Black screen after logon fixed, sort of, but...

Hey guys,

I upgraded Windows 8.1 to Win 10. Everything seemed to go okay, and the Win 10 logon screen appeared. But when I logged into my existing account, all I got was a black screen with a movable mouse pointer.

I thought that running Windows Update might fix it—but I couldn't do that because I couldn't see anything.

I tried booting to Safe Mode, but got the same black screen.

I tried various suggestions I found online. What finally worked was manually creating a new user account from a command line. Here's how, in case anyone's interested (hey, I'm a technical writer, I can't help it):

1. At the logon screen, hold Shift, click the "power" icon in the lower right corner, then click Restart.
2. On the screens that appear, clicked Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.
3. When the list of startup options appears, press the number shown for Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
4. At the command prompt, type the following, then press Enter: net user test 12345 /ADD
5. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete for the options screen, then click Restart. (Or you may have to click Log Off, then click Restart from the Win 10 logon screen—but don't hold Shift this time.)
6. Log onto the new "test" account (password 12345).

I now have a new account with a "virgin" Win 10 desktop. I've made it an Administrator account by opening User Accounts and, when prompted, entering my previous account's password. (To do this, your previous account must have been an Administrator account.)

I know I can now manually copy everything over from my previous account, then spend a whole day reconfiguring Windows and all my apps. However, I suspect that some of my previous account's settings are just conflicting with Win 10 and preventing it from starting.

Is there a way I can use the new account to change my previous account's settings (e.g. graphic options, startup tasks)? That'd sure be a lot easier. Thanks, A.

Hi, it seems you may have sthg that is account specific loading, even in Safe Mode. Some people have reported black screen after login, but also in safe mode, and that's been an unsupported graphics card.
E.g. Black Screen after login- Intel Q35 - Windows 10 Forums

However you have got a desktop display in your test account.

I can appreciate you not wanting to configure a new user account.

Sometimes application drivers, for example, are loaded even in safe mode when you don't expect them to be.

I'd suggest:
1. Check the driver details for your graphics card just to see it makes sense.
2. Consider any applications that could be incompatible. Unfortunately MS's compatibility site is more a user vote on compatibility and does not list all incompatible programs.
3. Disable all startups you reasonably can - e.g. using Autoruns. Look at drivers, and logon especially.
Disable anything you can and try logging in to your usual account.

Hi again guys,

Thanks, but I've tried all your suggestions and more, and still can't get anything but a black screen on my original, imported account.

What's more, today I simply copied my personal files from my original account to the new account—and now I get a black screen there too!

I'm giving up on Windows 10. To be honest, while it was working, I didn't see much that impressed me.

I assumed it'd be noticeably faster than Windows 8.1. Surprisingly, though, it seemed slower. For example, after entering my password (for my working account, that is), it took several times longer for the desktop to appear.

I also found that Microsoft removed features and options I've always found very convenient:

• As far as I could tell, you can no longer choose to be notified of updates so you can see and approve of what's being installed on your own system. Now they're all automatic—including ones you don't need? Even device driver updates, which Windows Update is notorious for getting wrong? Apparently, you can choose only when post-update restarts will occur—either at Windows' discretion, or at a specific time of day. But if an urgent update has just been installed that requires a restart, do you really want your PC sitting around being vulnerable? What am I missing here?
• MS's artsy-craftsy command "ribbon" is now mandatory in Windows Explorer? I used to use menus' keyboard shortcuts extensively—for example, to create a new folder. I couldn't find a way to do that from the keyboard now. So I must stop, point and click... each... time? This is progress?
• Now everything's in the simplistic, tablet-oriented "Metro" style? I realize people with tablets need simpler interfaces—but on a PC, it feels like going backward, not forward.
• After installing a new app, you can't simply click "Customize" in the system tray to choose whether its icon appears there or not? Instead you must right-click the taskbar, click Properties, click Customize, click "Choose which icons appear...", wait for the list to load... each... time... And other stuff's like this now too?
• Windows 10 defaults to not requiring a password when resuming from Sleep mode? And in Power Options, the choice to change that is disabled—until you happen to notice the small "Enable options that aren't available" link at the top of the window? (Or, in my case, you've tracked it down in a forum.) And you're similarly "protected" from changing other settings?
• Window title bars are always a glaring white, despite the system colors you've chosen?
• All these bundled apps continually access the Net so they can throw ads and unasked-for information at you? And you can't even uninstall all of them?
• F8 during boot doesn't work anymore? To boot to Safe Mode (which, in my case, didn't work either—another amazing first-time event), you must cold-restart your system three times by holding the power button, till Windows is really convinced you want to choose another startup mode? And even then, it makes you step through a bunch of simplistic "Metro" tablet screens? (I never thought I'd start to miss MS-DOS...)

There was more, but I'm trying not to think about it now.

I didn't see one thing about Windows 10 that convinced me it'd be worth the time and trouble to iron out all the problems and tolerate those I couldn't change. Why struggle with another Windows version, one with fewer choices and less sophistication, when your existing one works just fine?

I'm glad I imaged my SSD before this so I can go right back to Windows 8.1. Sorry, MS!

Hi Ander,
I felt exactly the same about moving to Vista initially- I had to have two attempts to get things installed and running.. then all was fine. And about Win 10- I hated the appearance- and of course the start menu is relatively useless to me (easily replaced, as in Win 8).
I disliked Win 8's appearance too. Excellent that you use disk imaging. I quite agree with you MS's sudden 'random' policy decisions are frustrating - they even suddenly removed IR support in the 'RTM' release.

For interest my comments- as I quite understand any decision you might make. Win 10 is far from perfect and fragile in additional ways.

• "you can no longer choose to be notified of updates"
  - news suggests MS may be reversing that. There are ways posted to control updates, especially driver updates. I'd add that MS is not providing details of their updates either.
• "MS's artsy-craftsy command "ribbon" is now mandatory in Windows Explorer?" - you can hide it, and OldNew Explorer allows some modifications.
• "Now everything's in the simplistic, tablet-oriented "Metro" style?" - no, I assume you have tablet mode on. Win 10 is somewhat of a reversion to desktop. Just use Classic Shell (e.g.) - as I did in Win 8. You can completely ignore tiled apps if you wish.
• "After installing a new app, you can't simply click "Customize" in the system tray" - by default these icons are hidden.
• "Windows 10 defaults to not requiring a password when resuming from Sleep mode?" - seems so. And by the way, System restore is now off by default...
• "Window title bars are always a glaring white, despite the system colors you've chosen?" - that's what I thought initially so used the aerolite theme. Then MS added borders and title bar colour in a later update. See my desktop below- not using that theme.
• "All these bundled apps continually access the Net" - there are 2 freeware apps that help you reduce this data. MS argues there's no personal data...
• "F8 during boot doesn't work anymore?" - depends if you have UEFI, fast boot... but it was the same in W8. And yes, you can put the legacy boot menu and F8 back. For example, I boot up to a choice of safe mode or normal boot.

- with Aeroglass, Y'z shadow, a registry hack + script for background colour, Quizo's Qttabbar for control panel and explorer background colour, Classic Shell.

Note: with any new OS there can be incompatibilities, as you know- and I regard this as early days for Win 10. Problem is, any laptop I buy will likely come with Win 10.. For example, Audacity v2.05 or greater will play nothing- sound card not found. Similarly, Ashampoo programs fail to find my soundcard now. Both problems are acknowledged.

My feeling, having seen the problems people are experiencing is that MS has hurriedly launched this and not in a way that 'wins hearts and minds'.