Snipping tool freezing my laptop when using the draw feature?

Pierrau Stefan 20 Reputation points
2026-04-19T12:13:41.17+00:00

The main problem is that when I am using the Snipping tool and using the drawing feature my screens become frozen after a few seconds of drawing.

I can exit the freeze by detaching the extended screens but if I trigger the bug with only the main laptop screen I am stuck and have to restart my laptop.

I am pretty sure that this problem started after the update of my OS, the current OS version is W11, ver.23H2, 22631.6783 that was available from 2026-03-10 at Microsoft. So probably it was installed on my computer a few weeks ago (end of mars or beginning of April) when the problem started.

and since I also tried a clean boot start-up and the problem was remaining I assume that the problem is related to the OS update only. Ther is a new OS version for my computer: 22631.6936 that may fix this problem, some words around graphical updates ... but this update is not jet released by the IT department at my company.

I have tried all know fixes.

I have done all 15 point according to the support ticket "My screens become frozen when drawing in the snipping tool for Windows 11. How to fix this" and I have done a clean boot start-up.

But the problem still persists.

What is your recommendation?

 

My set-up is:

Computer: HP EliteBook 640 14 inch G11 Notebook PC IDS Base Model

OS: Windows 11, version 23H2, 22631.6783  (released: 2026-03-10)

System Information regarding the display and graphics:
[Display]

Item Value

Name Intel(R) Graphics

PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_7D45&SUBSYS_8C86103C&REV_08\3&11583659&0&10

Adapter Type Intel(R) Graphics Family, Intel Corporation compatible

Adapter Description Intel(R) Graphics

Adapter RAM 2,00 GB (2 147 479 552 bytes)

Installed Drivers C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\iigd_dch.inf_amd64_76787e203cb9b607\igd9trinity64.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\iigd_dch.inf_amd64_76787e203cb9b607\igd10iumd64.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\iigd_dch.inf_amd64_76787e203cb9b607\igd10iumd64.dll,C:\WINDOWS\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\iigd_dch.inf_amd64_76787e203cb9b607\igd12umd64.dll

Driver Version 32.0.101.8508

INF File oem920.inf (MTL_w11_IG section)

Color Planes Not Available

Color Table Entries 4294967296

Resolution 1920 x 1200 x 60 hertz

Bits/Pixel 32

Memory Address 0x18000000-0x18FFFFFF

Memory Address 0x0000-0xFFFFFFF

IRQ Channel IRQ 4294967243

Driver C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERSTORE\FILEREPOSITORY\IIGD_DCH.INF_AMD64_76787E203CB9B607\IGDKMDN64.SYS (32.0.101.8508, 28,15 MB (29 516 424 bytes), 2026-03-30 10:00)

Windows for business | Windows 365 Enterprise

13 answers

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  1. John Gamborg 0 Reputation points
    2026-05-12T05:11:22.1333333+00:00

    I have encountered a similar issue with the Intel Graphics 32.0.101.8508 driver on a Lenovo, where the Draw feature in Word or the annotation in OneNote freezes the screen. Upgrading the driver doesn't fix the issue and the Intel Graphics Command Center is not being installed, so I don't have access to the other options described above.

    However, completely uninstalling the driver and using the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter resolves the issue. I'm aware that there may be limitations to other features by doing that, but it was good to confirm what caused the issue. I have tried looking for older versions of the Intel Graphics driver, but I can't find any on the official website to test with.

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  3. VPHAN 43,075 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-04-20T10:22:21.0666667+00:00

    Pierrau Stefan

    You can hit "yes" next to the question "is this answer useful" if you find the answer useful :) Happy to help and have a nice day :)

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  4. VPHAN 43,075 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-04-20T06:47:42.1+00:00

    Thanks for being so patient. I have to say we have to leave out each scenario until we reach the root cause. Since the registry-level rendering bypasses did not resolve the freeze, I think the conflict occcurs at the hardware power management level. A documented culprit for this exact behavior on HP EliteBooks is Panel Self Refresh. This Intel technology attempts to conserve battery life by freezing the display refresh rate when it detects a static desktop image. When you use native Windows drawing tools, the constant micro-updates from the cursor conflict directly with this sleep state, causing the graphics buffer to lock up completely while your operating system continues running normally in the background.

    To eliminate it, we need to disable Panel Self Refresh directly through your hardware control panel. Open your Start menu, launch the Intel Graphics Command Center, and navigate to the System tab located on the left side of the window. Select the Power tab at the top, locate the Panel Self Refresh setting, and toggle it to the off position for both the battery and plugged-in states before restarting your laptop. If your specific Intel driver version hides this setting, or if disabling it fails to stop the freezing, the deadlock is deeply embedded in the generic Intel driver version 32.0.101.8508 you recently installed.

    Generic drivers often lack the proprietary synchronization instructions required by HP's custom motherboard architecture. The most definitive resolution is to revert your system back to the stable, manufacturer-certified graphics driver. Open the Windows Device Manager, expand the Display adapters category, right-click your Intel Graphics device, and access the Properties menu to use the Roll Back Driver function. If that button is disabled because the generic update cleared your previous files, you will need to download and install the specific Intel Video Driver package approved for the EliteBook 640 G11 directly from the official HP support portal or your IT software center to restore proper hardware stability.

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  5. AI answer

    2026-04-19T12:14:01.91+00:00

    The behavior matches a graphics/driver issue triggered by drawing (hardware-accelerated rendering) rather than a Snipping Tool-only problem. The context shows similar issues where specific Intel graphics driver versions or incompatible apps cause freezes or “not responding” behavior.

    Given what has already been tried (all known app-level fixes and clean boot), the remaining supported recommendations are:

    1. Update the Intel graphics driver The context documents that certain Intel graphics driver versions can cause apps that use hardware acceleration to hang or stop responding, and that updating the graphics driver resolves it. Steps (to be done by IT if devices are managed):
      1. Open Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Device Manager.
      2. Expand Display adapters and open Intel(R) Graphics → Properties.
      3. On the Driver tab, note the Driver Version.
      4. Use Update Driver to search for an updated driver, or have IT deploy a newer OEM/Intel driver that is validated for this HP model.
      The referenced guidance explicitly states that updating to a fixed Intel graphics driver version resolves application hangs caused by hardware acceleration.
    2. Have IT validate and deploy the newer Windows build (22631.6936) or a hotfix Since the issue started exactly after installing 22631.6783 and a newer build mentions graphics-related fixes, the next supported step in a managed environment is to:
      • Open a ticket with the internal IT department and reference that the freeze is reproducible, survives clean boot, and appears tied to graphics rendering.
      • Ask them to pilot 22631.6936 (or any newer, approved cumulative update) on a test device of the same model to confirm whether the issue is resolved, then roll it out.
    3. Check for incompatible apps or overlays related to display The screen-freeze behavior is similar to documented cases where incompatible apps or display components cause flickering or freezes. Even though a clean boot was tried, confirm with IT that:
      • Any OEM display utilities (screen recorders, overlay tools, docking/DisplayLink software) are updated to their latest versions from the manufacturer.
      • If a specific display-related app is suspected, temporarily uninstalling it and testing Snipping Tool drawing again is recommended.
    4. If updating graphics driver and OS build is not immediately possible Until IT can update the driver/OS, the only reliable mitigations are operational workarounds:
      • Avoid long continuous drawing in Snipping Tool on the affected build, or use an alternative capture/drawing tool that does not trigger the freeze.
      • When using multiple monitors, keep the detachable/extended screen connected so that disconnecting it remains a way to recover from a freeze.

    In a corporate/managed environment, the concrete next step is to escalate to IT with a request to:

    • Update the Intel graphics driver to a newer OEM/Intel version, and
    • Pilot the newer Windows 11 23H2 build that includes graphics fixes.

    These are the supported, documented remediation paths for graphics-driver-induced freezes and app hangs.

    References:

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