Webpages flicker in Internet Explorer 8 on a computer that uses hybrid graphics

Consider the following scenario:

• You use Windows Internet Explorer 8 to view a webpage that contains the following content:
  • Content that is rendered by using the DirectDraw�API. For example, content that includes certain add-ins that display animations. Or, content that includes elements that use certain visual effects (such as CSS filters or x-filter styles).
  • Content that is frequently updated. For example, content that includes a layout that has several columns and elements (such as menus or hyperlinks) that are highlighted when you point to them.
• The computer is configured to switch between a high-performance GPU and a low-power GPU in certain situations. For example, the computer switches to a low-power GPU when the computer is running in a power-saving mode.

In this scenario, the webpage flickers when the content is updated.

Note This issue typically occurs on computers that use hybrid graphics (such as portable computers). Computers that use hybrid graphics have two GPUs. One of the GPUs provides low power consumption, and the other GPU provides high graphics performance.

This issue occurs because Internet Explorer 8 usually provides a flicker-free display by drawing to an offscreen drawing surface. When the GPU that is used by Internet Explorer 8 is turned off, the offscreen drawing surface cannot be used. Therefore, the webpage flickers.

Security update information

To resolve this problem, install the most recent cumulative security update for Windows Internet Explorer. To do this, visit the following Microsoft website: For more technical information about the most recent cumulative security update for Windows Internet Explorer, visit the following Microsoft website: Note This update was first included in security update 2497640 (MS11-018). For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: When Internet Explorer 8 renders webpages by using the DirectDraw API, a DirectDraw.Device() object is used to create an offscreen drawing surface. This DirectDraw.Device()�object is bound to a GPU, and is also associated with a tab process in Internet Explorer 8.�When a GPU�is turned off,�a�DirectDraw.Device()�object that is bound to the GPU may stop working. In this situation, Internet Explorer 8 uses a bitmap instead of an offscreen drawing surface to render the content.

To work around this issue, close and then reopen Internet Explorer 8 to view the webpage.