For the screen flicker, try this:
Set your refresh rates manually in XP for various resolutions, 640x480 at 256 color, 16 and 32 bit, 800x600 at 256, 16 &32, 1024x768 at 256, 16 & 32. Set each one, and accept (nine in all.) Don't set it to 200 Hz refresh, set it to something comfortable well within range of your monitor but that is relatively flicker free. 85 Hz should be fine for the lower resolutions even with a very old monitor, try to get 75 Hz at least if allowed.
Windows is terrible at picking refresh rates and often tries to pull in one that is too high or low. Sometimes it tries to pick an allowed default that doesn't work properly with your monitor (might be a vid card driver or monitor .inf fault.) Anyway, the result is sometimes flicker or screen overlap at the top. When it flickers, if your monitor has OSD (on screen display) you might be able to press the appropriate monitor button and see what resolution and refresh rate it is using for that program. Often it will be something oddball, like 50 or 60 Hz refresh.
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