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Windows tries to set the display to its configured settings right after displaying the Windows logo, and just before displaying the login screen or desktop.
Nine times out of ten if that's when your display stops, it's simply because your display settings are set to something that your monitor can't handle. Depending on what it's not supporting, some monitors respond by going black ... others just go "crazy" displaying unintelligible gibberish.
If that's the problem, it's fairly easy to fix.
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First things first ... let's get you a bootable system.
Boot in safe mode - press F8 when the Windows loader presents you with the 30 second list of choices, and then select "Safe Mode" as your boot option.
Right click on the desktop and click Properties, and then on the Settings tab.
Now click and drag the Screen Resolution slider to the far left ... you want the smallest settings that your screen will support. Typically that'll be 640x480, or 800x600.
Also change the Color Quality dropdown to 256 colors, or whatever is lowest. (You probably don't need to go as low as 16 colors, if that's presented as an option.)
Now, click on the Advanced button, and then the Monitor tab of the resulting dialog box. Change the Screen refresh rate to 60 Hertz.
OK your way back out, and reboot your machine. If these setting were the source of the problem, it should now be able to boot normally. You may not like the screen settings, but at least you now have a place to start.
If the display is still blank or gibberish, the my recommendation is to once again boot into Safe Mode, possibly Safe Mode with networking, and update your video display drivers. It's likely that they are incorrect or otherwise broken.
A place to start ... start what? Start experimenting with the settings to see what does, and does not, work with your monitor.
I tend to start with the screen resolution. Once again right click on the desktop and click Properties, then Settings, and then drag the Screen Resolution slider a notch or two to the right to increase your display resolution. Now click Apply. It should change the resolution and display a small message box asking if you want to accept this setting. If you don't respond within some time, it assumes you can't see it, so it resets to the previous setting. The lesson here? If the screen goes blank or you can't read it, wait at least one minute before doing anything. The problem may resolve itself, and you'll be able to say "well, that resolution doesn't work", and move on to try another.
If, after a full minute or more the screen remains blank or unreadable, you'll have to reboot into safe mode, as we did originally, to restore your setting. (Why might this happen? Windows "remembers" and doesn't bother to ask you if you reset to something that you previously said worked. If you mistakenly said "this works" when it didn't ... perhaps by random keyboarding while the display was blank ... well, that could be how we got here in the first place.)
You can repeat this process of trial and error for each of the screen resolution, the color depth and the screen refresh rate. (For CRT displays, you really do want the refresh rate to be as high as your monitor supports.)
Article C2530 - January 23, 2006
OK I too have a Toshiba laptop with black screen after windows splash screen, also in safe mode and can't select VGA in safe mode. I can't do anything only cursor on scren, can't see properties box to change screen resolution. Nothing else works what can i do?
Posted by: Phil at October 25, 2009 3:09 PMI ran into some malware that caused similar problems (screen goes black after the windows startup screen). I ran super anti spyware and spybot in safe mode -- all is well again.
Posted by: fred64 at November 23, 2009 2:21 PMthank you soo much it worked out right away
Posted by: Kenny at December 13, 2009 5:53 PMhttp://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000626.htm
Posted by: jann at December 14, 2009 12:41 PMnew monitor now only works in safe mode?=
tap F8 while pc is powering up then scroll down to last good configuration
Ok gang,
on my Vista Home basic Acer laptop, my display went to "Black-screen" after a
OS system "boot screen" like a lot of the rest of you. My PC would work fine in
"Safe-Mode" but, of course, NO sound.(bummer) I had almost given up when i
read on this one forum that all a guy did was run an Antivirus (AVG i think) and a
Malware cleanner( i forget the name) & he was back in business. I think his
comment was like 1 or 2 sentences long. I was like "nahhh... can't be that easy".
Anyway... after trying to readjust my "Display settings" to something really low as
was suggested somewhere (not the easiest thing I've done... specially in windows Vista
safe mode...arghhh!)... also after spending a day & a half trying to get my audio
to work in "safe-mode"(we won't even go there)... finally the "winner" move was
to run a simple "malware" probe... I used Malebytes Antivirus... its free and it works
great. didn't even have to do a "deep" scan... after that, i was back in the Blue (blue screen).
I just wanted to post this to perhaps save some poor chap the time,
& agony of not "knowing" what the problem is with their PC. Although admittedly,
i did learn a few things about "Start Menu" adjustments (checking & unchecking boxes)
& Safe mode trouble shooting... but i should have been starting with the small stuff.
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware... get it for free from trusted cnet.com
http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10896905.html
Posted by: Gavin95 at December 21, 2009 8:37 PM