Solutions for a black screen — before logging in!
If you can’t even reach the Windows login screen and just get a black screen, things are either super easy to solve or perhaps very tough, depending on the specific problem. Let’s work our way down the checklist.
Optimize your startup applications
If you’re only occasionally getting a black screen, you might want to look into disabling some startup items and optimizing your boot. One of the best tools for this is AVG TuneUp, which can turn off all non-essential applications and put them to sleep. AVG TuneUp’s built-in Sleep Mode preserves RAM and CPU power so you have more resources available.
Check your cables and connections
If everything was working normally until suddenly your PC won’t show a screen, chances are that there’s something wrong with the cables or your monitor. Here’s how to check all your important connections.
1. Unplug and then reconnect your video cables
Try disconnecting and then reconnecting all of your video cables — HDMI, DVI, DisplayPort, and VGA. And yes, the good old “blow into the ports” also occasionally works as dust or crud can get stuck in there.
Try disconnecting and reconnecting all your video cables to see if that fixes your black screen issue.
2. Try a different cable
Cables break. Especially if you’re using a laptop and an external monitor. Constantly plugging in connectors wears them out over time. To check whether your cable is somehow affected, try a different video cable (e.g., from your TV) that you know works. If that produces an image, it’s time to shop for a new cable for your computer.
I hope these methods will be helpful!
Mark Wilson