Randomly Blank GUIs in Win 8 desktop

DST1

New Member
Messages
5
Hello (new to forum),

I have been having a persistent, but seemingly random problem with Windows 8 desktop mode. Periodically, all GUIs that are open on my desktop will turn completely black (blank) inside the frame and remain that way. I can still move the black windows around, minimize them, and close them, but I need to sign out and log back in to get them to look normal again. The computer does not crash and the Windows "Charms" still appear and seem to work fine. This has happened many times over a couple of weeks.

I looked in the Event Viewer when this happens and the only thing I see that might be related to the time when this occurs is this information message:

The Desktop Window Manager has exited with code (0xd00002fe)

I am not sure if this is a cause or effect of my problem.

Has anyone encountered this? Any ideas how to fix it?

Thank you in advance!

Dan
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 x64 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8500
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX260
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x ViewSonic VP2250wb
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    OS/Programs: Samsung SSD PM830 mSATA 256GB
    Data: Western Digital 2TB
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    TrendMicro
Then hits I've found on this refer to dropped RDP connections. Is your system on a Lan?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
Yes the system is on a LAN connection at a university.

The system worked fine without this or any problems for about a year. I wonder if it was a windows update, but I can't be certain when exactly it started.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 x64 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8500
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX260
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x ViewSonic VP2250wb
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    OS/Programs: Samsung SSD PM830 mSATA 256GB
    Data: Western Digital 2TB
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    TrendMicro
Every post I find mentions RDP but the only one I read where someone "solved" the issue, a virtual machine was running. The user just restarted the service and all was well from then on. I didn't find anyone else as lucky. I'm not a networking guru. But if you can give your System Specs and some basic network setup info perhaps someone more knowledgeable will have an idea how to attach the issue. My experience is with home peer to peer setups.



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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
Thanks for your reply,

I have a Dell XPS8500, Intel i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40 GHz, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB Samsung mSATA SSD (OS/Programs), 2T WD drive (data), NVIDIA GeFroce GTX 260.

The network is managed by the university and I do not know much about how it is setup other than it is a 1GB local ethernet connection.

Any help would be much appreciated! (this just happened again!)

Thanks,
Dan
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 x64 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8500
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX260
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x ViewSonic VP2250wb
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    OS/Programs: Samsung SSD PM830 mSATA 256GB
    Data: Western Digital 2TB
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    TrendMicro
Download Who Crashed, and run the dump log through it. It will pin point more accurately what is causing the issue. If it is RDP, turn that Service off, or disable in System Properties and see if it still pops up.

Is this Windows 8 Pro or Windows 8 Home? If Pro, it could be something that your school IT did, that may be causing the issue. Check with them to see if anyone else is experiencing the same problem, when they disconnect from the LAN.

There are some hits that are stating that for them, it was caused by an IP conflict on the LAN.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
I have this exact problem! It happens randomly/rarely maybe every other week or so. All the interiors of all the windows turn jet black. You can move them around and they stay black. If you minimize each window and then restore from task bar you can fix them one at a time.

I think it started happening a while ago after a video driver upgrade from Windows Update. I have a AMD Radeon HD 5670 video card and AMD Catalyst Control Center Version 2013.1206.1603.28764 drivers.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Yes PSRS, it can be Video driver related. Like I stated in the past. Windows 8.1 is having major issues with video drivers.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
My issue is more frequent... several times a day (argh!). It does not 'crash' the system and therefore when I use the crash dump analysis tool you suggested, nothing shows up that corresponds to when this occurs. I am using Windows 8.0 Pro.

I also wonder if it is my graphics card and/or drivers. I am using a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260. How can I narrow down the problem to see if it is indeed my graphics card that is causing this issue.

NVIDIA driver version 9.18.13.3523

Much thanks for helping me troubleshoot this!

Dan
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 x64 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8500
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX260
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x ViewSonic VP2250wb
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    OS/Programs: Samsung SSD PM830 mSATA 256GB
    Data: Western Digital 2TB
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    TrendMicro
Hmm, for now you could probably make a script to start dwm.exe if it's not running. Like in AutoIt
Code:
If Not ProcessExists("dwm.exe") Then ShellExecute("dwm.exe")

something like that should work if it's in the Path.
AutoIt is free

Edit: also avoiding the distraction of logging out and back in may make it easier to see clues to the cause.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
Interestingly, I just noticed that Chrome GUI still works, but all other Windows GUIs, including context menus, are blacked out. Even when I hover my mouse over an object in Chrome, the tooltip that pops up is a black rectangle with a shadow behind it. It's almost as if Windows thinks everything is OK, but isn't drawing the insides of GUIs and other graphical objects(?).

Does this give anyone an idea as to what the problem might be?

This is still occurring with an annoying frequency and I do not know what to do.

Thanks again,
Dan
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 x64 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS8500
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX260
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2x ViewSonic VP2250wb
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    OS/Programs: Samsung SSD PM830 mSATA 256GB
    Data: Western Digital 2TB
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    TrendMicro
If the latest video drivers don't help I would try an older release from the manufacturer's support page. If it's only happening on a few setups then the driver developers may not be aware of some interaction that's causing it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
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