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Fix Black Screen During Windows 8 Installation

· 2 min read
Luke Murray
Luke Murray
Author

If you see a black screen during a Windows 8 installation, the installer has likely switched to UEFI boot mode on a motherboard that does not fully support it. This commonly happens when multiple hard drives are connected to the system during the installation process.

When multiple drives are present, the Windows installer may detect a GPT-formatted drive and attempt a UEFI install, even if the target drive or motherboard firmware does not support it. The result is a blank or black screen where the installation appears to hang.

How to fix it​

  1. Shut down your computer and unplug any secondary hard drives. Leave only the drive you intend to install Windows on connected.
  2. Start the installation again. With only one drive present, the installer should automatically fall back to Master Boot Record (MBR) mode instead of UEFI.
  3. Once the installation completes, shut down the computer and reconnect your other hard drives.

Additional tips​

  • If you need to install in UEFI mode, make sure your motherboard firmware is up to date and that the target drive is formatted as GPT (not MBR).
  • You can check and change the boot mode in your BIOS/UEFI firmware settings (usually accessible by pressing F2, Del, or Esc during startup).
  • If the black screen persists with only one drive connected, try using a different USB port for the installation media, or re-create the bootable USB drive using the Windows Media Creation Tool.