Hp windows 11 updating now screen flashing black and gray

[Daniellej90]

Hello, my windows 11 laptop was updating and now the screen is flashing from black to gray. 

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @Daniellej90,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

Thanks for reaching out—this flashing screen issue after a Windows 11 update is unfortunately not uncommon and is often caused by a corrupted display driver, incomplete update, or conflicting startup program.

Let’s walk through a step-by-step fix:

Step 1: Boot into Safe Mode

We’ll start by getting into Safe Mode to stop the flashing and troubleshoot safely.

1. Force shut down your laptop by holding the power button for 10 seconds.
2. Repeat this 3 times—on the 3rd boot, Windows should enter Recovery Mode.
3. Select:
   • Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart
   • Then press 4 or F4 to boot into Safe Mode.

 Step 2: Disable Problematic Startup Apps

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Go to the Startup tab.
3. Disable anything non-essential (especially HP Support Assistant, iCloud, OneDrive, etc.).
4. Restart normally.

Step 3: Reinstall Display Drivers

1. In Safe Mode, press Windows + X > Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters.
3. Right-click your GPU (e.g., AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA) > Uninstall device.
4. Check and delete the driver software for this device if available.
5. Restart your laptop—Windows will reinstall a basic driver.

🔄 Once stable, you can reinstall the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website.

Step 4: Run System File Checker

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run: sfc /scannow
3. Let it complete and fix any corrupted system files.

Step 5: Roll Back the Update (if needed)

If the issue started immediately after an update:

1. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Update History.
2. Click Uninstall updates.
3. Remove the most recent Feature Update or Driver Update.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

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VikramTheGreat

HP Support