I’m installing Windows 8.1, and after a reboot, it has a black screen.

Anonymous
2013-10-29T18:13:23+00:00

I’m installing Windows 8.1, and after a reboot, it has a black screen, with just a cursor. How do I solve this?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Install and upgrade

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Anonymous
2013-10-29T18:14:57+00:00

This may be an issue with your display drivers. Try entering Safe Mode and updating the drivers:

  1. When you boot your PC, try hitting the F8 key. This may take you to the Startup Settings that include Safe Mode.
  2. If hitting F8 doesn’t work, and you have media for Windows 8.1 (such as a DVD or USB), you can boot from media using the instructions here. Further instructions about Safe Mode can be found here.
  3. If you do not have media, use the power button to restart your computer during the boot process three times (do not let it get to the end of the boot process) . This should bring up the Windows Recovery Environment.
  4. Once you have started in Safe Mode with Networking, check for updated drivers:
  • Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.

(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)

  • Tap or click Update and recovery and then tap or click Windows Update.
  • Tap or click View details, and tap or click Check for updates. (If you don't see View details, there aren't any optional updates available.)
  • Under Optional, tap or click the update that you want to install, then click Install.

If no updated drivers are available through Windows Update, check the website of the manufacturer of your video card to see if they have updated drivers available.

If this does not resolve your issue, post in this thread.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-05-20T18:55:52+00:00

    Lololol. Exactly. Well put! I only run Windows on one PC now, a work station which I need unfortunately. But at home? My house has no windows in it! Never will either.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-05-20T18:00:53+00:00

    Is there some part of No GUI that eludes you. If I could boot to windows and actually see the screen the issue could be resolved easily. the problem that I am having and probably the rest of these people is that they can't SEE the GUI. They can't bring up Safe Mode as they can't SEE it on the screen. Yes one can re-install the OS which is a little inconvenient on an upgraded OS making a refresh that should have taken a half hour into an 8 hour project. Thanks Microsoft. I have to keep current with microsoft for business purposes - for any other purpose any flavour of Linux or a Mac OS is light years above in ease of use and ease of repair. Windows Refresh - loaded AMD graphics driver - did all updates - all hunky dory - ran 8.1 update to update 8.1 ... Black screen of Microsoft - No options to boot into safe mode - oh hurray - all is not lost, I can reimage the computer. Microsoft = ****!

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-05-09T23:11:04+00:00

    I had the same issue and couldn't resolve it using the any instructions to change the video card drivers and disabling updates.

    For me the issue only happened after a shutdown; a restart or hibernate and no black screen.

    I have managed to solve the issue by changing a power option - here's how:

    Search for "Power Options" and open it,

    Select "Choose what the power button does" from the left side

    Click "Change settings that are currently unavailable"

    Untick "Turn on fast start-up (recommended)"

    Save changes

    That's what worked for me; hope it helps!

    James.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-05-04T14:18:04+00:00

    I wish I could offer you a workable solution. In my case, after several days of trial-and-error with video drivers, roll-backs, restore operations, (I even installed an additional video card in my computer to see if it could "talk" to another hardware device

    • no joy) - I wound up restoring the entire partition from a backup made several weeks earlier. I'm back up and running, but I never found a solution to the problem.

    Hopefully someone (Microsoft? Intel?) will come up with a solution soon...

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