Windows 10 update remedies highly frustrating black screen issue

Microsoft has delivered a fix for a highly frustrating issue that has been dogging Windows 10 2004 users since the summer.

The bug causes external monitors hooked up to Windows 10 devices with built-in screens (i.e. laptops and tablets) to black out whenever the user attempts to utilize drawing functions in Office 365 apps, such as Word.

According to a Microsoft advisory, the issue can also arise when using similar illustration facilities in other applications, including Microsoft Whiteboard.

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Affected monitors cannot be revived until a restart is performed and users also found that a warning icon is attached to their graphics card in Device Manager, denoting an error.

Windows 10 update fix

The Windows 10 black screen bug could be particularly frustrating for anyone compiling a report that requires illustrations, for example, or teachers using Whiteboard to conduct virtual lessons over video conferencing services.

Thankfully, resolving the issue is now straightforward courtesy of a patch deployed by Microsoft as part of a recent Windows 10 update, which will have been installed automatically for a large portion of affected users.

The fix was delivered in a cumulative update (KB4577063) in early October, but the company did not update the status of the bug until very recently.

Users that are still suffering the black screen issue have likely disabled automatic Windows 10 updates, and can therefore remedy the problem by manually installing the latest available version via the Windows Update service.

Once the device reboots after the relevant update is installed, the affected monitor should revive itself and the user should be able to use drawing functionalities without triggering another error.

The black screen problem, however, is just one of a number of Windows 10 bugs affecting users at present.

This week, it emerged that a flaw in the OS was preventing some people from updating their Office apps, and another issue was found to be linked with installing Windows 10 via ISO files and other alternative media.