I recently came into possession of a Late 2012 iMac 27" with 2.9 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core I5 processor, 32GB 1600 MHz DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M 512 MB graphics, and 1TB hard drive running macOS Catalina. I need Windows 10 so I used Boot Camp Assistant and got a Windows 10 ISO from the Microsoft website. I plugged in a 16GB USB and checked all the boxes and I let it do its thing. After about an hour and a half or so it finally finished loading and started to restart into Windows 10. It asked me to choose the language, region, and where I wanted to install Windows on my hard drive. I chose the partition that said "BOOTCAMP" as per Apple's instructions. After I did that Windows goes ahead and goes to the loading screen where it tells you it is getting Windows features and whatnot. Then it says it needs to restart. After restarting, the blue Windows logo appears and there are little white loading dots going in circles beneath it. Then the Windows logo goes away while the loading dots continue for a bit. Then I faintly see the Windows logo again, then a blank screen with cursor. The cursor has a blue loading circle on it for a bit and re-centers to the middle. If I leave it alone the cursor disappears until I move the mouse again. I figured it was still loading in the background so I left it alone for a couple hours. After coming back to it, the screen was exactly the same as I left it. I decided to restart my computer and I pressed alt/option to start back up into Windows and the option is there, but I can't get past the blank screen with disappearing cursor. I thought maybe there was a problem with the install so I removed the Bootcamp Windows partition using Boot Camp Assistant and started the process all over again. I did this about 3 times with the same exact result. I tried booting Windows into safe mode (restarting while booting 3 times in a row), and there was no change. I tried booting into macOS with every keyboard combination possible and then booting into Windows and no change. I tried doing those steps but with a different wired keyboard and mouse and no change. I then thought that it might be a problem with my USB (the same USB I have used to install Bootcamp on other devices), so I used a different 64GB one, same result. I then thought that it might be a problem with my version of macOS so I downgraded all the way to Mountain Lion. That didn't work because Windows 10 was too new for it So I upgraded to High Sierra. Then Boot Camp Assistant said that the USB didn't have enough space on it. After some research I found that I should update my macOS so I upgraded to Mojave. Same result. I then figured that there was an issue with the Windows ISO, so I downloaded an older one (Version 1909) from https://tb.rg-adguard.net/public.php. I went through the whole process again for what seems like the 100th time, and I still get the same result: after Windows installs its features it restarts and I get a blank screen with a cursor that has a little blue loading circle on it (I guess the windows equivalent of the beach ball) and it resets every so often to the middle and disappears when the mouse isn't moved. I have no idea what to do at this point... Control alt delete doesn't work and booting into safe mode doesn't do anything. Now thinking that it is a problem with my iMac, I tried installing Windows with bootcamp on my personal Mid-2012 MacBook Air with 1.7 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 memory, Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB. Sure enough, I get the exact same result. I have spent 4 days trying to make it work with my iMac and reading countless other forums and I haven't gotten anywhere. Please help!
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Black screen with cursor when booting windows 10 first time with bootcamp
- Thread starter inversewave
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Someone told me to reset the SMC and NVRAM, so I did and I still have the same issue. Here is a video in case it’s helpful:
Install WindowsToGo on an SSD-USB 3.0 enclosure, and boot from that. Install Bootcamp assistant after Windows finish installing. It's difficult to install Windows from USB installer nowadays.
If things go wrong, just unplug the USB box and reset NVRAM.
If things go wrong, just unplug the USB box and reset NVRAM.
I appreciate your response, but as far as I know, WindowsToGo is no longer supported by Microsoft, requires a Windows Education or Enterprise version, and doesn’t run on just any USB. Since my original post, I’ve also tried replacing the nVidia drivers that are automatically downloaded from BCA with the newest ones from nVidia. However, that resulted in the same issue. My theory at this point is that there is a problem with the Bootcamp drivers… but I wouldn’t even know how to begin getting an older version of them.
What are you afraid of regarding the "no longer support by Microsoft"?
I have 1 PC, 1 Mac running WindowsToGo, and one WindowsToGo USB extra to plug in any PC for a short time use (part testing, VBIOS flashing, etc). Not a single problem.
I had a similar problem (black screen without cursor) with imac 2010 21,5" i3. Even installing win7 on hybrid partition, same black screen problem, but discovered that external monitor worked. Well, solutions online state to remove atikmdag.sys from windows/system 32/drivers folder, but this makes the gpu to not work properly. You will not get the black screen again, but wont be able to control screen brightness. The other solution, to boot in secure mode and leave native windows driver for display adapaters, solve the black screen but you wont be able to adjust screen brightness either.
What worked for me was to install a 2009 driver for ati found with 3dpchip program (search for older versions when you open the site from the program when clicking on gpu). No black screen anymore and i can control the brightness too. I think that all the forums on internet discussing this problem aren't aware that this may be only a driver issue.
What worked for me was to install a 2009 driver for ati found with 3dpchip program (search for older versions when you open the site from the program when clicking on gpu). No black screen anymore and i can control the brightness too. I think that all the forums on internet discussing this problem aren't aware that this may be only a driver issue.
I had a similar problem (black screen without cursor) with imac 2010 21,5" i3. Even installing win7 on hybrid partition, same black screen problem, but discovered that external monitor worked. Well, solutions online state to remove atikmdag.sys from windows/system 32/drivers folder, but this makes the gpu to not work properly. You will not get the black screen again, but wont be able to control screen brightness. The other solution, to boot in secure mode and leave native windows driver for display adapaters, solve the black screen but you wont be able to adjust screen brightness either.
unfortunately,today i got the same problem .Black screen again. Only tweaking with external monitor (choosing to which display to output, via right mouse button-screen resolution-display) i was able to maintain the image on the imac lcd. Cant do this every time i have to use imac. Not practical. No solutions for that on the internet, not even in apple official forums. A pitty....
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