I have a black screen after the latest Windows 11 update l've followed all the different advice and have drawn a blank. At 75 I'm finding it all very stressful.

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I have a black screen after the latest Windows 11 update and cannot restart my pc. I've followed all the different advice and have drawn a blank. At 75 I'm finding it all very stressful that I can't, with no fault of my own, get my pc working. All I get is the HP logo flashing on an off the screen intermittently. I need my computer as it has documents on it that I need for a trip abroad

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Anonymous

Dear Evelyn Beer,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community

I completely understand how frustrating and stressful it must be for you to deal with this situation, especially when you need your computer for important documents. Please don’t worry – I’m here to help guide you through some steps to troubleshoot the issue.

Here’s what we can do to try and fix the problem:

Step 1: Perform a Hard Reset

First, let’s try a hard reset to see if that resolves the issue.

Turn off your computer by pressing and holding the power button until the device completely shuts off.

Disconnect any peripherals (USB drives, printers, external monitors, etc.) that are plugged into your computer. This helps to rule out any external devices causing the issue.

Press the power button again to turn your computer back on and check if it boots normally.

If this doesn’t work, let’s move on to the next step.

Step 2: Boot into Safe Mode

Since the computer is showing the HP logo and then going black, we might be able to access Safe Mode, where we can perform more troubleshooting steps.

Turn on your computer and wait for the Windows logo (or the HP logo) to appear.

As soon as the logo shows up, press and hold the power button until the computer shuts down.

Turn the computer back on, and when the logo appears again, repeat the process: press and hold the power button to turn it off.

After repeating this 2-3 times, on the third attempt, Windows should display the Recovery screen.

Select See advanced repair options.

From the options that appear, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

After the restart, select option 4 or press F4 to boot into Safe Mode.

Step 3: Uninstall Recent Updates

If you’re able to access Safe Mode, you can try uninstalling the most recent update that may have caused the issue. Here’s how:

Press Win + I to open Settings.

Navigate to Windows Update > Update History > Uninstall updates.

Look for the most recent update listed and select it.

Click Uninstall and follow the on-screen instructions to remove the update.

After uninstalling the update, restart your computer and check if the issue is resolved.

Step 4: Perform a System Restore

If uninstalling the update doesn’t solve the problem, and if you have System Restore enabled, we can try rolling back to a previous system state before the update caused this issue.

While in Safe Mode or Advanced Startup Options, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.

Follow the on-screen instructions to restore your computer to a previous point in time before the issue started.

This should help revert any changes that may have caused the black screen problem.

If after trying these steps the problem still persists, it might be time to contact HP Support for further assistance, especially if there’s a hardware-related issue. They can guide you through more advanced troubleshooting, and if needed, provide support specific to your device.

I understand this is a stressful situation, and I’m here to support you through every step. Please take your time and let me know if you need further assistance or clarification.

Best Regards,

Martin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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Anonymous

Thank you so much for your reply. After I posted on the community my husband finally managed to get to a stage where we could go back to a date before the update problem. It worked! Many thanks for all the advice. I will print it off and save it for future reference.

Regards Evelyn

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54 additional answers

Anonymous

2025-02-03T00:53:06+00:00

Thanks. I'm not sure if was just coincidental timing with the update or something else. I've checked drives and I seem to be updated OK. Appreciate the feedback.
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Anonymous

2025-02-02T12:51:38+00:00

You can also "force" the pc's own recovery routine. This works on most modern windows pc's,

start the pc, first thing you'll see is "HP" or something to indicate the "BOIS" or "post-up"

THEN it starts Windows. It can be a bit hard to tell sometimes BUT, the instant you think it's

started to load Windows, "slam-dunk-it" (press and hold the power button) so the PC will

"force-off". (go dark). Repeat this process 3 times. when you restart #4 you should get a

prompt: "Windows failed to start normally..... bla bla bla" & you'll see choices, one of which

should be "repair" once in that, select "advanced", inside that you should see "roll back updates".

To be clear and honest this "process" has been previously mentioned on this board.

If you've succeeded in rolling back the most recent update and this hasn't worked. Then you're

on the wrong board. Windows update IS NOT your problem and there likely is a bigger

problem. Next step clean re-install. You can try "keep my files" option first. If that fails go with

the "all-new" if that fails you have a hardware issue. Next step, buy a new pc.
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Anonymous

2025-01-31T18:56:09+00:00

Wayne it sounds like the main fix for this, (boot from recovery USB stick and roll back the last update) might be, a bit beyond your skill level. (?), If so your only other option is to take it to a local computer repair shop and tell them what you need done. Make sure they know you know what the problem is and what the fix is. I prefer small shops. Two employees or less. Small business not part of a chain. Either way use yelp or Better Business Bureau (BBB), (google them) check them out on the internet.

Should be about $50 unless they have some, say, $100 minimum which better be stated up front.

Fun fact, the first time I had to to do this, I created my bootable-recovery USB stick from a DIFFERENT computer and was able to boot the black-screen pc with it and access recovery options.

or ... perhaps you have a friend or relative a bit more.... savvy?

To be clear, once you get this update rolled back, you're back in but, Windows Update is unlikely to fix this since MOST people are not having the problem. It's up to you to correct whatever is causing the black screen on your end. In my case it was updating all the drivers on my PC, not just Video, Chipset, everything. Otherwise when this windows update is re-applied, the problem will surely recur.
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