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How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7

This wikiHow teaches how to troubleshoot a black screen after logging into Windows 7, otherwise known as the Black Screen of Death (KSOD). Boot Windows until you get to the black screen. You may be able to force Windows Explorer to load,...

Method 1 of 3:

Running Explorer

  1. images 1 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 1 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Boot Windows until you get to the black screen. You may be able to force Windows Explorer to load, which will then allow you to scan for malware and remove the problem.
  2. images 2 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 2 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc. This should open the Task Manager.
    1. If you aren't able to open Task Manager, try performing a Startup Repair.
  3. images 3 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 3 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Click the File menu.
  4. images 4 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 4 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Click New Task.
  5. images 5 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 5 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Type explorer.exe and press ↵ Enter. In many cases, your Windows interface will load after a moment.[1]
    1. If it's been several minutes and Windows still hasn't loaded, try disabling your video drivers.
  6. images 6 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 6 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Open your web browser. If you are now back in Windows, you'll want to scan for the problem that caused the black screen. The quickest way to do this is with a free program called Malwarebytes.
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    Images 7 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Visit malwarebytes.org.
  8. images 8 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 8 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Click the Free Download button. The free version of Malwarebytes has all the features you need for this method.
  9. images 9 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 9 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Run the installer after downloading.
  10. images 10 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 10 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Follow the prompts to install Malwarebytes. You can leave the settings at their defaults during installation.
  11. images 11 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 11 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Start Malwarebytes after installation. It will typically start automatically after installation, but you can also find a shortcut on your desktop or in your Start menu.
  12. images 12 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 12 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Click the Check for Updates button. The update check may take a few minutes to complete.
  13. images 13 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 13 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Click the Scan Now button.
  14. images 14 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 14 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Wait while the scan finishes. This can take about a half hour to complete.
  15. images 15 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 15 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Click the Quarantine button if anything is found. This will remove any malicious files that Malwarebytes has found, which should help prevent the black screen issue from appearing again.
    1. If anything is found, reboot your computer and run the scan again after quarantining the items.
Method 2 of 3:

Disabling Your Video Drivers

  1. images 16 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 16 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Reboot your computer. Your video card drivers may be causing problems when Windows loads. Removing them will allow you to boot normally and then install the latest working drivers.
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    Images 17 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Rapidly tap F8. This will open the Advanced Boot Options menu if you are quick. If Windows tries to load, you'll need to reboot and try again.
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    Images 18 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Highlight Safe Mode and press ↵ Enter. This will load Windows in Safe Mode, which will usually work even if Windows normally shows a black screen.
    1. If Safe Mode will not work, try a Startup Repair.
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    Images 19 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Press ⊞ Win+R after Windows boots into Safe Mode.
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    Images 20 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Type devmgmt.msc and press ↵ Enter.
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    Images 21 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Expand the Display adapters category.
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    Images 22 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Right-click the first item in the list. You may have one or more display adapters listed here.
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    Images 23 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Click Uninstall.
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    Images 24 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Check the Delete driver software box and click OK.
  10. images 25 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 25 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Repeat for any other Display adapter items.
  11. images 26 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 26 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Restart your computer and allow it to boot normally. If the video drivers were causing the problem, Windows should now boot normally, though at a lower resolution than you may normally use.
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    Images 27 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Install the latest drivers for your video card if you can boot. If removing the old display drivers fixed your problem, you'll want to install the latest available drivers to get your display capabilities back:
    1. Open your web browser.
    2. Visit the driver download page for your graphics adapter. You're likely using either Intel, AMD, or NVIDIA. If you aren't sure, just try the auto-detection software for each one.
    3. Run the auto detection tool on the driver site to scan your computer and retrieve the proper files.
Method 3 of 3:

Performing a Startup Repair

  1. images 28 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Images 28 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Reboot your computer. A Startup repair will reinstall essential system files that Windows uses to boot. This could fix the black screen problem you're experiencing.
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    Images 29 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Rapidly tap F8. If you time this correctly, you'll enter the Advanced Boot Options menu. If Windows tries to load, you'll have to reboot and try again.
    1. If you can't open this menu, you can boot from a Windows 7 installation DVD or USB installation drive and select "Repair computer" from the Setup menu.
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    Images 30 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Highlight Repair Your Computer and press ↵ Enter.
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    Images 31 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Select your keyboard type. Your regular keyboard should be selected by default.
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    Images 32 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Select the user you want to log in as. Logging in as an administrator will give you access to the Command Prompt as well as the other repair options.
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    Images 33 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Click the Startup Repair option.
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    Images 34 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Wait while Startup Repair scans your computer.
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    Images 35 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Follow any prompts for repairing problems. Depending on what errors Startup Repair encounters, you may be given different options. In many cases, Startup Repair will fix problems without your intervention, and your computer will reboot one or more times.[2]
    1. If Startup Repair prompts you to perform a System Restore, click the Restore button and select the most recent restore point.
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    Images 36 of How to Fix a Black Login Screen on Windows 7
    Try logging into Windows. After Startup Repair has finished any of its repairs, try rebooting and loading Windows.[3]
    1. If you still are unable to boot into Windows, you may want to consider performing a clean installation. This will delete all of the data on the drive, so use Safe Mode to back up any important files first if possible.
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