A pitch-black screen is the most annoying problem on a computer. This article will explain how to fix a black screen problem on Windows computers.
Please read the following before you proceed:
What did you get? Nothing?
That’s exactly how you feel when your computer shows nothing but black. Helpless.
This leaves little space for troubleshooting. An inexperienced technician might try to take the machine out of commission.
Wait, sometimes the problem is simple to identify. The solution is easy to find.
Let’s first discuss the causes and then move on to the solutions.
Before I get into the long solutions, let me share some quick fixes. These are the best.
Quick Fix 1
If you have not restarted your computer, I recommend it. A simple reboot can fix minor problems.
For 10 seconds, hold down the power button to force a shutdown. To restart your computer, press the power button for 10 seconds.
Quick Fix 2
You can wake up the screen by pressing Windows logo key+ + Shift+ B.
When you’re in tablet mode,press volume up and volume down together three times each within two seconds.
Windows will attempt to bring your screen live by making a brief beep.
Quick Fix 3
If you see a cursor appearing on the black screen, you will need to restart Windows Explorer.
To open the Task Manager, press Ctrl+ Alt + Delete.
Under the Processes Tab, search for Windows Explorer.
Right-click it and select To restart.
Alternativ, you can also select FILE from the menu section Task manager.
Select Run a new task, and then type Explorer.exe. Click OK.
Continue reading if you don’t find anything.
They are listed in order of severity, from simple to difficult.
Here are some tips to prevent your computer from getting again stuck on the black screen. These tools can also be used to prevent performance problems from creeping in over time in Windows OS.
Black Screen of Death: Reasons
Loose Connections
Fixing a loose cable is the easiest solution.
Make sure you check the display cable. Check that the display cable is securely in its slot.
If it is not, you can take it out and re-insert it. Check to see if the problem is solved.
It is a good idea to try another cable or the exact same cable on another computer or monitor.
External Devices
Sometimes, an external device can cause black screens.
Unplug any non-essential devices and then reboot the system.
To identify the problem hardware, connect them one at a time until your screen stops breathing.
If your screen is asleep, then everything on your computer’s hardware works fine.
These sections will discuss software troubleshooting. Although it may seem difficult at first, it’s not difficult once you get a good technical understanding. Let’s get started.
Faulty Display Driver
A computer update can also make your screen unusable.
This can be fixed by downgrading the display driver.
These steps will restore your graphic card driver back to its previous stable version.
Start your computer in safe mode.
Use the taskbar’s search panel to search for Device Manager.
Double-click Display adapters , and you’ll find your graphic card driver.
Right-click on your graphic card and enter Property.
Click Roll-Back Driver under Driver. Click the appropriate option and click Yes.
Restart your device. Try reinstalling Disable driver and Update driver if the problem persists.
Read More: 7 Best Tools to Check GPU and CPU Temperature on Windows Computer
Third-Party Utilities
Sometimes, it can be caused by third-party antivirus programs.
These optional installations can be removed.
To do this, switch to safe mode.
Navigate to Start – Settings Apps (or System if you are using an older version) – Features & Apps.
This will show you a list all the apps that are installed on your system.
All third-party apps should be removed
Start again and check if the black screen disappears. Continue to the next step if you are not.
Recent Installations
If you are still stuck, blame your most recent installs.
To get rid of any installations that have been made recently, boot into safe mode and use system restoration.
System restore comes pre-installed on every Windows computer. This utility restores your computer to a previous stable state.
All applications and system settings that were installed after the restore point selected will be deleted. It’s almost like going back in the past.
It won’t erase your personal files such as photos, videos, documents, and so on.
BIOS/UEFI
It organizes everything and allows the computer to work normally.
This utility uses a particular user interface that is based on the manufacturer of your motherboard.
It is important to load the default options or optimized defaults in the BIOS (or the UEFI) utility.
Start your computer again and type in the BIOS utility (or UEFI), by pressing a key that corresponds to your motherboard. During booting, it will display the key (mostly F2 and Delete).
You can search for Load defaults, Optimized defaults or something similar.
Now, restart your computer.
Bad Boot
Some applications are launched during startup. We will next try to deactivate or uninstall any optional programs that run in the background during startup.
Safe mode is used to start your windows.
Type startup in the search bar.
You’ll see something like Start Apps (or ) See which processes are automatically started when you start Window or in older versions.
To perform a clean boot, close all unneeded apps once you are inside. Restart the computer to see if it turns on again.
Buggy Update
If you are still reading this, it is time to go back to an earlier windows version.
Some windows updates may not be compatible with your graphics card driver. It is therefore a good idea to try this method if none of these methods have worked.
However, you can’t remove mandatory updates. We will remove optional updates by this. This is how it works:
Boot into safe mode.
This is how you navigate: Start-Settings – Updates & Security-Windows Update (then Advanced Options for older PCs) – View your update history – Uninstall updates
To determine if the problem is resolved, start with the most recent updates.
If you have any problems with this step, check out this video.
If you have tried everything, it is time to contact a computer technician. Based on the severity of your problem, it is possible that you will need to install Windows again.
The following section will discuss some tools that can help you maintain your computer so you don’t fall into the same trap again.
Windows Repair/Maintenance Tool
Tenorshare Windows Boot Genius provides a single-stop solution to all your software problems. If you are not technical enough, this tool will help you see all the details under one hood.
It can fix the blank or black screen problem, and many other issues. It can also help with data recovery when Windows is installed fresh.
Next up is AVG TueUp. This helps your computer run faster and prevents problems such as the Windows black screen. This can optimize your boot process and remove conflicting programs. It also schedules periodic maintenance.
CCleaner is a similar application. CCleaner fast-tracks your driver update process. Its PC Health Check assists in automatic software updates and bug fixing. You can also make your computer boot faster by disabling unneeded programs, similar to AVG TuneUp.
Summarising
Windows computers often have a black or blank screen. Users should know these tricks to fix it.
To fix vulnerabilities, it is better to keep Windows up-to-date.
To keep your Windows computer as fresh and running smoothly, make sure you use the maintenance tools listed above.
This article should have helped you fix your screen. We will see you again. Happy computing.