Well, I’m finally getting somewhere! I’ll document what I’ve done in case it helps someone else.
Use Revo UnInstaller to remove all traces of existing Sketchup installation.
Reboot PC.
Initiate a fresh install of Sketchup 32-bit (on this 64-bit desktop PC) using “Run As Administrator”. I don’t know how important that is, but I was not previously installing via “Run As Administrator”; I don’t recall seeing that instruction anywhere relating to Sketchup. Anyway…
Installation runs to completion – no errors reported or apparent.
Run Sketchup, click Window menu item, Sketchup freezes (indicated by the Windows 8.1 rotating blue circle).
Exit Sketchup.
Run regedit and verify that there exists: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015
Run get_skp2015_gfx_settings.cmd. Result:
ERROR: The system was unable to find the specified registry key or value.
ERROR: The system was unable to find the specified registry key or value.
ERROR: The system was unable to find the specified registry key or value.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015\GLConfig_Display
FIRST_TIME REG_DWORD 0x0
Now run set_skp2015_gfx_minimum.cmd
Again, run get_skp2015_gfx_settings.cmd. Result:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015\Preferences
GfxUseAccelerationOffScreen REG_DWORD 0x0
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015\Preferences
GfxUseAccelerationOnScreen REG_DWORD 0x0
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015\Preferences
UseFastFeedback15 REG_DWORD 0x0
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015\Textures
MaxGLSize REG_DWORD 0xffffffff
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SketchUp\SketchUp 2015\GLConfig_Display
FIRST_TIME REG_DWORD 0x0
Run Sketchup 32-bit again.
For the first time I am able to access the menu tree:
“Window → Preferences → OpenGL” without the application freezing.
All three checkboxes on the System Preferences dialog (hardware acceleration; maximum texture size; fast feedback) are UNCHECKED.
I’m out of time for this now but tomorrow I’ll get into a Sketchup tutorial and see if the functionality persists through using it for a while. I’ll also try re-enabling those checkboxes one by one to see what can be learned.
Thank you for your suggestions and for sticking with me.
BTW, “washed out my screen” was a descriptive term, not technical. Desktop icons, applications Windows, everything on the screen was “whited out”, as if viewing through frosted glass. That caused me to force a Restart, which never completed, thus forcing me to initiate a hard reset. Fortunately there was no hangover after the restart.