PC stuck at a blurry login screen

Anonymous
2019-07-31T17:27:31+00:00

I recently updated my PC and now it is stuck at the login screen. It boots up normally to the lock screen, after pressing any button or using the mouse it goes to the next screen for the login but does not load the password box and the screen remains blurry. I can use the power, network and easy of access buttons but that is it.

Safe mode will not start, restarting 3 times does not take me to the repair screen, ctrl+alt+delete does nothing, I even tried using ctrl+F8 and nothing has worked. Anyone have any ideas on how to fix/bypass the login screen?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows Hello, lock screen and sign-in

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2019-09-05T01:28:41+00:00

***FIX***

Initial Steps (Enter Recovery Environment):

  1. Enter Recovery Environment (If you are unable to get into the recovery environment via a menu, you can turn off your system during the initial boot when the Windows logo is on the screen and the dots are circling. Do this at least twice and you'll see the message "Starting Automatic Repair").
  2. Once the recovery environment loads select "See advanced repair options", then "Troubleshoot", then "Advanced options".

Method #1 (Via Command prompt - assumes basic command prompt knowledge):

  1. Click "Command Prompt".
  2. Change directory to your boot drive if necessary (for example, type c: and press <ENTER>)
  3. Type "CD %windir%\system32\config\systemprofile\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\caches <ENTER>
  4. Type "DIR <ENTER>" and make sure you are in the right path. You should see one or more .db files -- usually just cversions.3.db. If there are no files in this directory see the addendum below.
  5. Type "DEL *.* <ENTER>"
  6. Reboot and test

Method #2 (Via Safe Mode and File Explorer - may require adjusting permissions):

  1. Click "Start-up Settings" and "Restart" to reboot the system and get the option to enter Safe Mode.)
  2. At the Startup Settings screen press "4" to boot in Safe Mode.
  3. Log into your administrator-level account.
  4. Open File Explorer and browse to**%windir%\system32\config** (example: c:\windows\system32\config)
  5. Gain access to systemprofile (you may be able to just double-click it to gain access)
  6. Drill down to**%windir%\system32\config\systemprofile\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\caches**
  7. Delete all files inside caches
  8. Reboot and test

Addendum

Some have reported that it is necessary to clear the caches folder of the local user account also or instead of the systemprofile account. If the above procedure does not work for you, delete the file(s) in the local user cache folder (located in %localappdata%\microsoft\windows\caches) using either Safe Mode or the recovery environment command prompt.

Good luck!

Special thanks to John_E_M for first suggesting the localappdata caches folder, and to Artaeos who also narrowed down the problem to the systemprofile caches folder at the same time I did. Great job guys!

**Edited 9/6/2019 to add command prompt method, local account provision, and acknowledgements**

-Forjo

Was this answer helpful?

100+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

158 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2020-01-16T17:28:09+00:00

    Unfortunately the cache fix didn't work for me and a lot of others from posts I've seen on here and reddit.

    It's like the fix only works for about 405 of people... the others, like myself have to do a complete re-install (recovery isn't working either)

    There's 68 work computers here that have the bug and I have to re-install Windows on all of them. I tried to just do recovery but the bug is still there. 

    I see this issue has been happening for quite some time and there's a new update on Window. Has this been addressed yet?? It's insane that a complete re-install is necessary for something so minor.

    Was this answer helpful?

    6 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2019-09-04T20:09:31+00:00

    *^*^*EDIT*^*^*

    The solution is to rename/delete the caches folder under %windir%\system32\config\systemprofile\appdata\local\microsoft

    See step-by-step instructions in my next post below...

    ----Original Post----

    ****I might have a fix for this guys.****

    In Safe Mode, rename the folder

    %windir%\system32\config\systemprofile\appdata\local\microsoft

    to

    %windir%\system32\config\systemprofile\appdata\local\microsoft.bak

    Reboot into normal mode.

    After doing this the login screen appeared. It's a bit of a blunt fix so I'm going to drill down and see if I can figure out exactly which subfolder is actually the culprit.

    But for now, try it and let me know.

    Special thanks to John_E_M for suggesting renaming %localappdata%\microsoft\windows\caches

    -Forjo

    Was this answer helpful?

    6 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2019-08-05T04:30:41+00:00

    literally having the EXACT same problem on my computer. i cant get around it no matter what. next course of action is wiping the computer and reinstalling windows because i don’t know what else to do. my pc is only 2 yrs old and i also just ran updates.

    Was this answer helpful?

    6 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2019-08-15T11:29:11+00:00

    I am having the same issue too after the recent update. Any known fix for this?

    Was this answer helpful?

    5 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments