How To FIX Windows 10/8/7 Black Screen Of Death With Cursor After Login/Boot

Got a Windows 10 PC that has a black screen with a mouse cursor after login/boot? I'll show you how to fix this issue! This also works with Windows 8.1, Windows 8 and Windows 7, and it works under virtualisation software like VirtualBox.

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How to FIX Windows 7/8/10 Black Screen of Death With Cursor After Login/Boot

So essentially what happens is that you log in and you're greeted with a black screen and a mouse cursor - nothing else. Now there's two ways to fix this problem in Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7; I'll show you the temporary fix first, and then the permanent one. The easy temporary fix is to press Control + Alt + Delete, and click on Task Manager from the menu that comes up. Click File, Run New Task, and type "explorer.exe". This should bring your Windows 10 desktop back, but the only disadvantage is that you have to do this every time you start up your computer - not good.

Here's the more permanent fix, but be warned that it is more difficult! First, press Control + Alt + Delete, click on Task Manager from the menu, click File, Run New Task, and type "regedit.exe". Allow it to make changes to the computer by clicking Yes.
Now, in the left-hand pane, click the little triangle next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, scroll down and click the one next to Software, click the one next to Microsoft, click the one next to Windows NT, and click on the Winlogon folder - not the triangle, the actual folder. Next, move over to the right-hand panel, scroll down, and find the key called "Shell". Make sure that, under the "Data" column, it says explorer.exe. See over here? Make sure that says explorer.exe. If it doesn't, then right click on the Shell key and click "Modify". Now change the value in this textbox to explorer.exe.

Hopefully this helps you fix the issue.

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How to FIX Windows 7/8/10 Black Screen of Death With Cursor After Login/Boot