Screen flicker at startup

[wetpaint7]

Whenever I start Oxygen, it makes my screen flicker for about 10 seconds. No other software I have causes this behavior, and it didn't start until I installed Oxygen.

Specs:
<oXygen/> XML Editor 9.2, build 2008060317
Windows XP Pro SP3
Dell D820 (laptop)
2 GB RAM
default resolution of 1920x1200

Ideas?

--wp

[sorin_ristache]

Hello,

Please make sure that you have the latest video driver from the manufacturer of the video card installed on your Windows computer. What is the name of your video card and the version of your driver?


Regards,
Sorin

[wetpaint7]

Device manager says:

Video Card: Nvidia Quadro NVS 120M
Driver Date: 5/1/2006
Driver Vers: 8.4.6.9

Found a new video driver on Dell's website, dated 12/11/2007. Downloaded. Installed. Rebooted.

Now device manager says:

Driver Date: 11/16/2007
Driver Vers: 6.14.11.5683

Problem NOT resolved. Flicker still occurs.

Good idea. Other ideas? Appreciate help, -wp

[sorin_ristache]

You should run Oxygen with a different version of the Java virtual machine. What is the Java version displayed in the property java.version in the System properties tab of the About dialog opened in Oxygen from menu Help -> About? You can find details about setting a different Java virtual machine in the User Manual (the first note of the installation procedure).

Does the laptop run on battery?


Regards,
Sorin

[wetpaint7]

From Oxygen About diaglog:

java.version 1.6.0_06
java.home c:\program files\java\jre1.6.0_06

This is the latest version of the JRE. Are you stating that Oxygen requires an older version of the JRE? If so, what version does it require?

Flicker occurs both running on power and running on battery; no difference discernable.

Appreciating the help, --wp

[sorin_ristache]

No, it does not require an older version of the JRE. The latest version of the JRE may introduce this problem for your computer configuration due to insufficient tests of the JRE and older versions of the JRE may not have the same problem. The flicker is caused by a glitch in accessing the video services of your video driver by the Java virtual machine.

Please try with a different version of the Java virtual machine, for example a Java 1.5 one. You can find the details for setting a specific JRE for running Oxygen in the first note of the installation procedure in the Oxygen User Manual.


Regards,
Sorin

[sorin_ristache]

You can try the Windows kit of Oxygen that includes a JRE. The version of this JRE is 1.6.0_01. Just install it in the same folder so that the installer can uninstall the previous installation automatically from the install folder before installing the files of the application.


Regards,
Sorin

[sorin_ristache]

Also you can try to start the application using the oxygen.bat script instead of the shortcut with the Oxygen icon created by the Oxygen installer. Do you get the flicker when you start the application with oxygen.bat? If yes please edit the oxygen.bat script and change the parameter -Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true to -Dsun.java2d.noddraw=false in the java command at the end of the script. After editing this command it should be:

java -Xss512k -Xmx256m -Dsun.java2d.noddraw=false -Dcom.oxygenxml.ApplicationDataFolder="%APPDATA%" -cp %CP% ...

Does that solve the flicker problem?


Regards,
Sorin

[wetpaint7]

Test #1:

Started with oxygen.bat > flicker is present.
Changed noddraw to false > flicker is NOT present.

Test #2:

Created new Environment Variable
Variable name: JAVA_HOME
Variable value: C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_15

Started Oxygen. Flicker still present. Verified that Oxygen is accessing this variable in the About dialog:

java.version 1.5.0_15
java.home c:\program files\java\jre1.5.0_15

It appears that the problem is not the new version of the JRE.

So where does this leave us? TIA, --wp

[sorin_ristache]

Changed noddraw to false > flicker is NOT present.

That means if we force DirectDraw access on your computer you do not get the flicker anymore. Please edit the file [Oxygen-install-folder]/oxygen.vmoptions and add the same parameter that you added to oxygen.bat:

Code: Select all

-Dsun.java2d.noddraw=false

The parameter must be on a new line. After adding this parameter to the file oxygen.vmoptions you can start Oxygen by double clicking on the Oxygen icon and you should not get the flicker anymore.


Regards,
Sorin

[wetpaint7]

Bingo! That works. You da man, sorin. Thank you. --wp

[wetpaint7]

Upgraded to 9.3 today. Problem returned. It appears the installer wipes out this options file (bad installer!). Inserted sorin's fix (again), and problem disappeared.

[sorin_ristache]

It is not an options file, it is the configuration file of the Oxygen launcher. If you installed Oxygen 9.3 in the folder of a previous version of Oxygen the installer automatically uninstalled the previous version before installing the new version. So oxygen.vmoptions was removed when the previous version was uninstalled.

You can keep both versions of Oxygen if you install the new version in a different folder.


Regards,
Sorin