Black screen with cursor after login. Screen works fine in safe mode

atomx1 · 30 Jul 2019

Been a few days, done a ton of research and so far all the solutions ive read on dont fix my problem.

To run down the situation:
- I get a black screen after i login with only a cursor, but sometimes the screen goes back to normal temporarily, and when it does work temporarily, the taskbar usually appears pixelated, and sometimes the text as well on any programs with the occasional pink highlight behind the text
- When i hit ctrl alt del, it brings it up just fine
- When I run safe mode, my screen is totally fine. Nothing wrong. But some side issues is that I cant seem to open updates & security in my control panel. It just closes right after i try to open it

Things I've tried
- Ive done a full reset of the computer
- Tried a system restore
- tried running a chkdsk on my drive
- Ran the /sfc scannow from cmd (will attach the report since it found problems with some not fixed)
- tried uninstalling recent programs/updates that couldve been the culprit
- now trying to update all the drivers through Easy Driver and then disabling the auto updates from windows through the registry in case it decides to auto update with the problematic update
- tried startup repair
-tried running diagnostic startup so the computer starts up with the minimal resources needed and nothing else.

hoping someone has the solution for this. If you need any more info regarding the issue, id be glad to provide. Was also thinking of trying to image another laptop onto mine, but the risk seems high and want to leave that as a last resort.

Try3 · 31 Jul 2019

Go to Lenovo to download then install the latest display driver [even if it means you are reinstalling the same version that you have now]. While you are there, check for any BIOS update.

You mentioned SFC & its results. See my consolidated ditty on SFC errors [WD update problem] - TenForums for methods of extracting SFC results from the CBS log. You might or might not find that the particular SFC faults you have match those discussed in that thread. If so then you can safely leave them alone while you are chasing your current problem.

You mentioned disabling driver updates. I assume you used Enable or Disable Driver Updates - TenForumsTutorials

Denis

atomx1 · 31 Jul 2019

First off, thanks for the reply denis!

Ive reinstalled the display drivers multiple times, and I've even tried installing older versions of the driver but all of them fails to fix the problem. Tried grabbing them from the Intel official site and from Lenovo site as well as a couple others.

So there has been discoveries made since my post. I've narrowed it down to my graphics card being the problem. Just don't know how to go about fixing it. Could be that the hardware is just fried.

I noticed that safe mode the screen is fine so what I did is I went to my device manager, under the display devices, I used the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter driver instead of the Intel(R) HD Graphics 5500 drivers and that fixed it. Problem is that I need OpenGL to run certain programs and the Microsoft driver doesn't support that.

I'm guessing the Intel drivers are for the dedicated graphics card and the Microsoft driver is like an onboard graphics card? Like 2 different graphics card that I can choose from?

If any of you know of maybe a way this can be fixed maybe due to a incorrect setting, pls let me know.

And just as I was about to hit post, I tried one more thing and that was to go into safe mode and try using the Intel drivers to see if I get the same problem. Seems like it is working in safe mode which makes me now think that it is no longer an issue of fried graphics card but some sort of setting that changes when I try to boot normally vs running the same drivers in safe mode.

Try3 · 31 Jul 2019

The MS driver is a default driver for the same card that your Intel drivers install to. It was your comment about the display working in Safe mode that made me suspect the 'normal' driver as a cause.

When you do your Safe mode test of installing the Intel drivers did you check in Device manager that it was actually using the Intel drivers? I thought Safe mode would not do so.

I do not believe that your graphics card is fried. Like you I expect that it is purely a driver issue.

Did your SFC results [extracted from CBS.log] reveal anything about faulty interaction with graphics drivers?

If you are going to experiment with the drivers you have I would suggest using the Lenovo drivers because they might have customised what Intel produced in order to tailor the driver to their hardware. Here is an example from mine

Black screen with cursor after login. Screen works fine in safe mode-idnsa-display-driver-warning.png

Have you run the I ntel Driver & Support Assistant to see what it thinks of your drivers [the above diagram is actually an extract from running it on one of my computers]?
- I do not particularly like this utility so I use it then uninstall it.
- If I leave it onboard then it stays running in the background and updates things by default if you give it a chance.
- If I leave it onboard, every time I run it the first thing is does is say it has been replaced by a new version and I have to download the new one before running it.
- So, in essence, I am just annoyed by its attempts to help me.

Denis

atomx1 · 31 Jul 2019

The MS driver is a default driver for the same card that your Intel drivers install to. It was your comment about the display working in Safe mode that made me suspect the 'normal' driver as a cause.

Thanks for the easy to understand explanation. Guess I was wrong to think it was similar to when I used to build pc towers where there was an onboard graphics card which is separate from a dedicated graphics card that you can change and upgrade. But its a relief to know that my graphics card isnt fried because id hate to have to buy a new motherboard just to fix the problem!

When you do your Safe mode test of installing the Intel drivers did you check in Device manager that it was actually using the Intel drivers? I thought Safe mode would not do so.

Yeah it changed from using the "Microsoft Basic Display Adapter" to "Intel(R) HD Graphics 5500" after I switched/installed the Intel driver.

Black screen with cursor after login. Screen works fine in safe mode-safe-mode.png

Did your SFC results [extracted from CBS.log] reveal anything about faulty interaction with graphics drivers?

Yes I was able to extract the failed repairs from the CBS log, but I didnt really find anything regarding the graphics card. Maybe I'm just blind, so I'll upload the extracted log

If you are going to experiment with the drivers you have I would suggest using the Lenovo drivers because they might have customised what Intel produced in order to tailor the driver to their hardware. Here is an example from mine.

Have you run the Intel Driver & Support Assistant to see what it thinks of your drivers [the above diagram is actually an extract from running it on one of my computers]?

Yes, I have tried this, but I'll give it another shot. What youre saying makes absolute sense with using Lenovo drivers that is tailored to their machines. Will report back again

- I do not particularly like this utility so I use it then uninstall it.
- If I leave it onboard then it stays running in the background and updates things by default if you give it a chance.
- If I leave it onboard, every time I run it the first thing is does is say it has been replaced by a new version and I have to download the new one before running it.
- So, in essence, I am just annoyed by its attempts to help me.

Yeah thats exactly why I also disable automatic windows updates. If it aint broke, dont fix it is what I go by

Try3 · 05 Aug 2019

I used to build pc towers where there was an onboard graphics card which is separate from a dedicated graphics card

You'd have been able to see two separate entries in Device manager, one for each graphics card.

If your screenshots of Device manager are from Safe mode then it must allow third-party drivers. Safe mode only loads "minimal" drivers and I had assumed that it meant only MS ones but I had not put this to the test.
- By the way, you cannot run Settings, Update, WU in Safe mode. {Safe mode does not allow Apps to be run}

Your SFCResults only show the standard Windows defender faults - you can see the same list in my consolidated ditty on SFC errors [WD update problem] - TenForums. You can ignore them for now. My consolidated ditty includes a procedure for fixing them if you want to do that later on.

I have never avoided Windows updates by jobbing the Registry and I have no idea if your current problem is related to anything you might have altered there. Whilst you do not want any distraction now, I have never had to go any further than My scheme for managing WU [my posts #73, #74] - TenForums to avoid automatic WU.

If Lenovo have a user forum you might find useful guidance there. As well as the overall problem, you might find specific guidance about those OpenGL components.

Check if there are any Other devices or any warning signs in Device manager

Black screen with cursor after login. Screen works fine in safe mode-device-manager-warning-signs-icons-other-devices.png

- Other devices is quack-speak for "I haven't got a clue what this is".
- You can extract Hardware IDs from Device mgr entries - double-click on the entry, Details, Hardware IDs {they can be selected & copied - Ctrl-C or right-click Copy} and Compatible IDs {which you can also copy}.
- If you search the internet for a whole line you will probably get nothing but how much will get you useful hits is a shot in the dark. I would start off by searching for everything in the HardwareID up to, but not including, the second ampersand.
- The yellow warning triangles are a different matter. They indicate that Windows knows what the thing is so updating or reinstalling the driver might fix it without any HardwareID searching.

If your display is working in Safe mode but not in normal working then there is something loaded during normal working that is causing the problem - Windows settings, hardware drivers or applications.
- The appropriate response to this is to run 'Clean boot' procedures to gradually isolate the cause. I've copied in my own notes on the subject below.
- It might well be those OpenGL components themselves for all I know. You were probably not able to test them in Safe mode.
- I would make sure I had loaded the Lenovo drivers before going any further and only try the Intel ones after everything was fixed.
- Clean boot procedures can take all day.

1 Running Clean boot

The services disabled during most of the Clean boot procedures will prevent Windows defender running correctly if it runs at all. So disconnect from the internet first.

1.1 Microsoft’s guide to running Clean boot is in How to perform a clean boot in Windows - Windows help. I find it useful to start off by scanning down this article clicking on the dropdown arrows to expand the parts relevant to Windows 10 and only then to read it through properly.

1.2 The TenForums guide to running Clean boot is in Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 10 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts - TenForums

1.3 Both suggested procedures make use of MSConfig, a tool that is not quite the same as it was in previous Windows versions even though it appears the same at first glance. You can run MSConfig from C:\Windows\System32\msconfig.exe. There is a guide to it in the MSA forum article MSConfig the System Configuration Tool [an article that MS endorses - see How to open MSConfig in Windows 10].

2 Making use of Clean boot

2.1 During Clean boot, you start off by disabling all Microsoft services [MSConfig], disabling all Start-up items [Task manager] and then restarting the computer.

2.2 If the problem does occur in the first Clean boot restart then
2.2.1 you could consider system-wide recovery options but you seem to have exhausted that route apart from a Clean install. And there's no telling if the problem will remain to greet you afterwards, or
2.2.2 use MS SysInternal AutoRuns to find out what is starting with Windows to cause the problem.

2.3 If the problem does not occur in the first Clean boot restart then use the guides I linked to in 1.1 & 1.2 to steer you through a gradual re-enabling of Task manager Start-up items & MSConfig Services until the fault reappears thus identifying the last change made as its cause. This is why Clean boot is extremely time-consuming.

Denis