Is the ‘Black Screen of Death’ Plaguing Windows 7?

Today, Microsoft confirmed that it has been investigating a problem deemed the “black screen of death” by users, which affects its latest operating system, Windows 7. The error causes users of Windows 7 to see a completely black screen right after logging on to the system.

The firm said that it was looking into reports that suggest its latest security update, issued on November 10, somehow caused the problem. These reports also show the flaw affecting Vista, XP and other systems. Software firm Prevx, which recently issued a fix for the problem, claims “millions” of people may be affected.

David Kennerley of Prevx wrote in a blog post that “users have resorted to reloading Windows as a last ditch effort to fix the problem.” Mr Kennerly also shared that the firm had identified “at least 10 different scenarios which will trigger the same black screen conditions”. The firm corroborates the customers’ claims that the problem affects editions of Windows 7, Vista, XP, NT, and Windows 2000.

Microsoft said that people who are affected by the problem should contact its customer service line. And a spokesperson said that the reports did “not match any known issues” documented by the firm. The software maker has not issued a fix for the problem, which causes the desktop, task bar, system tray and side bar to disappear.

Courtesy of news.bbc.co.uk