This happens in ArcGIS Explorer when your graphics card is not up to the task. Servers generally have nothing special for graphics cards since they generally are not used to run desktop applications, in fact some servers have no graphics card at all.
You can try upgrading you drivers, but it probably wont help. To run ArcGIS explorer properly you really need something better than the built in graphics cards that come in servers/cheap desktops & laptops. I'd highly recommend upgrading to something in the Nvidia Quadro line of graphics cards. They are meant for workstations and play nice with programs like ArcMap and AutoCAD.
You don't have to spend four grand on a high end 2GB Quadro card unless you doing lots of 3D rendering. The cheaper 256/512MB cards will run most workstation programs just fine and they only cost about $80-$200 (depending on the model). Stay away from gaming graphics cards. They may appear to give you more bang for you buck, but the drivers usually are not geared towards workstation performance and often times just plain don't work with some applications (you've been warned!). This is especially important when buying a laptop, pay close attention to the graphics card they come with since they are almost never upgradeable. You don't want buyers remorse. Cheap out on the processor if you have to but get an Nvidia Quadro graphics card. You wont be sorry.
I hope this helps.