@basj can we please get an update on this issue? It's been over a month since @MMcClure67 asked for the last update.

I am experiencing this issue as well, along with at least two other members who have reported the same. Based on the three reports still being unresolved, I'm concerned this issue is not prioritized as high as it needs to be.

Severity

I believe this issue should be considered high priority for the following reasons:

• When it occurs, the Start Menu becomes locked and entirely unresponsive.
• When it occurs, overall system performance is severely degraded which impedes the ability to work.
• The flickering continues indefinitely until the user is able to perform at least one of the actions described below.
• This issue can happen dozens of time an hour depending on how often your mouse passes over a task in the taskbar.

Key Criteria

Commonalities that appear across users who have reported the problem:

1. Using more than one monitor.
2. Using desktop scaling higher than 100%
3. Enhanced Taskbar is enabled

Workarounds

These do not fix the issue but can at least interrupt it once started:

• Disable Enhanced Taskbar
• Resize the Taskbar
• Hover over a task on a different monitor (moves the preview thumbnail on the other monitor)
• Ctrl+Alt+Delete and then Escape (to show lock options and then cancel)

Notes for Engineering

This issue seems related to the code that calculates the position where the preview thumbnail should appear. I have seen the preview thumbnail appear at the wrong location, even when the flickering issue is not triggered. For example, here's a screenshot of my desktop as I'm writing this post. When I hover my mouse over Windows Security on the right side of the taskbar, the preview window pops up over Edge on the left side of the taskbar. This is incorrect. And when the flickering happens, it generally seems to bounce between the wrong position and the right position.

Related Issues

Start11 Version 2.52.3 problems w/ Windows 11 windows flickering and shrinking » Forum Post by dchrystau

Start11 Taskbar App Preview Flicker » Forum Post by Olem_Ivo

Thank you sincerely for looking into this. We really do need this one resolved.

Hello,
Sorry to hear you are having issues. I have forwarded this issue to Stardock Support Team for their assistance. Please keep an eye on this thread for any updates. We appreciate your feedback and patience.

Thank you,
Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant.

Hello all,

After much tinkering, I've not been able to reproduce the issue.  However, we have asked some questions for users that could be helpful if you encounter this.  If you continue to have any trouble (especially under default scaling), please let us know:

• Where is your taskbar positioned?
• Do you have any software which might alter the taskbar position or add in extra bars or reserve desktop space?
• Next time it happens can you have Explorer open and under the details column, see what GDI and User handles Explorer is using?

With these questions in mind, to best isolate any differences, we also recommend trying the previously suggested Clean Boot to see if an issue remains.  If it does, the answers to the above questions would be helpful.

• https://support.stardock.com/space/SHC/1334935592/Start11+Clean+Boot

Thank you and best regards,

Adam McGuinness
Stardock Support Specialist

• Where is your taskbar positioned?
  • It is at the bottom of the screen and the start menu is at the left
• Do you have any software which might alter the taskbar position or add in extra bars or reserve desktop space?
  • I do not use any other software that modifies the desktop, taskbar, start menu or any other aspects of the shell UI.
• Next time it happens can you have Explorer open and under the details column, see what GDI and User handles Explorer is using?
  
  • Yes:

Without the issue occurring:

After about 20 seconds of the issue occurring:

we also recommend trying the previously suggested Clean Boot to see if an issue remains

In my humble opinion, the Stardock clean boot process is an invasive and insensitive ask of users for the following reasons:

• It requires downloading and extracting a zip file
• It requires running an unsigned batch file with many commands that most users will not understand
• It dynamically generates a Visual Basic Script called "getadmin.vbs" that gives administrative privileges
• It executes the dynamically generated Visual Basic Script to gives itself administrivia access
• It force kills explorer, uses the NET command to start services, and then restarts explorer
• If something unexpectedly goes wrong or the user terminates the batch file early, "getadmin.vbs" can be left on their machine

I do not believe these are actions any company should be asking a user to perform on their machine. Such actions could easily be used by an untrusted 3rd party to gain full access to machine and personal data. I will not be performing this step, and I recommend not asking users to become comfortable with giving this level of trust to unsigned and untrusted scripts. Especially dynamically generated ones.

Please leverage the information I've provided to investigate further. I'm happy to answer more questions, provide screenshots of running processes, or even start a remote debugging session with you over Quick Assist. I hope this demonstrates my willingness to participate in troubleshooting and resolving this issue.

I just realized I haven't had this issue in quite some time... 

I'm running Start11 Business Edition 2.5.3

Windows 11 Pro 24H2

OS Build 26100.4652

Ever since I disabled "Let Start11 enhance the taskbar" 

Does it reappear if you enable the enhance taskbar?

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

If I turn off "Enhance the Taskbar", the problem goes away.  Though of course I lose a lot of functionality that I deeply desire.

When I turn back on "Enhance the Taskbar", the problem immediately returns.

Have Stardock continued to attempt to reproduce this problem? This issue has been open for a very long time and is impacting several users. If you are not able to reproduce it with the information provided, can someone please work with one of us to remote troubleshoot the problem? Or, if nothing else, at least connect to a Remote Desktop session so you can observe the issue happening?

It seems pretty clear to me that there is a bug in calculating where the window preview image should appear. 

Quoting eXentric, reply 32

If I turn off "Enhance the Taskbar", the problem goes away.  Though of course I lose a lot of functionality that I deeply desire.

When I turn back on "Enhance the Taskbar", the problem immediately returns.

Have Stardock continued to attempt to reproduce this problem? This issue has been open for a very long time and is impacting several users. If you are not able to reproduce it with the information provided, can someone please work with one of us to remote troubleshoot the problem? Or, if nothing else, at least connect to a Remote Desktop session so you can observe the issue happening?

It seems pretty clear to me that there is a bug in calculating where the window preview image should appear. 

End of eXentric's quote

There is a newer version available Start11 v2.55 Beta. Perhap, do the uninstall, reboot immediately, install this version and reboot again. Retest and report back.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

It would be helpful if you could please provide a link to where we can download installers for beta versions?

It should be available in your account product download page: https://store.stardock.com/myaccount/products.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

The latest beta build does not resolve it for me.

I believe this issue was resolved for others sometimes ago. If not, we should still see more report on it from new and old users. I can not reproduce your issue on my system. Refer my screenshot below.

Perhaps you can try the Sandbox test steps to confirm it: https://support.stardock.com/space/SHC/1416855562/Testing+Start+in+Sandbox 

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

I have to keep this feature off still. 

Have you tried the Sandbox test I suggested above?

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

I will try it and get back to you.

You still have users reporting this issue besides me. And asking users to run your software in a sandbox only avoids conflicts with other software but does not help you actually solve the problem. Saying "We run fine without other software on the system" is not the same as fixing a bug. And suggesting customers run a Windows Shell replacement without any other software is running is not acceptable answer to this problem.

Please start asking users for more information that can help you reproduce and identify the issue. For example, have you tried reproducing the problem with Microsoft PowerToys installed and FancyZones enabled? I have offered multiple times to spend multiple hours with any Stardock engineer willing to remote into my machine and troubleshoot this. Please let me know when you're willing to troubleshooting the issue together.

I have FancyZones enable on my system and I used it extensively without such issue. I asked Client to do the Sandbox test just to make sure that the issue don't appear while in a fresh installed environment. Have you done that? If yes, and if you don't see the issue while in the Sandbox we can move to another test steps. Do let us know if you interested in that. We can not move forward until we can get more information on why the issue appear in your and all other who is reporting this issue. We do appreciate you and others who taking time to reporting it.

As for remote into client machine, unfortunately, Stardock do not do that.

Thank you,

Basj,
Stardock Community Assistant

There are a number of issues with testing Start 11 (a Shell Replacement) in a sandbox environment.

1. It requires deactivating Start 11 from your main OS so that it can be installed into the sandbox.
2. The sandbox will not have any other products installed, but this issue occurs when many applications are open at the same time. In my experience, usually 3rd party applications.
3. Windows Sandbox is only available on Pro, Enterprise and Education versions of Windows. Users with Windows Home Edition (the most likely customers of this product since enterprise will be locked down) will not be able to do it.
4. This issue can sometimes take days after a reboot to show up again. Asking the user to reproduce this issue in the sandbox is asking them to spend multiple days in the sandbox. But if the sandbox has no apps installed, the user cannot be productive.
5. Finally, and again by far the most important point: Start 11 is a Shell replacement. By definition, it needs to be compatible with any applications a user has on their system. 

 Have you done that? If yes, and if you don't see the issue while in the Sandbox we can move to another test steps.

I strongly disagree. I do not agree that testing in a sandbox provides meaningful information. Since the issue can take days to appear, testing in a sandbox for 20 minutes is unlikely to produce a meaningful result. Furthermore, whether the issue reproduces in a sandbox or not is immaterial. If it does reproduce in a sandbox it's a bug that Stardock needs to fix it. If the issue doesn't reproduce in a sandbox, then Start 11 - a Shell replacement - is incompatible with some application and the outcome remains the same: Stardock still needs to fix it.

Testing in a sandbox does not bring the dev team closer to understanding the root cause. Steps that would bring the dev team closer to understanding the problem are things like getting trace logs, potentially asking the user to install an instrumented build with additional logs, surveying customers experiencing the issue to identify commonalities, observing the problem live on a customers machine, etc. 

As for remote into client machine, unfortunately, Stardock do not do that.

This policy is not helpful in resolving this problem. If this policy cannot be changed, then I hope you're able to start taking steps to better instrument and identify commonalities for those affected.

Just wanted to chime in...... I too have this problem. I tried the v2.55 beta version but it did not fix the problem. For now, I have disabled Start 11 from managing the taskbar, the only way to solve it is to disable that. But that is a workaround until Stardock fixes it.

How many monitors do you have?  And do they have the same dpi as each other?

Two monitors.

Primary Monitor: 32" Ultrawide, 3440x1440p resolution.
Secondary Monitor: 27" 1920x1080p resolution.

I am running Start 11 2.55 Beta, and Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26120.5790]
I am running Windows Insider for Beta Builds.

Are they both at 100% scaling?

We have identified an issue with multiple monitors when the scaling factors differ between the monitors.

Please note that we cannot provide official support for insider versions of Windows.

The 32" inch monitor is set to 125% 
The 27" inch monitor is set to 100%

With those settings, the Windows are nearly identical in size with the different resolutions, and with my eyes getting older..... 125% on the 1440p monitor is just the sweet spot.

Glad you identified the issue though, that means a fix will eventually be found! 

3 monitors: 

1: Scaling: 150% (Recommended)

2. Scaling: 100% (Recommended) vertical

3. Scaling: 100% (Recommended) 

Hooray!  It appears that 2.55 may have fixed it!