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How I Fixed a Black Screen Boot Issue After a Windows 10 Update

#troubleshooting #blackscreen #windowsupdate #windows10

Update (Sept 14, 2025): After more troubleshooting, I found the real root cause wasn’t just Windows Update itself, but Windows mistakenly triggering SlideToShutDown.exe at boot. I’ve added Step 5 to explain how I fixed it by changing the power button behavior.

After a recent Windows 10 cumulative update, my Windows 10 laptop refused to boot normally. Instead of the login screen, I was greeted by a black screen, or sometimes even the odd “Slide to shut down your PC” message.

This article summarizes the exact steps I used to diagnose and fix the issue — without reinstalling Windows.
If you face similar problems, these methods may help you restore your system quickly.

The Symptoms

  • Booting up only showed a black screen.
  • Sometimes, instead of Windows login, it displayed “Slide to shut down your PC”.
  • I had to press the power button multiple times before the login prompt finally appeared.
  • Logging in was extremely slow. This clearly started right after Windows Updates on September 10, 2025.

Step 1: Check Installed Updates

Control Panel didn’t list the new updates properly. To see exactly what was installed, I used Command Prompt:


wmic qfe list brief /format:table
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Example output:


HotFixID   Description        InstalledOn
KB5065429  Update             9/10/2025
KB5064400  Update             9/10/2025
...
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This confirmed that multiple updates were installed right before the issue began.

Step 2: System File Check

First, I made sure no core system files were broken. In an elevated Command Prompt:


sfc /scannow
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This reported and fixed some corrupted files, but the boot problem remained.

Step 3: Repair Windows Image

Next, I used DISM (Deployment Imaging Servicing and Management):


DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
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This verified and repaired the system image. It’s safe to run and doesn’t reset Windows.

Step 4: Uninstall the Faulty Update

Since the problem clearly started after updates, I removed the suspected KBs one by one.
First, I uninstalled KB5065429, but the issue persisted.
Then I uninstalled KB5064400, and after rebooting, Windows finally booted normally — no more “slide to shut down,” no more black screen.


wusa /uninstall /kb:5065429
wusa /uninstall /kb:5064400
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Step 5: Fixing the “SlideToShutDown.exe” Issue (Root Cause)

After more investigation, I realized the real cause wasn’t just the update itself.

Windows had somehow set my power button behavior to trigger SlideToShutDown.exe at boot.

That explained why, instead of going straight to the login screen, my PC kept showing the “Slide to shut down your PC” page.

Solution:

  1. Open Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options
  2. Click Choose what the power buttons do
  3. Change When I press the power button to Shut down (not Sleep, not Slide).
  4. Save changes.

Alternatively, you can fix it via Command Prompt (admin):

powercfg /setacvalueindex scheme_current powerbuttons powerbuttonaction 3
powercfg /setdcvalueindex scheme_current powerbuttons powerbuttonaction 3
powercfg /SETACTIVE scheme_current
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After doing this, the black screen + Slide issue disappeared completely, and my laptop booted directly to the login screen.

Step 6: Managing Restore Points

While troubleshooting, I discovered that Windows had already created restore points around the updates:

Sept 11, 2025 — System created before update
Sept 12, 2025 — Automatic restore point
Sept 13, 2025 — My manual restore point
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To avoid losing them, I increased the allocated space for restore points from 1% to 5% (≈47GB).
That way, my manual checkpoint won’t get overwritten too soon.

Lessons Learned

  1. Check updates first → Problems often start right after Windows Update.
  2. Use SFC and DISM before panicking → They fix many corruption issues.
  3. Uninstall recent KBs if needed → Especially cumulative updates.
  4. Rely on restore points → Increase space allocation so they don’t vanish.
  5. System reinstall is the last resort → Most issues can be fixed manually.

Conclusion

Windows updates sometimes introduce issues, and a recent one caused repeated black screens during boot on my laptop. Fortunately, I was able to resolve it without reinstalling the system.

If you face similar problems after an update, try these steps before considering a full reinstall:
Try:

    sfc /scannow
    DISM /RestoreHealth
    wmic qfe list + uninstall suspicious KBs
    System Restore if available
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These steps can often save you a lot of time and help you get your system back to normal.

I’m sharing this so that if you encounter the same situation, you’ll know some practical approaches to try.

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