How to resolve Black Screen in Windows?

Starting your computer and seeing the disastrous black screen  means that you definitely need to see these troubleshooting black screen computer tips. I have seen many black screens on computers as I used to repair them. I am grateful that I do not have to do this any more, as I used to have literally piles of computers complaining of the same problem, a black screen problem. Now that I am not fixing computers, I have time to write tutorials and troubleshooting black screen tips for other people to learn by. It is impossible for me to mention every possible cause or solution of a black screen computer, however even if this article helps 50% of the people that read it, I will be happy.

Troubleshooting Black Screen, this could mean a few things:

• You were just about to load Windows and saw the logo screen and then you got a black screen in Windows.
• You saw the usual loading screens but just didn’t quite make it into Windows. You did not see a Windows logo as it appears that you can only see a black screen in Windows.
• You logged into Windows and then saw a black screen.
• You were using the computer and then a black screen in Windows appeared.
• You have logged into Windows to see a black screen with a flashing cursor.

If you see a computer black screen and do not see anything else at all, including the usual loading screens, then your black screen has appeared before Windows has even had a chance to load. As you can see, there are many ways to have a computer black screen and therefore it is very hard to pinpoint your particular problem. Sometimes having this problem can be easily solved, but at other times it is a nightmare and hopefully these troubleshooting black screen tips will help you.

Start in Safe Mode when Troubleshooting Black Screen Errors

1. If you can start your computer in safe mode you should be able to choose to do a system restore, providing you have not disabled the system restore feature. Below I have a screen shot of the incensed boot options menu that you see when you press the F8 key when starting the computer. In the screen shot below I have chosen safe mode. When I pressed enter the computer will boot to safe mode.

Last known good configuration for troubleshooting black screen problems

2. Restart your computer and press F8 to get to the advanced options menu. Choose to start with the last known good configuration. If you are lucky enough to see a screen full of options, after an error with a black screen in Windows, never choose to start the computer normally. You should always choose a safer option right now. The two best options to try first our last known good configuration and safe mode. In the screen shot below I have selected “last known good configuration” to see if Windows start with the same files it did before the error happened.

8 More Troubleshooting Black Screen Computer Tips

The following troubleshooting tips for a black screen in Windows are not in any particular order. I probably would recommend that if you can start your computer, always do it in safe mode after a serious error. Also when you have a black screen in Windows, do not rush and try to fix the problem straight away, as you may cause more problems than you realize.

Check all your cables

1. Check to see that or you’re plugs are securely plugged in and there is nothing connected that should not be there. This includes having a small USB flash drive plugged in while you are trying to start the computer. did a cable come loose while you were using your computer? What about the power supply to the computer? These are pretty common causes but can still cause a panic until you find the culprit.

Check for faulty devices

2. Check for bent pins or faulty devices. Unplug printers and external hard drives. Also check the ends of connections to see if there are any bent pins. For example a bent pin on the end of the keyboard cable can cause a black screen. This might not apply to a black screen in Windows unless the pin board device has become faulty while you are using Windows. This troubleshooting black screen computer tip is a difficult one to diagnose manually. Ir is like searching for a needle in a hay stack!

Check hardware

3. Check your internal hardware. Check to see if your hard drive and CD drives are plugged in correctly and securely. If you have recently transported your computer from one place to another this could dislodge the CPU all loose certain cables. Also check your computer memory as this is one of the number one reasons for a black screen. If you see a black screen in Windows while you have been using the computer, you may have had a hardware problem. This can be caused by a video card, as mentioned below, or even something as simple as dust on your CPU, causing your computer to overheat. You Can still get a black screen in Windows because your CPU may have just been connecting to the motherboard. Basically hanging on by a thread.

Enabled low resolution video or enable VGA mode

4. If you are playing a game on your computer and it shut down and when you restart you only have a black screen, you need to restart the computer. When restarting press F8 to go to the advanced options menu, and choose ―enable low-resolution video‖ or ―enable VGA mode‖. This problem often happens when you are playing a game that your video or graphics card cannot handle. Your computer might overheat from the pressure or it could possibly damage the video card.If you are a gamer you would be familiar with troubleshooting black screen problems as the games just keep getting bigger and bigger!

Connecting a TV or another monitor

5. If you have recently changed monitors or connected your computer to a TV try restarting and pressing F8 to get the advanced options menu, then choose ―enable low-resolution video‖ or ―enable VGA mode‖. You can also try pressing the Fn key on your keyboard and F5 or F6 at the same time. Back in the old days….Hmm I am not that old. We did not even think about trying to connect your computer to your TV and did not need troubleshooting black screen tips.

On-board video vs install video card

6. If you are just set up your computer when plugged all the cables in, check to see if the monitor is plugged into the on-board video plug when you actually have a PCI or AGP video card installed. Trust me I have done this myself. Simply move the plug to the correct position.

Use a diagnostic POST card

7. You can also try troubleshooting black screen problems and fix boot errors with a diagnostic POST card. This is a PCI card that you can slot into your computer’s motherboard to help diagnose boot errors and sometimes troubleshooting black screen problems.

Use the Windows operating system disc

8. If you have an original Windows operating system disc that came with your computer, then definitely insert it into the CD or DVD drive, and use this discs resources to repair your computer. Even if you are using Windows XP, it also has a recovery console that will help you prepare a black screen. However with Windows Vista and Windows 7 it is even easier to repair a black screen in Windows if you have the original operating system CD. These versions of Windows now have an option to restore your system in the recovery console options.

If you do not have an operating system cd you can buy a repair cd for under $10.

I hope my troubleshooting tips for having a black screen in Windows can help you. Of course there is no guarantee in this situation as there are literally hundreds of causes and solutions for this problem.