Black screen of death following Windows update installation.
Black screen of death following Windows update installation.
Hi:
This happened earlier this evening on my laptop. I had created a system restore point before installing the updates, but since I only see a black screen now, I can't access System Restore. By pressing F8 during startup, I reach Advanced Options / Troubleshoot & then System Restore, but it shows an error: "To use System Restore, you must specify which Windows installation to restore. Restart this computer, select an OS, and then select System Restore." That just brings me back to the Troubleshoot menu again. If I restart the machine, I still get a black screen.
If I choose System Repair instead, it runs a diagnosis and says it can't repair the PC, then redirects me to Advanced Options / Troubleshoot. Trying to uninstall updates or quality updates leads me back to Troubleshoot as well. If I attempt Uninstall Feature Updates, it suggests Troubleshoot/Reset PC but doesn't show a Reset option.
I haven't tried other settings like UEFI Firmware or the command prompt, because I'm not familiar with them and don't want to worsen the issue. The problem seems to be related to the Windows updates I installed—two updates, possibly drivers. How can I remove those? When the laptop starts up (with the usual boot sound), instead of the PIN screen, I see a black screen with no way to access the restore point.
The black screen appeared after downloading the updates. Looking back at the Updates page on the laptop I'm using, I noticed it was an optional update: "Driver Updates(1) - Intel Corporation - Bluetooth - 23.70.0.2." I left it open for about five minutes after restarting. Can you help?
Additional information: I connected the laptop to my TV using an HDMI cable and successfully accessed System Restore. Everything was fine. Then I installed Windows Updates excluding the optional ones, but the laptop again fell over. I repeated the HDMI setup and everything worked again. This suggests that one or more of the updates might have been the issue. The challenge is determining which of the so-called "safe" updates caused the problem—there were many of them. Clearly, trial-and-error isn’t a reliable solution. How can anyone be certain which updates are safe and which aren’t? Should I simply skip Windows Updates altogether?
I would appreciate some guidance on this situation!
What model laptop is this and what version of Windows? When was the last time it ran updates before this happened? How many updates were there?
Thanks for your reply, blazorthon.
The laptop was last updated a few weeks ago with Windows 11, and this time it received more updates than usual (5-6), including a cumulative one.
It’s functioning properly now after following the procedure at 08:56 this morning. The Windows Update screen is prompting for an update.
I’m cautious about installing these updates since I haven’t created a System Restore point beforehand.
I understand wanting to stay current, but what are the consequences?
That's a pretty new and high-end laptop.
It's always possible for a Windows update to do something like this, but it's pretty rare and once it happens, the bad update is usually removed from the update system pretty quickly. If your laptop is working now and it says it is up to date, the bad update was probably already pulled. If it only says up to date because you haven't run a check for updates since the system restore, I would give it a week or so before running updates again. The bad update, if it wasn't pulled yet, almost certainly would be pulled by them. You might even be able to lookup the update numbers online if you can find the numbers for the ones that were present when this happened and find if anyone has reported on it.
This issue occurred on a desktop machine and took a long time to resolve. We need to locate the management personnel who support auto force updates and ensure they address problems promptly. They seem indifferent.
After investigating, I discovered a hidden setting that prevents driver updates. Even after encountering a black screen, I noticed it trying to install outdated video drivers for the games I was playing. It bothers me that I have to verify this setting is off, as Microsoft recently re-enabled it following major updates.
I understand your concern. It’s hard to imagine a situation where a computer stops working because someone did something meant to keep it safe. Regarding disabling driver updates, I’m curious about how to do it safely. My main worry is that taking such a step might lead to even greater problems than the updates themselves. Do you know what the right balance between risk and security looks like in this case?
Of course, the fact that Microsoft is constantly adjusting things keeps changing things. It's concealed in the update settings menu somewhere.
The main issue with updates is that Microsoft continues to add unnecessary elements. Instead of providing only genuine security patches, they introduce many new components that later create real problems and compromise safety. I often have to review after each update to determine which features need to be removed or disabled.
Driver updates usually aren't about security concerns. I only change a driver for a component if it stops functioning properly, which you first notice when using it. For instance, when I first connected a 4K external monitor to my Dell laptop, it would crash with BSODs every time I plugged it into the HDMI port. That’s why I updated all my video drivers. It turned out the Windows updates and the ones from Dell’s site weren’t compatible, so I had to download them from Intel and Nvidia directly and install them myself. Once that was done, the monitor worked. I don’t usually install drivers unless absolutely necessary; they rarely help unless the existing drivers are faulty and a newer version resolves the problem.