Remote Desktop Connection Screen is totally black but server is working perfectly

This often happens to me when I connect to Windows 7 x64 machine. Solution that I use is pressing Ctrl-Alt-End in the RDP window. This brings up the "lock your computer" screen. Lock-Unlock and you are in!

Next time it crops up, there is a specific KB article about this issue.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555840

SYMPTOMS

While logon into a remote server by using remote desktop, the following issues may occur:

1. A slow logon process.
2. A black screen appear for a while, until the regular desktop appear.

RESOLUTION

1. Disable the use of "Bitmap Caching" on the RDP client.
2. Verity that the server, client and the network equipment using the "MTU" size.

Here is how to work around the issue. All the above else failed for me.

I am using Windows 7 home Edition.

Before Connecting To RDP,

Click the link with the words "Remote desktop Connection" Link. Ensure you click the link with these words, not the actual URL or saved RDP name.

When the RDP window opens up, click the Options button at the bottom.

Change to Display properties by clicking the Display Tab.

On the Display Configuration Panel, Change the Screen Resolution slightly each time before clicking Connect.

This will ensure your black screen stays away.

Press CTRL + ALT + END and hit the Task manager. Log off and log in back again. It happens if user disconnects the session but not log off properly.

I've seen this happen before 3 or 4 times when a user just closes their session instead of logging out of it. Please try the things in the KB article above under JohnThePro's answer.

I had a similar problem with Windows Servers (a mix from 2012 to 2019):

VMware console is black, RDP connection is black and it even happened with a physical server (but only domain joined servers). No way to get into safe mode: always black.

Server works OK, services run normally and can connect remotely with powershell and WindowsAdminCentre and my usual remote tools. Just no GUI.

Only chance to get them back to normal was to overwrite the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE registry from backup C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\REGBACK\SOFTWARE (server has to be powered off), but that not always worked.

So I've examined a server with process monitor (procmon.exe) and noticed a lot of overflow errors related to registry "HKLM\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\fonts".

I deleted all non Windows standard fonts (my company had a policy to add some corporate fonts) from registry hive "HKLM\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\fonts" and it started working inmediately.

Even if the cause of registry corruption may be different for different users, procmon showed me what was wrong.

Hope it helps!

Have you tried logging in as a different user? This happens sometimes on my terminal when a session gets stuck logging out. Ending the session from the remote desktops tool fixes it.

There is also another KB article with a patch for Windows Server 2008 R2.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981156/en-us

I installed this patch to solve the issue.

When a user session is disconnected, the black screen showed up occasionnaly on reconnection.

Found this article it list quite alot of possible reasons and their solutions regarding this issue, I was able to fix my issue with by enabling sessions limits as described in the article. http://www.grishbi.com/2015/01/rdp-black-screen/

Try to get it in full screen mode and then do an alt + tab Maybe it's stuck in a weird application. This technique worked for me once.