11 Fixes For White Screen of Death on Windows

Do you see a white screen, when you try to boot up your Windows 10 computer instead of the login screen with a beautiful wallpaper? This is frustrating when this happens to you. This article will help you fix this issue on your computer and get rid of the WSoD permanently.

What is the Windows 10 White Screen of Death (WSoD)?

The White Screen of Death (WSoD) is another warning window that appears on Windows computers because of critical errors or software conflicts or glitches on your computer. The WSoD or the White Death is quite similar to the Blue Screen errors (BSoD) and the Red Screen of Death (RSoD).

When this white screen appears on your display, you will not be able to boot the system completely or access the login page, through which you unlock your computer. It can be very annoying when you turn your computer on, see this issue on your computer, and are not able to do anything about it. 

What are the factors that cause the White Screen of Death?

There are a lot of reasons that cause the White Screen of Death on your computer. You will need to understand what could be the possible reasons that this issue comes up on your system, to be very clear while trying to resolve this issue.

These factors are what could be possibly responsible for the White Screen issue:

1. Malicious files
2. Malfunctioning File Explorer
3. Incompatible Graphics Card
4. Old Graphics Card driver
5. The Antivirus software on your computer
6. Certain background applications
7. Peripherals in the USB slot
8. Windows Updates with bugs
9. Corrupt or Missing system files
10. Windows User Profile-related issues 

Methods to fix the WSoD in Windows 10 computers

1. Take a look at your wire connections
2. Restart your Windows 10 Operating System by force
3. Disconnect all peripherals connected to USB ports
4. Launch the Windows 10 Safe Mode
5. Use a different Windows user profile
6. Restart the Windows File Explorer
7. Update your Graphics Card (GPU) driver
8. Install the latest Windows update
9. Rollback to a functional Windows update
10. Jump back to a System Restore Point
11. Consult with a service center

Solutions to Fix White Screen of Death Error on Windows 10

Take a look at your wire connections

Even though most components can be connected wirelessly, there are important cables that are necessary for the system’s functioning and displaying output. If these cables are loose or damaged, you have to connect them properly or replace them. 

There are two different ways cables can be used to produce output on your screen –

• Desktop system

Your display’s HDMI or VGA cable is located behind the monitor, check if they are connected properly. If you use VGA cables, make sure the screws are tightened. You can also try connecting to a different monitor or using a different cable to narrow down the issue and fix it, accordingly.

• Laptop and a secondary display

Disconnect your extra monitor from the HDMI port or the docking station. If the laptop works without being attached to the second monitor, your cable or the extra monitor may be faulty. 

Switch on your monitor and then, connect the laptop using a video cable and connect to a different display to check if your existing monitor is usable or not. If this issue is not fixed, you will most probably need 

Restart your Windows 10 Operating System by force

The main symptom of the White Screen of Death error is the plain, bright, white screen. You might think that there is nothing that can be done to get rid of this screen. By instinct, your first option would be to force the computer to restart itself. 

To perform a force restart, push and hold the power button for a few seconds. Do not remove your finger off the power button, till the shutdown sequence finishes. Reboot your device to see if you are free of the White screen errors.

Disconnect all peripherals connected to USB ports

External devices can be responsible for the White Screen issue on your computers. Disconnect USB devices from their respective slots. Not even your USB mouse or keyboard should be connected, in order to try and get rid of this problem.

Once the system is free of any USB peripherals, force restart the system. There should be no white screen issue now, as you boot the system. Plugin your USB devices individually to detect which peripheral causes the White Screen error.

Launch the Windows 10 Safe Mode (System Configuration Window)

Launching your Windows OS in safe mode means booting up your computer with the minimal and most important features on your computer. If the problem exists in safe mode, it means that the issue is critical.

If you cannot find this issue when your computer is put in safe mode, the source of the White Screen of Death error on your computer can be narrowed down to and fixed easily in almost every case. 

These are the steps to start your Windows 10 in Safe Mode:

1. Push the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run tool, which can alternatively be opened through the search bar.
2. In the Open text box, type in msconfig and hit Enter to execute the command. This will open the System Configuration window. 
3. Go into the Boot tab and locate the Safe Boot option in the Boot options section.
4. Check the Safe Boot checkbox and select the Minimal radio button. 

If you require an internet connection while working in safe mode, click on the Network Radio button.

5. Select Apply and then, Ok to initiate the launch of safe mode.
6. Reboot your computer and you will be taken to a safer and limited version of your computer. 

Use a different Windows user profile

Having many Windows profiles on your computer may help you fix White Screen of Death. You can always create a different profile if you only have one. 

Make a new login profile for your Windows computer, with these steps:

1. Interrupt the booting process thrice by pressing the power button, each time you see the system starting to boot. 
2. On the third time, you’ll notice a message saying ‘Please wait’. You will be taken to the Startup repair tool.
3. Go along this path in the blue Startup repair tool window:

Advanced Options > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart

4. You will be asked to choose a number to select how your computer starts up in Safe mode. Press the number on your keyboard, that is adjacent to the safe mode version you want your system to be launched in.
5. Open the Settings and go to the Accounts tile. 
6. You will be able to find the option to create another user profile in the Family & Other Users section.

7. Once this is done, restart your system and then use the new account to log in to your system.

Restart the Windows File Explorer

The White Screen of Death can be related to the Windows File Explorer, which is an integral part of file management in a Windows PC. Any problem caused by Windows Explorer can be fixed by restarting it.

Follow the instructions below.

1. Open task manager on your system by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard.
2. Locate the Windows Explorer process in the task manager and select it.
3. Now, right-click on it and click on the End task button to kill this process.

4. Open the File menu and select the Run new task option.
5. In the Create New Task window, type in explorer.exe and click on the Ok button.

Update your Graphics Card (GPU) driver

If the White Screen of Death error is caused by a graphic driver on your computer, you will have to update the graphics driver to fix it. You can use the GPU interface-based third-party applications like the Nvidia GeForce Experience and AMD Radeon Adrenalin to update these, easily.

To do it manually through the Windows Device Manager, use these steps:

1. Right-click on the Start button (Windows icon) or press the Windows + X keys on your keyboard to launch the Quick Link pop-up menu. 
2. Select Device Manager to open the window containing a list of all the different categories of devices on your computer. 
3. Click on the section named Display Adapters and it drops down to a list of all the video cards on your computer.
4. Right-click on your dedicated graphics driver and select Update Driver from the context menu.

5. In the update wizard, choose the options that are correct for your PC’s current state and follow the on-screen instructions.
6. After the driver update is complete, restart your computer. 

If you have more than one dedicated GPU, try updating the display driver software for all of them. Alternatively, you can choose Uninstall Device to remove the graphics card drivers and download them from the developer’s website.

Install the latest Windows update

A new OS update can be the solution to your White Screen of Death error as it may have bug fixes and fixes to a number of issues. Even if this doesn’t work, it is quite safe to update your computer, regularly. 

Follow these steps to update any variants of Windows 10:

1. Open the Start menu and select the gear icon on the left. The Windows system Settings window opens. You can also use the keyboard shortcut – Windows + I.
2. Click on the Update & Security settings and then, jump to the Windows Update tab on the left pane.
3.  Click on the Check for updates button, under the Update status section at the top. 

4.  If any pending updates are detected, download them. 
5. Once the download is complete, restart your computer to install your new updates. 

If you see any patch updates, download them and manually install them with the help of instructions on your screen.

Rollback to a functional Windows update

If this issue started after a new OS update was downloaded, there is an option for you to roll it back to the previous update that was installed on your computer, by getting rid of the recently installed Windows Update. 

This is the procedure to uninstall updates on your computer:

1. Open the Windows Settings (Windows + I).
2. Click on the Updates & Security tab and go into the Windows Update tab.
3. In here, open the View update history tile on this page. 
4. Select the Uninstall updates option and choose the patch that you wish to get rid of.

When you remove this update, you will automatically be shifted to the previous update that existed on the PC.

Jump back to a saved System Restore Point

For those who did not know, Windows users can create a checkpoint on their computer to travel back to, when their computer faces issues like the White Screen of Death error. This is a form of backing up your system settings configurations and using them when needed.

Here’s how you can go back to an existing System Restore point:

1. Restart your computer and press the power button thrice while the system is booting up to open the Automatic Repair tool.
2. Follow this path to reach the System Restore window:

Advanced Startup > Troubleshoot > Advanced > System Restore

3. On the System Restore page, select Next. 
4. Select the latest system restore point and click on the Scan for affected programs button.
5. Select Close, Next, and then, Finish in this order.

Consult with a service center

If all the above methods do not work out, you will have to take the system to an authorized service center as hardware failure is a plausible reason. They’ll run some hardware tests for corruption and might detect some flaws in the system’s GPU, display, or motherboard. 

If they are not able to fix it, you may need to get a newer replacement for the damaged hardware components.