Windows: Fixing a blank blue screen that appears on startup

Sometimes Windows machines will present you with a blank blue screen on startup, and then after a few minutes the computer will shut itself down again. This may be an error with the way Bitlocker displays its login screen on this machine.

If you are uncomfortable with any of these steps, the ITS Helpdesk can help you!
  1. Start up your machine
  2. You won't be able to see a box to type into, but type your Bitlocker password and hit ENTER anyway
  3. Continue logging into your machine as normal
  4. From your Start menu, search for Command Prompt
  5. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  6. Log in using your .\admin account and password
  7. copy and paste the following code into Command Prompt and then hit ENTER
    bfsvc.exe %windir%\boot /v 
  8. When the computer has finished its work and presents you with a blinking cursor icon again, restart your computer

Now you should be presented with a regular Bitlocker login screen.

Need Help?

Please contact the ITS Helpdesk for assistance: https://go.carleton.edu/helpdesk or 507-222-5999

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