Windows OS

5 Solutions to Fix a Black Screen of Death Error in Windows 10

The “Black Screen of Death” is one of the most severe types of Windows error, which turns the screen black, with nothing displayed except the cursor. In such a situation, the Windows user cannot utilize the mouse cursor. This stated error occurs due to faulty hardware, corrupt or missing system files, or outdated graphics drivers.

Keeping in mind all the scenarios, we will guide you to help to fix the stated error.

How to Resolve the “Black Screen of Death” Error in Windows 10?

The stated error can be rectified by adopting these methods:

Fix 1: Reinstall Display Driver

As the “Black screen of death” is a graphics-related error, so, reinstalling the graphics driver can fix it.

Step 1: Launch Device Manager

First, open “Device Manager” via the Windows Start menu:

Step 2: Uninstall the Driver

Expand the “Display adapters” section. Locate the display driver, right-click on it and trigger the “Uninstall device” option:

Hit the “Uninstall” button from the on-screen wizard:

Step 3: Reinstall Driver

Install the graphics driver after removing it. To do so, select the “Action” menu and trigger “Scan for hardware changes”:

Reboot the system after reinstalling the driver.

Fix 2: Disable Fast Startup

The fast startup enables Windows to boot faster and put the system in hibernation mode instead of turning it off. Therefore, disabling fast startup will fix the stated problem. For that purpose, follow the offered instructions.

Step 1: Launch Run

First, search and open Run with the help of the Windows Start menu:

Step 2: Launch Power Options

Type “powercfg.cpl” in the input field and hit the “OK” button:

Step 3: Navigate to System Settings

Select highlighted option from the power options window:

Step 4: Get Permission to Configure Settings

Choose highlighted option to remove protection to change settings:

Step 5: Disable Fast Startup

Unmark the “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” checkbox and hit the “Save changes” button:

Fix 3: Run System File Checker Scan

SFC scan or System File Checker is used to repair the corrupt and missing system files that can also solve the black screen of death error.

Step 1: Launch CMD

To do so, launch “Command Prompt” as an administrator via the Windows Start menu:

Step 2: Run sfc Scan

Run the “sfc” scan by the use of the “/scannow” code:

>sfc /scannow

The scan has repaired Windows files.

Fix 4: Perform Clean Boot

Disabling non-Microsoft apps is known as the clean boot. Performing a clean boot will help Windows boot faster and more securely, as it will only load Microsoft apps. For that purpose, follow the given steps.

Step 1: Launch System Configuration

Initially, search and open “System configuration” with the help of the Windows Start menu:

Step 2: Disable Non-Microsoft Apps

  • Switch to the “Services” segment.
  • Mark the “Hide all Microsoft service” option checkbox.
  • Click on the “Disable all” and hit the “OK” button to enable a clean boot:

Fix 5: Reset Windows 10

Finally, if after trying all the methods, the stated issue is not fixed then resetting Windows is the best approach.

Step 1: Open PowerShell

First up, launch “PowerShell” as an administrator:

Step 2: Launch System Reset

Type the below “systemreset” command in the PowerShell and execute it:

>systemreset

Step 3: Reset Windows

Select the “Keep my files” option to keep your files safe while resetting Windows:

Click “Next” to proceed further toward resetting Windows 10:

Select “Reset” to start the process of resetting Windows 10:

As you can see the resetting of Windows 10 is in progress:

When the resetting of Windows completes, reboot the system.

Conclusion

The “Black Screen of Death” error can be rectified using various fixes, such as reinstalling the display adapters driver, disabling fast startup, performing the clean boot, resetting Windows 10, or running an SFC scan. This guide has covered almost all the steps and methods to solve the mentioned error.

About the author

Muhammad Farhan

I am a Computer Science graduate and now a technical writer who loves to provide the easiest solutions to the most difficult problems related to Windows, Linux, and Web designing. My love for Computer Science emerges every day because of its ease in our everyday life.