Windows 10 installation error

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Windows 10 installation error

Jace G 0

I've currently been stuck trying to install Windows 10 on my laptop but every time I do it, it makes it through the whole process and then the computer needs to restart, but after it restarts the screen keeps turning on and off and nothing happens, please help 🥲

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Answer 1

Hendrix-V 14,845 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Jace G,

I understand how frustrating it can be to go through the entire Windows 10 installation process only to run into a black or flickering screen after the restart. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, and this usually happens because of a display driver issue or an incomplete setup. Let’s walk through some steps to get your laptop working again:

Step 1: Start in Safe Mode

Since the screen keeps turning on and off, we’ll need to boot into Safe Mode:

Turn on your laptop and as soon as you see the Windows logo, hold the power button to force it off.
Repeat this three times. On the third time, Windows should open Automatic Repair.
Go to Advanced Options → Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings → Restart.
Press 4 (or F4) for Safe Mode.

Step 2: Fix Display Drivers

Once in Safe Mode:

Open Device Manager → Display adapters.
Right-click your graphics driver and choose Update driver or Uninstall device (Windows will reinstall it after reboot).
If the problem started after an update, you can also roll back the driver.

Step 3: Check for App Conflicts

If Safe Mode works fine, the issue might be caused by an app or service:

Press Win + R, type msconfig, and hit Enter.
Under Services, check Hide all Microsoft services, then click Disable all.
Go to Startup → Open Task Manager → Disable all startup items.
Restart your PC normally and see if the flickering stops.

Step 4: Repair or Reinstall Windows

If the above steps don’t help:

Use the Media Creation Tool on another PC to create a bootable USB.
Boot from the USB, choose Repair your computer → Startup Repair.
If repair doesn’t work, consider an in-place upgrade or clean install (make sure to back up your files first).

I look forward to receiving your update on the above steps that you tried and I'm willing to collaborate with you till we resolve the issue. Please keep me informed.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. Accepting an answer helps us track the effectiveness of our support efforts.

Jace G 0 Reputation points

2025-09-18T22:22:09.9266667+00:00

So the thing is im on an old computer, a samsung windows 7 laptop. I just switched the driver with someone to windows 10. And I cant get the screen into safe mode. The turn it off 3 times isn't working.
Hendrix-V 14,845 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-19T03:40:34.04+00:00
Hi Jace G,

Thanks for clarifying, that helps a lot. Since you’re on an older Samsung laptop originally running Windows 7 and the usual “power off 3 times” method isn’t working, it means the system isn’t triggering the recovery environment automatically. Older systems sometimes still support the classic boot menu, here’s what you can do:

Turn off the laptop completely.

Power it on and immediately start tapping F8 repeatedly before the Windows logo appears.

If successful, you’ll see Advanced Boot Options → choose Safe Mode.

(Note: On some Samsung laptops, you might need F4 or Esc instead of F8.)

Once you have booted into Safe mode, proceed to the steps mentioned above. Please keep me informed on the issue.

Thanks!
Jace G 0 Reputation points

2025-09-19T22:44:23.27+00:00

So the thing is I have an old computer, a samaung windows 7 laptop. We just changed the hard drive. And so the restart 3 times thing isn't working.
Hendrix-V 14,845 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-20T02:27:37.7233333+00:00
Hi Jace G,

Please try these instead:

Turn off the laptop completely.

Power it on and immediately start tapping F8 repeatedly before the Windows logo appears (Note: On some Samsung laptops, you might need F4 or Esc instead of F8).

If successful, you’ll see Advanced Boot Options → choose Safe Mode.
Jace G 0 Reputation points

2025-09-20T18:03:48.81+00:00

So I did it wothout the installation and the screen keeps turning on and off again. With the installation usb in it, it juat keeps taking to the installation steps.
Hendrix-V 14,845 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-21T00:17:51.37+00:00
Hi Jace G,

Thanks for explaining what happens. Since the system only boots into the installer when the USB is connected and flickers when it’s removed, this means Windows isn’t booting from the internal drive, either because the bootloader isn’t installed correctly or the drive isn’t set as the primary boot device.

Here’s what you should do now to fix this:

1. Check Boot Order in BIOS

Restart the laptop and enter BIOS (usually F2, F10, or Del on Samsung).

Make sure:

Internal HDD/SSD (with Windows installed) is the first boot device.

Disable USB boot after installation.

If available, enable Legacy Boot (CSM) and disable Secure Boot for older hardware.

2. Repair the Bootloader

Since the system can’t start without the USB, the bootloader might be missing or corrupted.

Create a Windows 10 installation USB (using Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool on another PC).

Boot from the USB → Repair your computer → Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Command Prompt.

Run these commands one by one:

bootrec /fixmbr bootrec /fixboot bootrec /scanos bootrec /rebuildbcd

Close Command Prompt and restart without the USB.

You’re doing great tackling this on an older machine, it’s not easy! For very old hardware, you can consider Windows 10 32-bit or even Windows 8.1 for better compatibility.

I look forward to receiving your update and I'm willing to collaborate with you till we resolve the issue. Please keep me informed.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. Accepting an answer helps us track the effectiveness of our support efforts.
Jace G 0 Reputation points

2025-09-26T19:13:41.5733333+00:00

Sorry for responding so late. So when I do bootrec /fixboot, it says access denied but everything else worked.
Hendrix-V 14,845 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-29T04:01:03.82+00:00
Hi Jace G,

Thank you for updating on the issue!

The message Access Denied when running bootrec /fixboot is a common issue on systems using UEFI and GPT partitions. The EFI System Partition (where boot files live) isn’t properly mounted or accessible, so the command can’t write to it. We’ll fix that by manually assigning a drive letter and rebuilding the boot files, please kindly the steps below:

Boot from your Windows 10 USB → Repair your computer → Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Command Prompt.

Type:

diskpart list disk

Find your system disk (usually Disk 0).

Select it:

select disk 0 list partition

Look for the EFI partition (100–300 MB, FAT32).

Assign a letter:

select partition X assign letter=Z: exit

(replace X with EFI partition number)

Rebuild the boot files:

bcdboot C:\Windows /s Z: /f UEFI

(Replace C: if your Windows drive uses a different letter.)

Restart and remove the USB.

These steps create fresh boot files on the EFI partition so your system can start without the USB.

Please keep me informed after the steps done. Let me know the result.

Thanks!
Jace G 0 Reputation points

2025-09-30T22:08:54.1266667+00:00

So when I do all these steps, everything works until I get to the last step. When I do bdcboot C: \windows /s z: /f UEFI, it says "Failure when attempting to copy boot files".
Hendrix-V 14,845 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-09-30T23:28:31.63+00:00

Hi Jace G,

Replace letter C in bcdboot C:\Windows /s Z: /f UEFI with your Windows partition letter.

Please keep me updated on the issue so that we can solve this together.

Thanks!
Jace G 0 Reputation points

2025-10-01T23:47:41.2666667+00:00

I do all the steps and they work, but the screen still turns on and off when I turn it on without the usb.
Hendrix-V 14,845 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-10-04T02:55:21.7533333+00:00
Hi Jace G,

What you can try next is to force safe mode boot.

Boot from the USB → Repair your computer → Command Prompt.

Run: bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal

Restart without the USB.

If the screen stays stable in Safe Mode, uninstall the display driver

Device Manager → Display adapters → Uninstall.

Restart and let Windows use the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter.

If the screens still turns on and off, the issue could be hardware-related (GPU or motherboard).

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