PC showing outdated screen

[dave5uperman]

This is a very odd issue that I have never seen anywhere else.
This issue started a few weeks ago. This was about the same time that I updated the graphics driver.

What happens is that every now and then the screen will flash up with how my screen looked hours ago. If I move the mouse, it is clear that the current windows are present. It is as if I am viewing a screenshot of how my PC looked. After a few seconds, it snaps back and I can see the current screen.

I managed to catch this on video as I didn't expect anyone to believe this odd issue.

In the video below, you will see the outdated screen suddenly snap and show the actual screen.



I should also note that all drivers are fully up to date, as is Windows 7. The issue seems to happen when I am opening something such as a program, but it doesn't always happen.

 

[samuria]

Welcome to the forum. Is it the VPN login your referring to?

 

[dave5uperman]

Welcome to the forum. Is it the VPN login your referring to?

Hello and thank you for the welcome, no, it is the entire screen.

This is such a weird issue, its hard to explain. I made another video and managed to catch it happening. This is not specific to one thing I do on my PC, it tends to happen randomly.

In this video below, you will see:
1) me changing the settings of my firewall
2) BANG the screen shows an outdated screen which stays for a few seconds
3) then BANG it goes back to the current screen. Check the time at the bottom right.



I work as a CTO in a number of companies and I have never seen any issue even remotely close to this weird issue.

 

[mrjimphelps]

The next time it happens, click CTRL-ALT-DEL and choose Task Manager. If you see any process related to your VPN, kill the process. See if this makes the problem go away.

I suspect that your VPN software or driver is loading automatically and trying to connect you to the VPN. If this is the case, then you'll need to go to MSCONFIG, to the Startup tab, and disable it from loading at startup.

 

[dave5uperman]

Hello and thank you for your reply.

I can not do ctrl alt del because the screen is locked with the old screen and I will not see the option for task manager until after the current screen comes back, which usually takes a few seconds.
The screen when this happens is like looking at a screenshot. Nothing on the screen can be interacted with and if I move the mouse around, I can see the cursor change for text boxes etc that are on the current screen (not the screen I am seeing). It is as if I am viewing an outdated screenshot that is layered over my existing screen. If I hit the start button when this happens, it loads the taskbar with the correct time. Only when the screen snaps back to the current screen can I see the start menu which has loaded behind the outdated screen.

As you can see in the video, the time in the taskbar changes. It is not always showing the same screen, but will be a screen from hours ago. This happens with or without the VPN.

This normally happens when loading a program, but it doesnt always happen. For example, it has happened a few times when opening photoshop, Nord VPN, saving files, etc.

 

[mrjimphelps]

You should be able to go to MSCONFIG / startup tab and disable the VPN stuff from automatically loading upon start up. If this is being caused by the VPN service, then doing this should give you back at least some control of your computer.

 

[dave5uperman]

Hello and thank you for your reply.

I have done that already. The issue happened before I installed NORD VPN.
Keep in mind that the issue is not that the VPN pops up, its that the entire screen displays an outdated screen from hours ago. Everything on the screen is outdated, even the time in the taskbar.

It is as if I am looking at a screenshot in full screen and can not interact with anything as it is a screenshot, but the real desktop underneath can be interacted with, I just cant see it.

 

[dave5uperman]

I managed to catch it again. In this video, I am loading my video editor and suddenly the entire screen shows an outdated screen as if it is a screenshot.
Watch the time and program icons in the taskbar. The screen that I am shown is from this morning.

 

[dave5uperman]

Update: I have found that the "screenshot" that keeps showing is of my PC a few minutes after it has started. I always see the same "screenshot", but if I restart the computer, then the "screenshot" that I will see changes to one showing the screen a few minutes after the last restart.