Screens Black After Windows Update KB2952644
The Problem
If your screens are black after a windows update, we have a solution for you. In March 1st, 2016 Microsoft released a Critical windows update for Windows 7 under KB2952664 which appears to corrupt something in computers with 4 port video cards or the drivers for them. The reason is not known, but for now we have our own fix for this problem which is shown below.
The Symptoms
All screens go dark or blue, with no start bar or icons of any kind. The cursor is still shown and moves across all screens. If you are experiencing something like this after a recent Windows update follow the instructions below:
Asus claims that the X79 Deluxe (not P9X79 Deluxe) motherboard is Ivy Bride-E (4900 series) ready however, we found the same problem every now and then. As mentioned above, the fix process is the same except the BIOS file.
The Solution
Disconnect Displays
First, if you have more than 2 displays in your system disconnect all but 1 or 2 monitors from the back of the video card temporarily or you will not be able to get into Windows.
Find this Update
Look for Microsoft Windows update KB2952644 in the list and select it. Next click on UNINSTALL. Reboot your system at this point before proceeding
Back in Windows
Once you are back into Windows, the next step is to turn OFF automatic windows updates, for now anyway.
Back to Control Panel and Windows Updates. Look on the upper left column and click on Change Settings: Again you may need to change your VIEW from Category to LIST on the upper right corner of the Control Panel window
Click on the dropdown box and choose NEVER Check for updates, for now. You can always manually check for updates at any time. Note that if automatic updates are turned on, it will download this corrupted update again. That will put you right back were you started. Turn Off for now so it looks like this below. Note to UN check all of the boxes underneath it as well.
Choose a restore point BEFORE March 1, 2016 and proceed through to complete this process. It will automatically reboot afterward. Note this does not change anything with your personal data. It is merely reverting the Windows operating system to an earlier point in time when things worked correctly.
Once the reboot is successful, plug the rest of your monitors back into to 4 port card(s) if that is your case. Now your displays should be restored at this point.
Final Touches
By default, Microsoft sets the home page of Internet Explorer to a Microsoft site. That said, the prompt for Windows 10 is annoyingly embedded. To fix that, simply change your default home page to anything OTHER than Microsoft, Google.com for example.
To do that, RIGHT click on the top of IE and make sure your Menubar is showing. Then under the Tools menu, all the way at the bottom click on Internet Options. Erase the default URL and type in www.google.com to reset your home page.
