# Urgent: Windows Update caused computer screen to go blank **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938 "2015-03-13T22:35:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/1 "2015-03-13T22:35:52Z")
My friend’s Asus G75vx laptop installed an update to Windows 8 & then needed a reboot. Once it loaded, it seemed fine with the loading screen & admin lock screen, but once she clicks on it to go into the computer, it just shows a black screen. She’s tried doing Task Manager which does come up & has restarting it five times with the same results. She’s tried shutting it down, but now the power button light stays on & it does not shut down. It won’t load the screen or let her go into the Task Manager at all now. The cursor arrow is still visible & can be moved around the black screen. She has tried holding the power button down but it will not go off. What is happening and how can she fix it? Update: She has now gotten it into Task Manager but it is not showing anything and not letting her do anything. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/2 "2015-03-13T22:44:25Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Update: She has now gotten it into Task Manager but it is not showing anything and not letting her do anything. at the top of the task manage click on “file” one of the options should be “run” click on that a box should pop up where you can type. type “explorer.exe” and hit enter what happens? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/3 "2015-03-13T22:45:34Z")
Update: She has now gotten it into Task Manager to Start Up and can access her computer files and open Windows. But her desktop screen still remains black with no way to access anything through it. Various programs do begin to work but then fail to respond. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/4 "2015-03-13T22:48:55Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > at the top of the task manage click on “file” > > one of the options should be “run” click on that > > a box should pop up where you can type. type “explorer.exe” and hit enter > > what happens? When she hits OK, nothing happens. When she hits Browse it opens up her PC & lets her access all her files. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/5 "2015-03-13T22:56:07Z")
I remembered a Windows Update in **[December](http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/12/microsoft-withdraws-bad-windows-7-update-that-broke-future-windows-7-updates/)** that broke future updates — almost preferable ---- but that was Windows 7; still wading through through endless _Windows Update Broke_… on Google, shows the **[latest Windows Update](http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/03/ms-update-3033929-causing-reboot-loop/)** for 8 is causing a reboot loop. You are not alone. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/6 "2015-03-13T22:58:32Z")
So how do we fix this? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/7 "2015-03-13T23:10:29Z")
I walked her through a System Restore which is initializing. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/8 "2015-03-13T23:19:24Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > When she hits OK, nothing happens. When she hits Browse it opens up her PC & lets her access all her files. howabout rstrui.exe? That should launch system restore which should allow a rollback to prior to the update. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/9 "2015-03-13T23:28:40Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > howabout rstrui.exe? > > That should launch system restore which should allow a rollback to prior to the update. Thanks but we actually just completed the System Restore which seems to have worked. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/10 "2015-03-14T10:05:05Z")
Now go into Windows Update and block that update. BTW a black screen is also sometimes indicative of a pirate copy of Windows. Not in this case, obviously! ---
**Author:** ![bobalazs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@bobalazs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobalazs)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urgent-windows-update-caused-computer-screen-to-go-blank/714938/11 "2015-03-14T19:03:38Z")
Had the same problem today. When you run task manager run a new task with administrator rights and type this: %windir%\system32\wuapp.exe And remove the updates that were installed today. Especially KB3000850 I guarantee you this will work.