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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Windows 7 faces 'screen of death' | Windows 7 faces 'screen of death' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Microsoft has confirmed that it is investigating a problem described as the "black screen of death", which affects its latest operating system. | Microsoft has confirmed that it is investigating a problem described as the "black screen of death", which affects its latest operating system. |
| The error means that users of Windows 7 see a totally black screen after logging on to the system. | The error means that users of Windows 7 see a totally black screen after logging on to the system. |
| The firm said it was looking into reports that suggest its latest security update was the cause the problem. | |
| Reports suggest the flaw also affects Vista, XP and other systems. | |
| Software firm Prevx, which has issued a fix for the problem, says "millions" of people may be affected. | Software firm Prevx, which has issued a fix for the problem, says "millions" of people may be affected. |
| "Users have resorted to reloading Windows as a last ditch effort to fix the problem," the firm's David Kennerley wrote in a blog post. | "Users have resorted to reloading Windows as a last ditch effort to fix the problem," the firm's David Kennerley wrote in a blog post. |
| "We hope we can help a good many of you avoid the need to reload." | "We hope we can help a good many of you avoid the need to reload." |
| Unknown problem | Unknown problem |
| The firm said its fix did not work in all cases. | The firm said its fix did not work in all cases. |
| "There can be many causes," said Mr Kennerley. | "There can be many causes," said Mr Kennerley. |
| "But if your black screen woes began in the last two weeks after a Windows update or after running any security program (including Prevx) to remove malware during this time then this fix will have a high probability of working." | "But if your black screen woes began in the last two weeks after a Windows update or after running any security program (including Prevx) to remove malware during this time then this fix will have a high probability of working." |
| Mr Kennerly said the firm had identified "at least 10 different scenarios which will trigger the same black screen conditions". | Mr Kennerly said the firm had identified "at least 10 different scenarios which will trigger the same black screen conditions". |
| "These appear to have been around for years now," he said. | "These appear to have been around for years now," he said. |
| The firm reports that the problem affects editions of Windows 7, Vista, XP, NT, and Windows 2000. | The firm reports 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. | Microsoft said that people who are affected by the problem should contact its customer service line. |
| A spokesperson said that the reports did "not match any known issues" documented by the firm. | A spokesperson said that the reports did "not match any known issues" documented by the firm. |
| It has not issued a fix for the problem, which causes the desktop, task bar, system tray and side bar to disappear, according to reports. | It has not issued a fix for the problem, which causes the desktop, task bar, system tray and side bar to disappear, according to reports. |
| The "black screen of death" moniker is a play on the "blue screen of death", which appears when Microsoft operating systems crash. | The "black screen of death" moniker is a play on the "blue screen of death", which appears when Microsoft operating systems crash. |