Black Logon Screen

[RowlandoGloom]

Good Morning. I hope everybody's having a good summer.

 

Here's an interesting one...

 

I have 3 servers, all displaying a strange problem...

 

When you boot the server in Hyper-V, you get the plash screen with the spinning icon, then the screen turns black. When you click in the window, the pointer turns to a little dot. Sending Ctrl+Alt+Del from the menu doesn't do anything - just a blank screen. When I try to RDP, I get a black screen which disappears after about 2 seconds ("mstsc" and "mstsc /admin").

 

If I interrupt the boot a couple of times I get into the recovery system. Choosing to boot the server in Safe Mode, I get nothing, other then "Safe Mode" quite happily blinking away in the corners - nothing else.

 

I can browse the FS via UNCs, I can manage via Server Manager and RSAT, plus I can PS Remote.

 

It's doing my head in.

 

Cheers for your help,

Paul.

[RowlandoGloom]

Even using the remote registry and adding:

 

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\winlogon

AutoAdminLogon = 1

DefaultUsername = administrator

DefaultPassword = password

 

doesn't work.

 

I've attached some screenshots.

 

I added the RM LogonUI Banner to see whether anything would show up:

1 minute it does:

 

1 minute is doesn't:

 

Safe Mode just flickers there forever:

Edited July 24, 2015 by RowlandoGloom

[RowlandoGloom]

So I've restored two machines from a VHD backup which is about 2 months old.

 

Everything working fine, restart a few times, no problem. Run a gpupdate /force on them, reboot - there's the problem. I can't find anything in the GPOs or in RSOP to even relate to the issue.

[DMcCoy]

Use AVG?

[RowlandoGloom]

No, but I use SOPHOS.

 

I restored the checkpoint, uninstalled SOPHOS and rebooted - no prob.

 

gpupdated, rebooted again and black screen.

 

Restore the checkpoint again, disconnect the virtual NIC, you can reboot till you're bored. Plug the NIC in, reboot OK, then picks up the domain policies etc. (or gpupdate), reboot, black screen.

 

None of the policies have changed since before that particular backup either.

[RowlandoGloom]

I've just created a clean install of Windows.

 

Restarted about 20 times, no problem, joined to the domain, gpupdated, rebooted and have exactly the same problem?

 

Couldn't be a phantom GPO?

 

I'm stumped

[RowlandoGloom]

I find now if I try to connect directly via RDP as .\administrator, it kicks me out each time until I've tried about 20 times.

 

Once it lets you in, the normal login page appears.

 

That's weird.

[ITGURU]

I have the black screen issue on one hyper-v VM some time ago - server was accessible across network (UNC) and reachable and working fine, but couldn't remote in via RDP or straight console was just black screen.

 

Restored the VM from a recent backup and all been fine since.

[RowlandoGloom]

I have the black screen issue on one hyper-v VM some time ago - server was accessible across network (UNC) and reachable and working fine, but couldn't remote in via RDP or straight console was just black screen.

 

Restored the VM from a recent backup and all been fine since.

 

As I say, it's a problem now on 3, the only thing in common is they're in the same OU and have the same GPOs. The rest are fine as they're in different groups etc.

 

I find sometimes restarting them, it doesn't work - sometimes it does. Like I say, sometimes j can RDP in after about 10 attempts. Once you're in, they're OK - I just try to keep it running as long as possible to avoid it.

[ITGURU]

Block inheritance for the policies and re-apply the links 1 by one to try to narrow down which one could be causing the issue, then replicate the settings one by one across to a new GPO and hopefully you'll discover which one is causing the issue.

 

It's what I would do.

[IanT]

Just out of curiosity........have you checked the hardware side of things, I've seen this before and turned out to be a faulty drive?

 

Have you checked the RAID Card? anything in event logs? checked resource manager?

[RowlandoGloom]

I transferred one of the VHDs to my PC as a test and it still had the issue so I know it's not the physical host.

[IanT]

Latest Hyper-V Integration Tools Installed?

 

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/1961b005-4afa-416a-b2d5-7151612da673/hyperv-guest-vm-before-login-black-screen-stuck

[RowlandoGloom]

Latest Hyper-V Integration Tools Installed?

 

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/1961b005-4afa-416a-b2d5-7151612da673/hyperv-guest-vm-before-login-black-screen-stuck

 

Latest Hyper-V Integration Tools are installed.

 

I already have seen the page in the link and tried everything, which is frustrating as their problems appear to be exactly the same.

[IanT]

Have you logged a call with Microsoft?

[RowlandoGloom]

Have you logged a call with Microsoft?

 

I thought you needed a support contract? If not, I'll give it a go.

[IanT]

I've logged loads of calls, £250 to log it

[RowlandoGloom]

School won't pay for it.

 

'It's my job to fix it.'

[IanT]

dear me, okay then have you tried building a fresh VM?

[RowlandoGloom]

Yep,

 

As strange as it may sound, this had happened to the original 3 VMs, I replaced them with 2 new VM installs, added to the domain, restarted and the same problem.

 

Ensured there was no software installed, working. Applied the GPOs one by one, working. Added all the GPOs I've just mentioned - black screen.

 

It just doesn't make sense

[IanT]

Create a new OU and then add\link each GPO one by one to try and spot the problem GPO.

[cookie_monster]

School won't pay for it.

 

'It's my job to fix it.'

I'd gently let them know that at some point they might have to put their hand in their pocket. The problem with buying things is they sometimes need maintenance. In 10 years I only needed to log one support call its hardly a regular occurrence.