Windows XP Black Screen Errors | 3-Step Fix

David Darlington

Apr 14, 2025 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions

Computer screen goes black in Windows XP

Hello, I am usually the person who fixes the computers in the house, and one of them has this problem which I don't know what to do. First, when I turn it on, it shows the Windows XP startup and then the computer screen goes black. I tried going on safe mode but it didn't work. I don't know what to do. I have tried everything and still nothing.

There is a way you can have a try when you meet this problem. Unplug your computer and take out of the battery if you're using a laptop. Then hold on and wait for about two minutes. After that, plug your computer, put the battery back in, and start your computer. It'll be normal again.

Someone says it works, but someone else doesn't. Anyway, you can try it. If it doesn't work for you. You can switch to another way: using a Windows recovery tool to pull your Windows XP back to normal. Microsoft Media Creation Tool can be a nice option, which enables you to boot your computer smoothly and fix the XP black screen in minutes.

3 Steps to Fix Windows XP Black Screen Error

After purchasing the program, you'll get a download link from Wondershare. Download and install it on a good-working computer. Then follow the steps below to create your own bootable CD or USB drive and fix Windows XP black screen in 3 steps.

Step 1. Burn a Bootable CD/USB Drive

1. Microsoft’s official tool for creating installation media and ISO images with Windows 10 is Media Creation Tool. You can download the latest version here – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
2. Select Download tool now, and select Run. You need to be an administrator to run this tool.
3. If you agree to the license terms, select Accept.
4. On the What do you want to do? page, select Create installation media for another PC, and then select Next.
5. Select the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) for Windows 10. 
6. Select which media you want to use:
   
   USB flash drive. Attach a blank USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space. Any content on the flash drive will be deleted.
   ISO file. Save an ISO file to your PC, which you can use to create a DVD. After the file is downloaded, you can go to location where the file is saved, or select Open DVD burner, and follow the instructions to burn the file to a DVD. For more info about using an ISO file, see Additional methods for using the ISO file to install Windows 10 section below.
7. After the installation media is created, follow the steps below to use it.
8. After completing the steps to install Windows 10, please check that you have all the necessary device drivers installed. To check for updates now, select the Start button, and then go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and select Check for updates. You may also wish to visit your device manufacturer’s support site for any additional drivers that may be needed.

Step 2. Fix Windows XP Black Screen

1. Insert your Windows Vista or Windows 7 disk into the DVD player and restart the computer.
2. You'll see the boxes of Language, Time and Currency and Keyboard in the next screen.
3. There are two options on the lower left side. One is "Repair your computer", and the other one is "What to know before installing Windows".
4. Click on the first one: "Repair your computer".
5. Windows will then try to find the installation directory for Vista or Windows 7, depending on what you have.
6. Next up is a screen with a box called Recovery Options. Click the first option, Startup Repair. You'll see a Startup Repair box with the message "Startup Repair is checking your system for problems…".
7. When it's done, it will prompt you to reboot. If there is more than one problem it may reboot again to continue repairing.
8. At this time, you can plug out the DVD, restart your computer and everything should be working normally.

When the problem is fixed, take out of the bootable CD/ USB drive and restart your computer as normal. Then you'll find that you can boot your laptop up successfully.

Step 3. Recover Lost Data due to Windows XP Black Screen

The Windows XP black screen issue may cause data loss. So once the black screen issue is solved, the next step is to recover the lost data.

To recover lost data on Windows XP, Wondershare Recoverit is your best choice. Recoverit is a powerful data recovery software that can help you restore lost or deleted files from your computers, external hard drives, and other storage devices. With its user-friendly interface and advanced scanning algorithms, Recoverit makes it easy to recover a wide range of file types, including documents, photos, videos, and more. And it's perfectly compatible with Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista and MacOS. Download the program from the official website, and follow the steps below to recover your lost data:

Free Download | Win Windows Version Free Download | Mac Mac Version

Security Verified. 3,591,664 people have downloaded it.

Step 1. Launch Recoverit

Once the software is downloaded and installed successfully, launch the program and go to Hard Drives and Locations.

Step 2. Scan the Drive

Select the disk where you lost the data, and click on it to start the scanning process.

Step 3. Preview and Download

It will take a while to complete the scanning process, please wait patiently. Once it's done, double-click on the file to preview the result. If you have no problem with them, just select the ones you want, and click Recover to download and save the files to a desired location.

Video Tutorial on How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from PC?

Recent Videos from Recoverit

View More >