediately after uninstall done, redownload installer, install it, reboot immediately again. Retest and report back.

Thank you.
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top

Hi Basj,

Thanks for getting back to me. I just ran Winver.exe and the version number is: 23H2 OS Build 22631.4112

The version of Start11 that I installed is the latest at 2.1.0.0

I tried the steps that you suggested and uninstalled, rebooted, re-downloaded, reinstalled, and then rebooted again but the problem did not go away.

This video that I found on YouTube illustrates the issue that I am having: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COyF13PUjL8

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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,
I don't have Geforce card to verify your issue. However, I have forwarded your problem to Stardock Support Team for their assistance. Please keep an eye on this thread for any updates. We appreciate your feedback and patience.

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

Hello,

Thank you, I will keep checking in on this thread for updates. Please let me know if I can provide any additional information or run any further tests that might assist in troubleshooting.

Additional information that might be helpful to the team:

  • Turning off the in-game overlay toggle in GeForce Experience completely fixes the issue (but many people, like myself, need it and turning it off is not a viable solution)
  • The issue persists regardless of the settings that I change in Start11, even a fresh install with default settings is affected.
  • I wanted to try and isolate the flickering issue, so I uninstalled Start11 and installed StartAllBack (another taskbar/start menu program) and the flickering went away and never came back. It definitely appears to be a problem with Start11 and not GeForce Experience.

Hopefully the team can find and fix the problem because I vastly prefer Start11 to StartAllBack |-)  

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

I am curious, does the flickers go away if you disable Start11 Enhance taskbar?

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top

Nope, the flicker is still there regardless of whether Start11 Enhance taskbar is enabled or not.

Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top

Got it, please wait for Support to come in and suggest something.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant