We have had a lot of laptops come in for repair lately running Windows 8.1 which boot up to the desktop and have a flashing or blinking screen.
This problem is usually caused by a conflict in Norton Internet Security or Norton Antivirus / Norton 360.
The issue seems to occur on units running Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 the most often.
Some software, such as Norton, needs a complete shut down on occasion. Newer versions of Windows usually are set to “fast boot”. The fast boot feature means the computer does not completely shut all the way down. It is in a hybrid form of hibernation mode.
Disabling the fast boot feature may fix your problem. Of course, you need to get the screen to quit blinking before you can begin working on the issue. Try using task manager to solve this problem. If that doesn’t work, feel free to bring your machine in to us to get this or any other issues resolved.