Top 11 Ways to Fix Windows 10 Showing Black Screen Before Login

What Happens When You Turn On Your Computer? You are greeted by the familiar logo of the computer manufacturer, followed by the Microsoft logo. No? Some users have complained that Windows 10 displays a black screen before logging in. What’s even more frustrating is that it never displays an error code or goes to the office.

Error codes make it easier and easier to locate the source of the problem. This further helps to narrow down the possible solutions. Not in this case, but we’ve found some solutions that should help.

Let’s start.

1. Disconnect the accessories

Remove all accessories such as mouse, keyboard, and flash drive. Restart your computer again. Don’t know how to restart without the start menu? Press and hold the power button until the computer turns off. Wait a few moments, then turn on again. If everything works as expected, one of the props is the culprit. Reconnect each accessory one by one to find out which one is causing the error. Possible solutions include updating / reinstalling drivers. I would also recommend updating the graphics card drivers at this point.

2. Check the wires

I know, but if you haven’t already, check the wires. Most likely, there is something wrong with your screen. Gently wiggle the monitor wire to make sure it is in place and the power button is on. You can also check the manufacturer’s website for more details. They may have some common troubleshooting steps to try.

Try another port if you have multiple video outputs. Move your mouse or press any key on the keyboard to wake up your computer because it might have gone to sleep during troubleshooting.

Ctrl + Alt + Del

This keyboard shortcut has worked for some people. What it does is bring up a hidden menu where you’ll find four options. One of them is the task manager. Try this out and see if it helps you access the desktop. If so, one of the recently installed apps is the culprit that is running in the background. Check the running processes in Task Manager or try a clean start to restrict possible applications.

I also recommend restarting the explorer.exe process once. Find Windows Explorer, right click it and select the restart option.

4. End RunOnce

Check if the RunOnce process is running in Task Manager under the Processes tab. Ideally, you shouldn’t find it, but if you do, right-click on it to select End Task.

Also check the Services tab and see if RunOnce is running there. Repeat the same steps but this time select the Stop option.

I also recommend restarting the explorer.exe process once. Find Windows Explorer, right click it and select the restart option.

5. Restart the video driver

Press Windows key + Ctrl + Shift + B to restart the video driver and check if that helps resolve the black screen before the connection error. It could be due to a video card or graphics card error. This shortcut will notify the system of a potential problem and force the system to restart the responsible video driver.

The video card will then reestablish connection with the monitor, so give it a few moments to work. I suggest you update your graphics card drivers once the issue is resolved. See point 1 above for a complete guide to drivers. Check the next point if you cannot access Device Manager.

6. Project screen options

Microsoft Support recommends this step. Press Windows key + P keys to open Project menu in sidebar where you can switch between different screen settings like dual screen, duplicate screen, etc. Keep pressing it until you are only on the PC screen. You can select another option depending on your configuration.

If you are unable to view anything due to the black screen, press the shortcut four times to switch between all the options. If the setting has been changed, you will witness success. Otherwise, you will revert to the default option as there are only 4 to choose from.

7. Safe Mode

Starting in Safe Mode can help you resolve many issues. We’ve put together a detailed guide on the different ways to do this. I suggest you enter safe mode with a network connection as it will allow you to access the internet. You need it to download and update the drivers. We discussed this in points 1 and 3 above. For those who have skipped, update the graphics card, external accessories, video, and graphics card drivers. Going back to a previous one or reinstalling the drivers can also help.

If you can’t see anything because of the black screen, press the shortcut four times to switch between all options. If the setting has been changed, you will witness success. Otherwise, you will revert to the default option as there are only 4 to choose from.

8. Disable fast startup

Windows 10’s fast start feature reduces the time your computer starts up after shutdown. Although the feature has its pros and cons, it can cause errors like black screen before logon in Windows 10. Use safe mode if you cannot access these settings normally.

Step 1: Go to Control Panel> System and Security> Power Options> Choose what the power button does

2nd step: Click on “Change currently unavailable settings” and disable the option “Enable fast startup (recommended).

Remember to save changes and restart when you are done.

9. New user account

Your user account may have been corrupted. This can be a standard or administrator account. Create a new user account if you can use safe mode or any other means and check if the issue is resolved. Are you always greeted by the black screen before logging in?

10. Disable startup applications

This is for those who see a black screen on startup, but it is not stuck on the black screen. It persists for a few minutes, then you are redirected to the desktop. This means that your computer is getting old and slow, or that there are too many applications activated at startup.

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and go to the Startup tab. You can enable or disable the apps here. I recommend disabling any apps that you don’t use frequently or that won’t break functionality if they’re not enabled by default. I mean, you can activate Spotify manually when needed, right?

11. Reset or restore

If nothing seems to have worked so far, there is no other way. Take a backup of everything using Safe Mode, then reset or restore your computer to resolve the issue. Of course, there may be data loss and that is why we recommend that you take a backup.

Orange is the new black

The black screen before connection can be scary, especially because it leaves you with few options. You can’t access anything and there is this fear of data loss. Safe Mode is the best option in this situation, which will further open the doors for further troubleshooting steps.

Did you find another way? Share with us in the comments section below.