Windows 7 "Black Screen of Death" Attributed to Malware

In October, Microsoft released its latest generation of operating system: Windows 7.

Users of previous versions of Windows may be familiar with the nicknamed "blue screen of death" that occurs from a hardware or driver failure. Since the Windows 7 release, users have reported a mysterious "black screen of death" that cripples its access. Though unlike its blue predecessor, the "black screen" is the symptom of a much-less serious issue.

This new phenomenon occurs just after the user login screen and displays a solid black screen instead of loading the desktop. It was originally attributed to a flaw in Microsoft's own security update and had been reported to affect Windows 2000, NT, Vista, and XP as well.

The good news is that this is no longer found to be true.

Microsoft quickly investigated the claims made by the software firm Prevx that had submitted the report and determined that none of the changes made by their November security update could have produced that kind of issue. Prevx has since retracted their claims and publicly apologized for their mistake. They stated that their conclusion may have been too hasty and that the challenge of identifying the cause of the issue was difficult.

The current diagnosis is that the "black screen" is caused by malware; most likely Daonol. Daonol is a trojan that affects network traffic. It steals FTP information, blocks security websites, disables access to certain system functions, and redirects web searches to sites containing more infectious malware.

Millions of Windows 7 users that may be affected by the "black screen" may be forced to re-install the operating system from scratch. Microsoft suggest that in preventing future infection from similar malware, users should use strong firewall and anti-virus software, as well as installing the latest Windows updates whenever they're available.

Microsoft also welcomes its users to contact their customer service lines, should they experience concerns for their own Windows PC.

Prevx is working on a less-extreme fix for users to resolve the issue. So far, they've developed a fix that has been successful, though it does not yet work for all systems. They claim with confidence that if users have only started experiencing the "black screen" since mid-November or after running any system security software (including Prevx), their current solution is likely to work.

To expand on their current understanding of the "black screen" phenomenon, a Prevx representative stated that the software firm has found at least ten different scenarios that might create that kind of effect. In fact, they believe that this issue has actually been around for years.

Triangle Laptops also offers its assistance in resolving the issue. Removing malware and viruses is part of our reputable laptop repair service. We also perform installation for operating systems, including the new Windows 7. For questions or a free quote, feel free to contact us via email or call toll free 1-877-456-7869.