Windows 8.1 black screen after updates

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Alessandro_059

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Jan 15, 2014
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I have a hp pavilion dv7 7060sb (Windows 7 factory OS) I upgraded this a while ago to Windows 8 no problems then I got the update in Windows store for upgrading to Windows 8.1 all went just fine aswell here.

But after a while my laptop started to become slower so i figured to do a clean Windows 8.1 install because after 2 upgrades the old files where still there.

Then the problems started
I installed Windows 8.1 but Nvidia driver didn't install correctly. And after shutting it down it wouldn't boot again.

Reinstalled Windows 8 i thought the update through the store would work but it didn't, it got a black screen while restarting.

(With these 2 installs my fingerprint sensor didn't work but that's already fixed I had to install Windows 7 driver for it to work, pretty weird if you ask me, but maybe it's just HP's site where I downloaded it from)
But anyway this already works

Did a clean Windows 8.1 install once again (by this time I already lost the Windows 8 serial key after using it 3 times) obviously Nvidia driver didn't install correctly again but after trying some possible fixes I got it working
( uninstalled driver and I had to install an update for Windows media player because I installed Windows 8.1 pro N and apparently Nvidia needs a .dll file from Windows Media Player to work, so after that I reinstalled the drivers, this time not from the HP site because half of it doesn't work.)

So with that everything worked perfectly so I thought I finally did it. But after a couple of days windows did the automatic updates and after restarting I had just a black screen.

I did some searching and found a possible fix
(Recovery drive and then type the command in cmd to fix the master boot record)
But that didn't work

Now I just disabled both Intel and Nvidia graphic drivers through safe mode and for the time being I am working like that because I really need my computer for school

I'm pretty angry now, after all this effort it still doesn't work, I installed Windows 8.1 on other computers and they all work fine but they don't have the Intel or Nvidia drivers so obviously they are the problem
I am thinking of going back to Windows 7, everything works there and I still have the serial, but I personally like Windows 8 more. But if the problems keep coming I will eventualy have no other choice.

If someone could help me fix that problem I would be very very happy because after all this time I would like to have a perfectly working device.

Thanks in advance
 
Solution
this problem is caused by a mixed set of drivers (different builds) for your graphics card. You can get this if windows updates your graphics card and you don't actually reboot before running the vendors graphics setup program. Basically, windows update attempts to install the graphics driver but it is in use so it puts it into a queue to be installed on the next reboot (not sleep). In the mean time, before you actually reboot or power cycle your machine you use the vendors update program that does not require a reboot. All is well until, some time later you reboot and windows sees that it has a update to install on the reboot and does it. Now you have a mixed build and your graphics card will not work correctly, Also, windows...
this problem is caused by a mixed set of drivers (different builds) for your graphics card. You can get this if windows updates your graphics card and you don't actually reboot before running the vendors graphics setup program. Basically, windows update attempts to install the graphics driver but it is in use so it puts it into a queue to be installed on the next reboot (not sleep). In the mean time, before you actually reboot or power cycle your machine you use the vendors update program that does not require a reboot. All is well until, some time later you reboot and windows sees that it has a update to install on the reboot and does it. Now you have a mixed build and your graphics card will not work correctly, Also, windows makes a backup copy of the drivers and puts them into its driver store for you and keeps putting it back on your system if the driver is deleted. (but it will work until you reboot again because the actual driver is not installed until the reboot)

bummer,
at this point you would go into control panel, disable the autoinstall of device drivers, uninstall the video driver,
reboot, and install with the vendors setup program and reboot. Then enter control panel and re-enable the autoinstall of the drivers again.


 
Solution

wintig

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Feb 2, 2014
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Hi, I have a windows 8.1 laptop too and it's been stuck for a few hours now, so I'm wondering how you can get to the control panel if the screen is just black? I don't have a mouse or anything

 
You want to enter into safe mode. Normally you press shift+ F8 when you power on the system, but a laptop vendor can change the key sequence to to other things. (f2, f6, f11)



 

Fabadelic

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Jan 17, 2014
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Hi
I had the same problem as wintig - not being able to get into safe mode using F8, Shift F8 or any other methods (I searched for hours on the web). I still have no solution to this problem and have had to revert to Windows 8 on my laptop. I find it hard to believe that Microsoft STILL haven't released a patch or something for this issue, seeing as it has been a problem since Windows 8.1 was launched in October 2013.

What's quite weird is that I have Windows 8.1 running on an older PC and haven't had the same black screen problem. It must be because I have a different graphics card and driver on the PC. There's an optional Nvidia driver update available in Windows Update for my PC, but I'm too nervous to install it in case I get the black screen!
 
The issue of not getting into safe mode with shift f8 is a issue with the machine manufacture and its BIOS settings. Unless Microsoft makes the machine they really have very limited say. The OEM has agreed to do all the support for the OEM versions. On some machines the manufacture changed what keys to use and they want to control what is on your machine and add there value add services. Some manufactures just said no updates are supported, they just want you to get another machine, toss the old one like people toss their phones. Some manufactures are paid to put "free software" on your machine for $9- $12 per demo they can load it up and offset their costs. That is why some will charge you $50 not to have the demo software installed.

In the end there are bugs that Microsoft will fix, others they consider to be OEM's problems and they can not fix.

Note being able to get into BIOS tends to be a oem problem. Shift f8 fails because on your machine you have to hit F11 and get a special menu that HP put in? Or you have to get into the BIOS to disable fast boot before you are allowed to get into the BIOS. As far as windows is concerned it a OEM problem.

now microsoft putting in a video driver that requires a reboot and not rebooting is their mistake. The graphics vender not looking in pending driver install queue might be their setup program mistake. But in either case your machine gets borked and you have no video.






 

Fabadelic

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Jan 17, 2014
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Why am I am not surprised?! It's entirely typical of Microsoft to blame the computer manufacturer (HP) and HP to blame Microsoft. In the end, only the customer loses. While trying to find a solution to the black screen problem on the internet, I came across many, many people with exactly the same problem, all with different makes of computer and different graphics cards. So if anyone has caused this stuff up, it appears to be MICROSOFT, not the computer manufacturers.

I wonder if this problem will be addressed at all with the Windows 8.1 Update 1, expected in March this year. Or will I have to keep using Windows 8 until I get a new laptop - which won't be anytime soon as the one I have is top of the range, only a year old, and perfectly adequate for at least another two more years!

Planned obsolescence is pure greed on the part of manufacturers and I am happy to say that my trusty old PC is still going strong after 7 years - with a bit of memory upgrade a little while ago. It's been through Windows XP, Vista (very briefly), Windows 7, Windows 8 and now Windows 8.1 and is still working solidly and reliably. As I mentioned previously, I haven't had the the black screen issue with the PC. So maybe it is actually all HP's fault and my laptop is doomed to an early replacement when Windows 9 comes out?!
 
well,I guess you can say it is Microsoft's fault, windows lets you install any graphics driver you want to install. Microsoft does not write the graphics

driver. There are 3 major graphics vendors. The two high end graphics cards drivers are pretty complex and have to support a lot of different hardware I would say 60% of the BOSD in windows are due to these drivers. The versions come out every month and each one has its own problems and you put your machine at risk when you update them. There is a reason windows has a safe mode and can boot with the Microsoft VGA only driver.
 

DemonLord01

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Feb 19, 2014
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U found a solution of this problem ?
 

Earect

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Mar 16, 2014
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To get into safe mode;
Start up your computer until the log-in screen (that should still work. In the lower right corner there is the shut down button, press that button. Now press SHIFT while chosing 'restart'. 'Please wait' will come up and you will get a menu. Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup settings > Restart.
Now when restarting you will get a list of start up options and will be able to choose Safe mode.
 

viptoppa

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Apr 9, 2014
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ctrl+alt+del select task manager then select start up apps tab then right click on anyone and open location from there you can navigate to control panel
 

viplav259

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Apr 10, 2014
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Eddie Vidder

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Apr 19, 2014
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I had the same black screen after POST, before login screen. This happened to me after I changed out my monitor. The solution was to connect both monitors (luckily, my video card supports two monitors), and suddenly I was able to see the login screen (on both monitors).

To be more precise, here's what happened when I changed to a new monitor: If I connected the "old" monitor, the one which was connected when I installed Win 8.1, everything was OK, but when I shut down and connected the "new" monitor, upon restart I would see all POST messages, then the Win8 splash screen, but then the monitor would go black, and the monitor would give me a message saying "no signal". I repeated this process, connecting the old, then the new monitor, and got the same results every time.

After I got Windows to display on both monitors, I had to go to Settings/Change PC Settings/PC and Devices/Display, and select which monitor to use as the #1 monitor, then I was able to disconnect the old monitor, and I now have the system up and running with the new monitor.

I hope this helps. By the way, the old monitor is a not plug-and-play (non-PNP), and the new monitor is PNP, I think.

I'm using an nVidia graphics card.
 

anonomystic

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May 6, 2014
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ctrl + alt + delete > Task Manager > Run new task > control panel. That works for me, hope it helps you.
 

kombatant

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May 16, 2014
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I know this is an old thread, but I'll put my 50 cents in. I was trying to fix an office Lenovo Ideapad, and this idiotic situation with the black screen happened. The BIOS had been previously set, I assume from factory, to boot from Windows/HDD first, and then USB, and despite pressing every Fn key I could it wouldn't get me to the BIOS, it would just boot to the stupid black screen with a visible/moveable mouse cursor, but nothing else working. I tried ctrl-alt-delete, but couldn't see a task manager, I tried plugging in a second monitor, that didn't work either.

I eventually wound up going to another computer and creating a USB flash drive recovery drive through the Windows 8.1 utility, then turning off the laptop, removed the hard drive, then turned the laptop back on.

With the hard drive missing, the computer was forced to the BIOS menu, where I could then set the boot order to put USBs up before hard drives. I then turned it off, put the hard drive back, then plugged in my flash drive and turned the computer back on again.

I stupidly picked "refresh," which after a crazy long time (I think it seriously took over an hour, and this laptop is a 3rd gen Core i5 with at least 4GB of RAM) DID get the laptop booting, but wiped all applications (although thankfully most of the data on the laptop appears to be intact). Instead, once the recovery boot is on, I think you are supposed to pick restart in safe mode, but that's how I got around the inability to get to the BIOS menu...
 

Cosmonaut_99

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May 17, 2014
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I'd also like to voice thanks to Johnbl for his clear explanation of the problem and the causes.

Trying to find the root of these problems on my new self build has been a real pain.
However, I was finally able to get Safe Mode to run (with low graphics), and then turn off the windows 8.1 auto driver install feature, & reinstalled the (AMD Catalyst) driver.

Hopefully at the next reboot the windows driver queue will only have the Catalyst downloaded driver, and not the Windows interference.

Whilst the Windows Update feature in Windows 8.1 is certainly nothing new, the seriously painful way in which these graphics problems present themselves could give most people a 'John Connor' feeling.

Thanks.
C99
 

dev002

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May 20, 2014
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in order to enable safe mode you have to tap f10 key basically this function key changes depending on the machine manufacture but for windows 8.1 this may work and worked for me ,jus tap f10,I had the same problem of BLACK SCREEN in dell Vostro desktop machine I found that it happened after updating the graphic driver ,after enabling safe mode(in order to enable you have to choose advance option >> at the last screen...),this might help you
 

aquino42

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Jun 7, 2014
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aquino42

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I have a gateway w350a t-series it is old laptop but I install windows 8.1 and has same issue the only way to enter to windows logging I could fine was when you see black screen with cursor press function button and then sleep button after go sleep, wake up and the laptop go the first screen and after that you can logging, if you have those function in your pc maybe work
 

CarolC

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Jun 8, 2014
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THANK YOU!!! Your explanation makes complete sense! I fixed my problem a slightly different way. I didn't delete all my drivers. In safe mode I went into the control panel and rolled back the HD Graphics driver to the one I knew worked. I checked the other drivers that had exclamation marks. They hadn't been changed, so I figured it was simply incompatibility with the driver HD Graphics windows kept automatically installing at startup conflicting with them.

Then in Control Panel =>Sytem =>Advnaced Settings => Hardware =>Device Installation Settings I clicked "No let me choose what to do" then in the next screen "Never install driver software from Windows Update". You can leave the square below checked.

Save Changes=> Hmmm ... can't remember the exact wording, but make sure in every screen it goes back into you select "SAVE" or "APPLY", whatever is available to you. Don't exit until you've saved.

I got out of safe mode (that was fun figuring out on Windows 8.1 - you have to go into Control Panel => Administrative Tools => System Configuration. Boot tab, uncheck "Safe boot".)

Rebooted and VOILA! It works again!!! No more black screen!!! YAY!
 

CarolC

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In my Toshiba laptop, I have to press CTRL SHIFT F9 and keep hitting F9 really fast until it says "PLEASE WAIT". I think they are all different. Find out what is suggested for your machine and write it in a special paper folder you keep for computer emergencies.

 

harm1988

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Jun 17, 2014
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Ctrl + Alt + Del
Press the new task button

Write "c://" without "

Go to the PC and you can acces the controle panel
 

mahat_rosy

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Jun 27, 2014
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I updated to windows 8.1 but after applying the settings, it is saying "Restoring Your Previous Version of Windows" and nothing else from past one week. What shall I do? Please help me....
 

mahat_rosy

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But I see nothing in my screen except "Restoring your previous version of windows".........what to do now?
 
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