Windows 7: Screen goes blank after windows login

Hi everyone,
The system I'm using has this new problem where the screen goes blank (black, sometimes grey) right after i log into windows. Sometimes it even shows a bit of the desktop for a second or two beforehand. In the event viewer, there are three consistent errors that show up every time with eventID 7001, and say
"The Computer Browser service depends on the Server service which failed to start because of the following error:
The dependency service or group failed to start."

The computer runs in safe more, and I'm attaching the BSOD report. I can't generate a system health report since i'm in safe mode. The machine is a windows 7 64bit SP1, and it's a work machine in a lab so I'm not sure how old everything is.



Intel core 2 quad CPU (Q9450), Nvidia 8600GT, 8gb RAM.

I've tried doing a system restore to a few days ago when it was working, but that didn't help. I haven't reinstalled Windows since it's a work machine with multiple HDDs and a RAID setup, and i'm not too excited to dive into all that quite yet.

Any help would be awesomely appreciated!
Mishka

System Age:

The system is over four years old. Make sure it is compatible: Windows 7 Compatibility: Software Programs & Hardware Devices: Find Updates, Drivers, & Downloads -> Download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Device Concerns:

Code:

NIPALK	ROOT\LEGACY_NIPALK\0000	This device is not present, is not working properly, or does not have all its drivers installed.
Security Processor Loader Driver	ROOT\LEGACY_SPLDR\0000	This device is not present, is not working properly, or does not have all its drivers installed.

The first one is probably due to Safe Mode interfering with a National Instruments device on the system. The second points to an issue with your display card drivers.

Analysis:

Remove all NVIDIA software through Safe Mode.

• Click Start Menu
• Click Control Panel
• Click Uninstall a program
• For NVIDIA:
  • Uninstall the NVIDIA Graphics Driver (this should uninstall all NVIDIA software and drivers)
  • Restart your computer
  • Make sure NVIDIA 3D Vision Driver, NVIDIA 3D Vision Video Player, NVIDIA HD Audio Driver, and NVIDIA PhysX System Software are not still listed under Uninstall a program through Control Panel
  • If any remain of the above, uninstall one at a time
  • If asked to restart after uninstalling any of the above, do so, and continue uninstalling any remaining NVIDIA items until all are removed
• Restart your computer after uninstalling drivers for all display cards

You may need Uninstall and Remove Software in Safe Mode to remove the NVIDIA software.

Thanks Writhziden! Uninstalling the drivers seems to work temporarily, but as soon as I reboot, windows automatically reinstalls everything, and the next time I restart, it's back to the same problems. Does this mean the core driver database in windows is corrupted, or maybe the video card is just broken (it's an 8600GT).

I've also tried installing the latest nvidia drivers. no change

Alright, let's try a different approach.

1. Download the drivers you want for your display card(s)
   1. Click Start Menu
   2. Right Click My Computer/Computer
   3. Click Manage
   4. Click Device Manager from the list on the left
   5. Expand Display adapters
   6. Do the following for each adapter (in case you have multiple display cards)
      • Right click the adapter
      • Click Uninstall (do not click OK in the dialog box that pops up after hitting Uninstall)
      • Put a tick in Delete driver software for this device (if this option is available, otherwise just hit OK) and hit OK
   Alternatively:
   1. Login as an adminstrative user
   2. Click Start Menu
   3. Click Control Panel
   4. Click Hardware and Sound
   5. Click Device Manager (the last link under Devices and Printers)
   6. Expand Display adapters
   7. Do the following for each adapter (in case you have multiple display cards)
      • Right click the adapter
      • Click Uninstall (do not click OK in the dialog box that pops up after hitting Uninstall)
      • Put a tick in Delete driver software for this device (if this option is available, otherwise just hit OK) and hit OK
2. Do not restart your computer after uninstalling the drivers.
3. Click Start Menu
4. Click Control Panel
5. Click Uninstall a program
6. For NVIDIA:
   • Uninstall the NVIDIA Graphics Driver (this should uninstall all NVIDIA software and drivers)
   • Restart your computer
   • Make sure NVIDIA 3D Vision Driver, NVIDIA 3D Vision Video Player, NVIDIA HD Audio Driver, and NVIDIA PhysX System Software are not still listed under Uninstall a program through Control Panel
   • If any remain of the above, uninstall one at a time
   • If asked to restart after uninstalling any of the above, do so, and continue uninstalling any remaining NVIDIA items until all are removed
7. 1. Disconnect your system from the internet to prevent Windows from downloading the NVIDIA driver.
   2. Alternatively: Drivers - Turn Off Automatic Driver Installation
8. Restart your computer after uninstalling drivers and software for all display cards
9. Install the driver you selected for the display cards once Windows starts

Thanks again! I followed the instructions, completely got rid of everything NVIDIA, and had to use this post:

Stopping Automatic Driver Install

to completely block automatic installation of the nvidia driver. I then rebooted and installed my own driver, after which the problem came back.

See if there is a startup item or service that is causing conflicts with the driver: Troubleshoot Application Conflicts by Performing a Clean Startup

Also, check Windows for corruption. Run SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker up to three times to fix all errors with a restart in between each. Post back if it continues to show errors after a fourth run or if the first run comes back with no integrity violations. Use OPTION THREE of SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker to provide us with the sfcdetails.txt file if errors occur.

Looks like it was indeed the video card! Took it out and swapped in a new one, and the issue went away. The old one had 3 blown capacitors! Now there are some new issues, so I think it's about time to reinstall Windows.

Thanks so much for your help!

Nice work tracking it down! Let us know if you still need help or if you are able to solve the problem. If you solve it, please mark the thread solved.