Windows 7: Flicker on win7 initial startup screen

My first build has been problematic to say the least.

(at least) one of my two Corsair CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 2GB memory sticks seems faulty as whenever it is in (in any slot - by itself or with the other 2GB stick) it is bsod'ing just after the login screen comes up. Only on cold boot though, when warm no probs.

I'm running Windows 7 64bit Ultimate on:
Corsair Reactor R60 60GB SSD
Gigabyte P55A-UD3 motherboard.
and (ideally!) two of the the above memory sticks (but only one in at present)

My main question now is -
- with the (apparently) good stick - on booting, just before going to the login screen, the initial Windows 7 startup screen flickers.
Just wondering if this might be a sign of instability somewhere other than the memory or is this startup flicker quite normal ie should I just ignore it?

On the login screen and subsequent normal computer use thereafter there is no flickering at all.

Return both for replacement to insure you get a matched set back.

In this day and age of cheap Indilinx and SandForce drives why did you choose a broken JMicron drive? Every one eventually stutters and the performance will tank with no recourse. Return that too and get a Vertex, Vertex 2 or other manufacturer with the Indilinx Barefoot or SandForce controller. It won't prevent flicker but your boot will be so fast with the SandForce that you might not even notice it. Expect to only have to see that Windows graphic or about 4-5 seconds.

The flicker is your onboard video changing modes. Windows starts it in VESA mode since that's what it has available during early boot and switches in the native Windows 7 drivers after enough of the OS has loaded. You can't make the flicker go away since that's dependent on how your video card and monitor work together. The general rule of thumb is to use an LCD monitor with a VESA supported native resolution connected via DVI. That prevents most of the flicker conditions.

Thanks for the informative reply baarod. I'll ring the supplier to see if they'll take both sticks back.

Being a build newb I had no idea about the SSD being a JMicron drive! (Didn't even know what that is.) Having installed Windows 7 and other stuff and having used it for 2 weeks I can't see them taking it back now. Might just have to wait till it falls over (however long that takes) and by that time will probably able to get say a 320gB SSD for half the price. I'll certainly refer back to this thread then.

Thanks for the info about the flicker - as long as it isn't a sign of instability or bad stuff to come it doesn't worry me.
(My screen is 1920 x 1080 (24") with DVI connection)