Windows
Windows server stuck on a black screen during Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop to the server was stuck on a black screen, and jobs from that server were failing. The server was restarted, then came back online and could be reached again.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2026-10-14.
Affects
Versions
- Windows
What you see
- Remote Desktop opens to a black screen instead of the desktop.
- Jobs from the server fail while it is stuck.
When it shows up
A Windows server is reachable enough to be targeted by Remote Desktop, but the RDP session stays on a black screen and work from that server starts failing.
You are in this case if:
- Remote Desktop shows only a black screen after connecting.
- The server is unavailable for its usual jobs until it is restarted.
1 fix below
The steps that killed it
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Someone from XL.net killed this on a Windows computer on 2026-10-14. It is written up from that one repair, so it cites no outside page.