Problem Occurrence#
Every day after booting up, the computer either freezes with a black screen or encounters a blue screen.
When I boot up without doing anything, the screen goes black and there is no response. I have to long-press the power button to start it up again.
After booting up, when I open the browser and use it for a while, it encounters a blue screen. After a hard restart, it freezes again and requires another hard restart.
After booting up, if I use the computer for less than five minutes, it freezes and can only be restarted forcefully.
After multiple boot-ups, occasionally, after opening the browser or other applications, the screen suddenly goes black and restarts.
In summary, the problem with the computer is that it freezes or encounters a blue screen every time it is booted up.
The difficulty in testing is that the issue resolves itself after repeated restarts, and the only way to test is to restart the computer the next day.
Retrieving the Timeline#
Investigate each potential cause of the problem.
What did I do before noticing this issue? I attempted to install Docker, performed various system repair steps, enabled virtual disks, installed a Windows subsystem, etc. However, I later uninstalled Docker, deleted the subsystem, but the problem still persisted.
The power supply is unstable. Whenever my colleague next to me uses a hot water bag, my monitor goes black for a second.
Sometimes, when I boil water myself, the screen also flickers. When there is a sudden increase in power, the monitor flickers. There is an external UPS power supply, and power outages frequently occur during summer when power is limited.
The desktop computer is connected to a WiFi module. Could it be a network card driver issue?
There is a USB docking station connected, which is connected to a numeric keypad and a DIY clock. Could there be interface conflicts?
I installed some software and updated several drivers and system security patches.
Attempted Solutions#
✅ Uninstall all recently installed software.
✅ Replace the UPS power supply with a regular power strip.
✅ Uninstall recently installed drivers and patches.
✅ Disconnect WiFi and test the computer in offline mode.
✅ Disconnect the docking station and go offline with the numeric keypad.
✅ Start in a clean boot and disable all non-essential software startup items.
✅ Set the power options to best performance, disable screen savers and sleep mode.
✅ During the boot-up phase, avoid high-power electrical appliances.
✅ Try different USB ports for the mouse and keyboard.
I won't go into the specific details of these operations, as they can be found online. The key issue is that even after trying all these steps, the computer still encounters a black screen and freezes upon startup, followed by a blue screen. It takes three or four hard restarts to get it running normally.
So the only option left is to reinstall the system. I used a brand new 32GB USB drive and used Rufus to automatically download the latest Win11 ISO to create a bootable disk.
I felt a bit nervous using the self-made bootable disk for the first time, especially since my computer encountered a blue screen interruption during the creation of the bootable disk. I didn't know if the bootable disk was damaged.
During the installation process, there was a long period of inactivity with only the message "Ready." I installed a completely clean version of Win11 without any pre-installed third-party software. Compared to systems installed using tools like "Xiao Bai Zhuang Ji," it was like the difference between synthetic meat and real beef.
I installed the most basic tools, such as input methods, office suites, browsers, etc. On the third day, it froze when accessing a webpage in the browser.
I was on the verge of collapse. I had installed all the patches for the reinstalled system, but this freezing problem persisted like a stubborn shadow. I had tried every solution for potential problems, from software to external device power supply, from wireless drivers to wired broadband, removing the UPS power supply, and even replacing the 4K monitor. I disabled all software from starting up.
Despite trying all the solutions, the problem of black screen freezing and automatic restart still persisted. I started considering hardware damage, such as whether I needed to replace the memory, motherboard battery, power supply, etc.
If the problem couldn't be solved, I planned to keep the computer on after a normal boot and use it as a server until it completely crashed, and then replace it with a new computer. Of course, before using this method, I would need to back up my data in advance.
Day 150: God Opens His Eyes#
On this day, while browsing "The Far Side of the Moon" and using the latest version of Figma to input Chinese characters, I encountered garbled text. The solution was to switch to the default Chinese input method. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck me. Why had I never considered whether the input method was causing the problem?
I believed that using the "Xiao Lang Hao" input method should be safe from third-party malicious ad hijacking. I had no issues with "Xiao Lang Hao." The key was that if I changed the system's default input method to "Xiao Lang Hao," it would encounter errors, just like Figma did when inputting Chinese characters.
When I switched back to the default Microsoft Pinyin input method, the blue screen issue during startup was finally resolved.
To ensure that the problem was completely resolved, I released the startup of several software applications every day, which was the reverse operation of troubleshooting.
After a normal boot for a week with all commonly used software applications released from startup, I could almost confirm that the problem of blue screen, black screen, and freezing during startup that had plagued me for over a hundred days was completely resolved.
This was probably a bug caused by multiple issues overlapping.
I can't be certain that changing the system's default input method to Microsoft Pinyin is the correct solution, but if you encounter a similar startup issue like mine, you might want to try this little secret revealed by God.