14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently acknowledged a bug encountered on a number of systems trying to install the Creators Update, with the company warning that third-party Start menu apps could lead to black screens.
Redmond says that users who are running third-party Start menu apps might not be able to upgrade to the Windows 10 Creators Update, with the process ending with a black screen that prevents these systems from reaching the desktop.
The company does not reveal what are the apps that are listed as unsupported, but it does mention that the Creators Update would no longer be offered if these are installed on Windows 10 computers.
“Some applications that modify the Windows 10 Start button may not be compatible with Windows 10 Creators Update. These applications may cause Windows 10 to hang at a black screen with a cursor if you install the Creators Update,” Microsoft said.
“To prevent further instances of this problem, Windows Update will no longer offer the Creators Update on Windows 10 devices that have these incompatible applications installed on the system.”
System restore
Users who have already tried to install the Creators Update but ended up with the black screen on their systems need to return to the previous Windows install and remove the third-party app before being offered the update once again.
Of course, this implies having a backup to perform a system restore, so in case none is available, you could try booting from recovery media and either remove the app (though this doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to boot to the desktop) or downgrade to the previous Windows version.
This is the kind of bug that Microsoft tries to prevent from happening on a big number of computers, and this is why the Creators Update is shipped in waves in the first place.
We have reached out to the company to ask for more information on the names of the affected software and we’ll update the article should such details be offered.