Win7: Black screen with only cursor at login.

[alkemyst]

Sometimes it comes up fine, other times it just is a black screen....plays the start up theme, but my login accounts do not show up. I can click where they are and type in my passwords and windows will then start.

I don't know if a windows update or graphics driver update or ???? caused this.

Any ideas?

It's Windows 7 32 bit

 

[rasczak]

reload. it's your only option.

 

[alkemyst]

reload. it's your only option.

no.

 

[podspi]

Are you able to start in safe mode?

I'd run CCleaner, get rid of unnecessary startup programs, etc, and see if that fixes things first.

 

[Binky]

I once had this problem on a seldom used XP installation. I was too lazy to figure out why it was doing this, so I just installed a shell replacement. It worked fine with the shell replacement but continued to fail when I reinstated the normal shell. At least this is another option when this happens. Make a backup first!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_shell_replacement

 

[rasczak]

no.

the error is commonly known as black screen of death. I ran into the issue several times while I was doing an upgrade analysis of windows vista for a planned upgrade. No one knew what causes it or how to fix it. Many thought it was a security patch that MS pushed.

I found this for you, hopefully it works.

http://www.windows7news.com/2009/12...ack-screen-of-death-freeze-and-potential-fix/

 

[Binky]

rasczak, that doesn't seem like the same issue. If I'm reading it right, the "black screen of death" is a freezeup after logging in. The op's problem occurs before login but the computer is not frozen.

 

[Big Lar]

My setup has done this twice, still trying to figure it out here as well, running Win 7 64 bit here. I run an admin account as well as my normal Login and when it happened my only option was a reset. I did notice this happened on a Wednesday morning after updates from windows on a Tuesday.

Larry