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I have been setting up a Windows 7 workstation:

  • 4 GB RAM

  • 1 TB SATA hard disk

  • Core2 Duo CPU

  • Intel GPU of quite recent make

  • Windows 7 SP1 64-bit

About 1/3 of the times it boots up, it never reaches the login screen. Instead it shows a completely black screen with a cursor. The cursor responds to mouse movement, but there are no menus, and no response to keyboard input. I believe this is popularly known as the "black screen of death" or KSOD.

It also is extremely slow when it does complete the boot, and I am unable to figure out why. Process Explorer takes about 30 seconds to launch, for instance. There is no heavy disk activity, no high CPU usage, no unusual memory consumption; all drivers are installed, all devices are recognized, the Windows installation is brand new, and as far as I can tell there's no malware on it.

What are some probable causes, and how can I troubleshoot this thing further?

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    You say it's a "new" workstation, yet it has a Core2 Duo CPU? Exactly how "New" is this machine? Has it ever worked right? When you say "it shows a completely black screen with a cursor. The cursor responds to mouse movement", do you mean it's showing an actual cursor, or a mouse pointer? Test the disk(s). Ensure the PSU is providing enough power. Check for physical damage on the motherboard, etc. Nov 4, 2014 at 17:41
  • Oh, and try booting into Safe Mode. Nov 4, 2014 at 18:13
  • I would try swapping SATA cable and try a dif. SATA port on the mobo.
    – Carl B
    Nov 4, 2014 at 19:46

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