Be it a Blue Screen or a Black Screen, in Windows; this is a serious issue. Although, most of us are familiar with the Blue screen of Death or BSOD, which is one of the common system errors of Windows. But in BSOD, the B term doesn’t always refer to Blue but sometimes black. So the question is, what is the Black Screen of Death and how to troubleshoot it?
According to the reports, the Black Screen of Death can be more difficult to fix than the Blue screen. But I have compiled a list of the methods that can successfully fix the error. So let’s just quickly go ahead and have a look at them:
What Is Black Screen of Death?
The Black Screen of Death is a stop error displayed on the Windows system after a deadly system error or system crash. This means the Windows system reaches a point where it can no longer operate the system safely.
Whenever you see a blank or black screen, you need to understand that something went wrong with the monitor connectivity, BIOS configuration, graphics driver, or other sources.
Also, it is a pretty problematic error as you won’t see anything on the screen. Hence, fixing the issue also becomes very challenging.
What Causes the Black Screen of Death?
Before I go ahead and talk about how to fix the black screen of death, it would be a good idea to know what causes it.
There is a wide range of reasons what can cause the black screen of death. For instance, the issue may appear because of:
- Incomplete Windows installation.
- Windows update.
- Software and driver errors.
- Overheating
- Power supply.
- Display issues.
So let’s just now go ahead and talk about the solutions that we can follow to get rid of BSOD.
How to Troubleshoot Black Screen of Death?
These methods should help you resolve the problem with BSOD.
- Overheating
- Check PSU
- Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode
- Troubleshoot Black Screen of Death Without Cursor
- Restore Corrupted Files
- Reset Your PC
You will need admin permission and a clear understanding of managing the computer.
1] Overheating
The first thing you need to check is if any of your computer parts are getting overheated. Since overheating is one of the main causes behind the Windows black screen error.
A computer generates a lot of heat, and the heat should be kept away to keep your computer function properly. Also, high temperatures can easily damage parts of your computer.
However, the computers are built to shut down before encountering extreme heat. But sometimes, it causes the black screen of death.
Many times, overheating is also caused because of video cards or processors. So make sure that all parts inside your computer are getting proper cooling.
For instance, if your processor is heating up, then you can consider using a better cooling system like a liquid cooler to cool it down. You can also attach extra fans to your PC case to maintain the temperature.
2] Check PSU
If your computer is stuck on the black screen, then the PSU of your PC might be the reason. However, checking the PSU can be tricky if you are not so familiar with computer hardware. But I would recommend you check your PSU for any burns or overheating issues.
If you cannot find any of such things, then do try to replace the PSU and see if it has worked for you or not.
3] Boot Your PC Into Safe Mode
Safe mode can be a useful option to fix most PC problems. Also, it gives you a chance to back up your important files. To get into the Safe mode, you will need to follow the below steps:
- At first, please turn off your PC by holding down the power button to force shutdown it.
- Also, you have to repeat step one thrice to launch the Preparing Automatic Repair option.
- Then, go to Advanced Troubleshoot options.
- Go to Startup Settings > Restart > Enable Safe Mode and press the number 4 or the F4 key button to get into the safe mode.
4] Troubleshoot Black Screen of Death Without Cursor
If you cannot move your mouse, then you will need to troubleshoot the black screen of death by following the below steps:
- At first, restart your computer.
- Once you are on the sign-in screen, hold down the Shift key while selecting Power, then choose Restart.
- After that, your PC will restart, and then you have to select Troubleshoot from the available options.
- Next, select Advanced Options.
- After that, you have to click on Startup Settings and click on restart.
- It will open up a bunch of options. However, from here, you need to select the Safe Mode with Networking by pressing the 5 or F5 key.
Once you are done with the above steps, you have to use the system file checker or SFC command to fix the issue. For this, do follow these steps:
- Click on the Windows search bar and type down CMD.
- Right-click on cmd and select Run as Administrator.
- Then type down sfc/scannow and press Enter.
- Once the process gets completed, restart your computer and see if it has resolved the issue or not.
5] Restore Corrupted Files
The Black Screen of Death may occur because of corrupted files on your system. Hence, it is better to scan for the corrupted files and fix them.
To do this, you need to follow the below steps:
- At first, click on the Windows search bar and type down CMD.
- Then right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
- After that, run the sfc/scannow command.
- If the command runs successfully, then run the command DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth.
- Then wait for the process to get completed and see if it has fixed the issue for you or not.
If you do not have access to Windows, then boot into Advanced Recovery, and scan using the Command Prompt option.
6] Reset Your PC
Suppose your PC fails to fix itself after using the automatic repair option. Then you will need to reset your PC, and for this, do follow the below steps:
- Click on the start button.
- Then go to Settings > Update & Security.
- In Windows 11, go to System > Recovery
- From the sidebar, select Recovery.
- Now click on Get Started button located under the Reset This PC option.
- Then select the Keep my Files option and proceed ahead.
- Finally, follow all the on-screen instructions and wait for your PC to get reset.
How Do You Fix an HDMI Black Screen?
It happens when there is a sync issue between the GPU and the Monitor. The best way to fix this is to unplug the wire from both ends, the monitor and the computer. Wait for few seconds, and then plug it back in. The power recycle helps to kick start the handshake between the devices.
How Do I Get My Laptop off From a Black Screen of Death?
At first, shut your laptop down and remove the battery and let it rest for a few minutes. Also, you can consider replacing your laptop battery. If it doesn’t fix the issue, you can remove your laptop’s hard drive and connect it to another PC and check if your laptop drive is fine or not. If not, then replace it.
How To Fix a Black Screen When Loading Into Windows?
One of the probable reasons why it may happen is corrupt video drivers. If you can access your Windows PC, try updating the GPU driver by downloading it from the OEM website and manually updating it.
So that was all for your question what is the black screen of death and how to troubleshoot it. Now go ahead and try fixing your PC by following the above methods and see if they are working for you or not.
