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I have been setting up a Windows 7 workstation:
4 GB RAM
1 TB SATA hard disk
Core2 Duo CPU
Intel GPU of quite recent make
Windows 7 SP1 64-bit
About 1/3 of the times it boots up, it never reaches the login screen. Instead it shows a completely black screen with a cursor. The cursor responds to mouse movement, but there are no menus, and no response to keyboard input. I believe this is popularly known as the "black screen of death" or KSOD.
It also is extremely slow when it does complete the boot, and I am unable to figure out why. Process Explorer takes about 30 seconds to launch, for instance. There is no heavy disk activity, no high CPU usage, no unusual memory consumption; all drivers are installed, all devices are recognized, the Windows installation is brand new, and as far as I can tell there's no malware on it.
What are some probable causes, and how can I troubleshoot this thing further?
DanL4096
Posted 2014-11-04T17:35:30.297
Reputation: 171
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You say it's a "new" workstation, yet it has a Core2 Duo CPU? Exactly how "New" is this machine? Has it ever worked right? When you say "it shows a completely black screen with a cursor. The cursor responds to mouse movement", do you mean it's showing an actual cursor, or a mouse pointer? Test the disk(s). Ensure the PSU is providing enough power. Check for physical damage on the motherboard, etc.
– Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2014-11-04T17:41:06.150Oh, and try booting into Safe Mode. – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 – 2014-11-04T18:13:44.313
I would try swapping SATA cable and try a dif. SATA port on the mobo. – Carl B – 2014-11-04T19:46:45.740