TheArkive
January 30th, 2017, 01:29 PM
Updated 23 June 2019
- removed attachment
- added updated links for disabling Hibernate and Fast Startup
- added "Hibernate" to all references of "Fast Startup"
- revamped the flow to be more linear and logical
Updated 28 May 2018
- removed boot disc as demanded by Microsoft
- Added some clarity on how to find out what your system drive letter is when using a boot disk
Updated 25 May 2017
- added links to tools to make the boot disc from Microsoft
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
For resolutions to issues relating to updating to Windows 10 major updates (ie, 1803, 1809, 1903) please see this thread:
VirtualCustoms Forum: Win 10 - Boot Issues related to Custom Themes and Win Updates [mostly RESOLVED] (http://virtualcustoms.net/showthread.php/79992-Win-10-v1803-Build-17134-48-update-and-theme-issues-mostly-RESOLVED?p=334496&viewfull=1#post334496)
*** I have fixed 3 PC's with this method so far ***
At first, when messing around with 3rd party themes in Windows, I thought the black/grey screen was a dead end. I actually recovered from it recently and wanted to share.
This should apply to most if not all 3rd party windows theme reboot issues (UltraUxThemePatcher and UxStyle). I'll explain how I got this info at the bottom of this post, but for now let's get to the main point.
You will need a boot disc to get you to the windows command line.
You should be able to use your Windows 7, 8, or 10 installation media (disc/USB). Just boot up to the first screen before you click NEXT to start the installation and press SHIFT + F10. You can get a command prompt that way (unless your install media has that feature disabled). If possible, stick with the install disc that matches your installed version of Windows.
If you can't do SHIFT + F10 with your Windows Install Media then you will need to use a boot disc. The links below will help you create one.
Origin of boot disc image:
Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) (https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/windows-assessment-deployment-kit#winADK)
WinPE = Windows Preinstallation Environment
WinPE: Create USB Bootable drive (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/commercialize/manufacture/desktop/winpe-create-usb-bootable-drive)
All official Microsoft distributions.
Tools for writing disc image to media:
- Rufus (http://rufus.akeo.ie/) for USB
- ImgBurn (http://imgburn.com/) for CD/DVD
The issue is nothing more than the theme files themselves, not Windows updates, although updates can cause other issues that are theme related. See above if everything was working fine until you applied a major windows update (ie. 1803, 1809, 1903, etc).
============================
===== PART 1 =====
Replace [offending theme] with default theme
============================
NOTE: It is important to either already know, or be able to find out the exact name of the [offending theme].theme file you used before your system went to black screens on boot. Without this info, this tutorial won't be much help to you. In this tutorial I refer to the theme that broke your system as [offending theme].theme.
POSSIBLE EXAMPLES:
Super Awesome Theme Green.theme
HUD Theme for Geeks Red.theme
NOTE: The title of the theme on whatever forum you got it from might be different from the actual .theme file name. If you are confused, post a question and I will try to get to you as soon as I can. But I highly recommend you learn to use the command line and browse C:\Windows\Resourses\Themes. If you know how to use the command line to browse, then you are half way to being able to delete and copy/rename files as well, which is all you need to do to get your PC back without a full reformat.
1) Boot from a boot disc (CD/DVD/USB) and get to the command line.
2) Find out what your system drive letter is. It will most likely not be the C drive when you use a boot disk. Type the following command and see which drives exist on your system. I highly recommend you unplug all extra USB drives from your computer, unless you know exactly what you are doing. The more disk drives hooked in, the longer the list will be.
COMMAND:
WMIC LOGICALDISK GET CAPTION,VOLUMENAME
Example result:
Caption VolumeName
D: Something
E: Windows10
F: Something Else
X: Boot Disk
If I named my C drive Windows10 then when using a boot disk, in this case it is the E drive. Make note of what your system drive letter is. It should be easy to spot. If you didn't use a custom name / volume label then look inside the Program Files / Program Files (x86) folders and check for software you remember installing. This will help you identify the correct drive letter.
Here's a list of commands for looking around in drives and folders and how to use them. Always assume to press ENTER after typing each command. I will sometimes show commands in CAPS but note this is not necessary. I only do this for clarity.
To make the E drive active.
E:
Use any other letter to make that drive letter active. The drive letter must exist in order for this to work.
To list the contents of a drive or folder:
DIR
To go into a folder...
CD FolderName
Example:
CD Windows
To go into a folder with spaces in the name...
CD "Folder Name"
Example:
CD "Program Files (x86)"
Example 2 - the drive can also be specified when going into a folder:
CD "C:\Program Files (x86)"
3) Navigate to the following directory:
Replace Z with your system drive letter in the following examples.
Z:\WINDOWS\RESOURCES\THEMES
COMMANDS:
Z:
CD\
CD WINDOWS\RESOURCES\THEMES
4) Make note of the [offending theme].theme file name (don't misspell it!)
NOTE: Hopefully you remember the last theme you tried before everything when belly up.
5) Delete or rename the [offending theme].theme file (but remember the file name!!!!)
COMMAND:
DEL "[offending theme].theme"
or
RENAME "[offending theme].theme" "[offending theme]_BROKE.theme"
Remember to use "quotes" if you theme name has spaces. Otherwise "quotes" are not necessary.
/// Credit for #6 goes to user @brainvision (https://www.tenforums.com/members/brainvision.html) on tenforums.com \\\
6) Delete or rename the folder associated with "[offending theme]". After you delete or rename that folder, copy the "aero" folder to a new folder named "[offending theme]".
COMMAND:
DEL "[offending theme]"
or
RENAME "[offending theme]" "[offending theme]_BROKE"
COPY aero "[offending theme]"
7) Copy the aero.theme file and rename it to [offending theme].theme
COMMAND:
COPY aero.theme "[offending theme].theme"
(use quotes if your theme file name has spaces in it)
============================
This may be enough for some people. If you already disabled Fast Startup and/or hibernate, try restarting normally into windows and change your theme back to default. You may notice artifacts from the previous malfunctioning theme. They will go away once you use the GUI to set the windows theme back to default.
If you did NOT disable Fast Startup, or if you just updated Windows and cannot log in, keep reading.
I could not even get into Safe Mode with the [offending theme] still active. Make sure you complete PART 1 above first before proceeding.
Since Win 8/10 won't allow you to start in Safe Mode with F8 anymore, here's how you get into Safe Mode, and then disable fast startup:
============================
===== Hopefully this works =====
Before going on to Part 2
============================
Method 1:
1) Start your PC
2) as soon as you see the spinning dots, force shutdown by holding the power button
3) this should trigger a "Repair Mode" of sorts, if not, then after forced power down, power up again - wait for spinning dots - force shutdown by holding power button - do this at least 3 times until you get a msg stating you are entering "Repair Mode" (or something like that)
Method 2:
If you have an alternate account setup for these kind of instances:
1) Hold SHIFT when you see the spinning dots (Win 8 and 10) or the Windows logo (Win 7) to disable automatic logon (if enabled).
2) Select your backup account and log in.
3) Go to:
PC Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced Startup > Restart Now (button)
This will allow you to get into safe mode. Just follow the prompts.
NOTE: If none of this works and you can't get into repair mode, read up on how to disable Hibernate and Fast Startup below, then proceed to Part 2.
SPECIAL NOTE:
If you are coming from a windows update that prevents you from logging on, if you made it this far into safe mode, you should see some kind of full screen text animation talking about all the "wonderful" udpates. Once you finally see your desktop again, you should be good to go back into windows normally, but you may want to select the default theme first is possible, then restart. You may have to update your components, like UltraUxThemePatcher, in order to resume normal functionality. With any luck, you are now done.
Disable Hibernate and Fast Startup Info
In general here's how to shut off hibernation on Windows 7, 8, and 10:
COMMAND LINE:
POWERCFG /HIBERNATE OFF
Here's more detailed info for disabling Hibernation and Fast Startup in Win 7, 8, and 10 (note Fast Startup doesn't exist in Win 7). Once you disable Hibernate you should be good to go, but if you want to be extra sure, disable Fast Startup as well. Check the links below for quick and easy REG/BAT files to apply these settings. Please take your time and read, this is important for future endeavors dealing with custom themes.
Windows 10
Enable or Disable Hibernate in Win 10 (https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2859-enable-disable-hibernate-windows-10-a.html)
Enable or Disable Fast Startup in Win 10 (https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/4189-fast-startup-turn-off-windows-10-a.html)
- I recommend to use both the BAT file and the REG file (BAT file Option 2 --- REG file Option 4) for disabling Fast Startup (disables both the system setting and the system policy).
Windows 7/8
Enable or Disable Hibernate in Win 7, 8 (https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/819-hibernate-enable-disable.html)
Enable or Disable Fast Startup in Win 8 (https://www.eightforums.com/threads/fast-startup-turn-on-or-off-in-windows-8.6320/)
In several cases the above links have REG files and/or BAT files you can download to easily apply the settings to disable Hibernate and Fast Startup.
Put these files on a USB drive and run them once you finally get into safe mode.
============================
===== PART 2 =====
Force Safe Mode and disable Fast Startup
This should only apply to Windows 8 and 10 - in Windows 7, press F8 on boot to get into Safe Mode.
============================
NOTE: These settings are "permanent" and will have to be undone via command line when done (shown at the end). If you disable Hibernate and Fast Startup when you do a fresh install of windows, you should never have to follow the instructions below. The instructions below only apply if you have Hibernate and/or Fast Startup enabled and a custom theme is malfunctioning to the point you can't boot into windows properly.
1) Boot via disc (CD/DVD/USB) and get to command prompt.
2) Type BCDEDIT to display your current boot info.
- Look for an entry that says Windows Boot Loader
- Given the boot disc i used my boot records showed up named as {default}. Look for a line that says:
identifier {something_here}
the {something_here} is the identifier
============================
the point is to find out what your {identifier} is
in my case, via boot disc, it was {default}
replace {default} with your {identifier} as necessary in the commands below
============================
NOTE: If you see multiple instances of Windows Boot Loader, don't worry. If you modify the wrong boot record, you won't break much if anything. You can always undo the changes (later in this tutorial). Just keep in mind that you modify a specific boot record by using its {identifier}. Generally, the {identifier} you need to use in this case should be {default}.
3) Run commands to force safe mode on next boot:
COMMANDS:
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot network
or
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal
NOTE: I needed network safe mode to look up instructions for disabling Hibernate and Fast Startup, but I've included that in this tutorial! Safe Mode is the only way to boot up a system affected by "black screen" issues (after completing PART 1 above) so that you can actually disable Hibernate and Fast Startup and finally tell your system to stop loading the previously saved system state that has your "black screen" issues bundled in it.
4) Reboot normally into windows. Safe mode will be forced without prompt. Assuming you completed PART 1 above, you should be able to see the interface just fine instead of black/grey screen. You may see some artifacts remaining from the [offending theme]. You won't be able to change the theme in safe mode. But you can disable Hibernate and Fast Startup now (check links above, just before Part 2).
5) Run all REG and BAT files intended to disable Hibernate and Fast Startup. See links above regarding "Enable or Disable Hibernate/Fast Startup" just before Part 2 for more information.
6) Disable safe mode:
COMMANDS:
bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot
(doing this in safe mode, and not from a boot disc, means your {default} configuration is now referred to as {current})
7) Reboot normally into windows.
============================
Now you should be back to a functional system state.
============================
===== PART 3 =====
How to prevent this... or make recovery easier
============================
Coming across a malfunctioning theme, or one that isn't compatible with your setup / windows version / etc, is inevitable, especially when Hibernate and/or Fast Startup is enabled. You won't have to do all of these things listed below, just make sure you take into consideration your current setup.
Here's how to make future recovery easier:
1) TURN OFF Hibernate and Fast Startup!!
Pretty much mandatory for all serious theme enthusiasts. This is a system setting and affects all user accounts. It only needs to be disabled once (per install of Windows).
I've mentioned this several times in this post, and for good reason. Hibernate and Fast Startup will save your previous system state, errors and all. Not good for themes, or any kind of tinkering under the hood in Windows. Any issues with UltraUxThemePatcher and UxStyle should almost completely disappear after you disable Hibernate and Fast Startup. Disabling Fast Startup will allow your system to completely refresh new settings as needed on every new boot and therefore your recovery from malfunctioning themes will be much more assured if it is off. The one thing that can't be fixed by disabling Hibernate and Fast Startup is an incompatible/faulty theme.
2) Setup a backup user account (with or without passwords).
This is best if you don't want to permanently enable Safe Mode boot options, and then have to undo it, all via boot disc. This works fine even if you have automatic login enabled (read #4).
The user logon screen is usually immune to theme malfunctions. I figured this out by accident on Windows 10, but this should apply to Windows 7 and 8 as well. Once you log on to a user account with a malfunctioning theme, it's back to the black/grey/flashing/etc screen, however you can still reboot and get back to the login screen as long as you don't have auto-login configured via netplwiz.
If you do have auto-login enabled, just hold SHIFT when you see the spinning dots or Windows logo to bypass automatic logon.
A 2nd user account will allow you to go in and do the modifications in PART 1 via the windows GUI. Safe Mode shouldn't even be necessary in this case. Just delete/rename the faulty them and copy the aero theme to the [offending theme] (.theme file and folder).
3) Add boot options to include Safe Mode as an option (Win 8 / 10)
This is best if you prefer a single-user configuration. The downside is that you must use command line to replace offending theme files with default files (renamed as the [offending theme] folder and file).
Brink (on tenforums) has made a tutorial for that here (https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/17159-safe-mode-add-boot-options-windows-10-a.html). This will make the command prompt more accessible without the need for a boot disc, in case you have to repeat this tutorial. If you choose this, note that faulty themes will prevent any GUI from loading, even in Safe Mode. So this may not be that helpful in the long run unless you enable a "command-line only" safe mode option AND a normal GUI safe mode option.
4) Manage automatic logon properly (netplwiz or Auto-Logon)
As mentioned above, automatic login can be bypassed.
- Boot up normally
- once you see the windows logo (Win 7) or spinning dots (Win 8 and 10) hold SHIFT
- keep holding SHIFT until you see the login screen background, at this point automatic login has been bypassed
- this might not work with bluetooth or USB keyboards connected to a hub on a laptop.
This makes having a backup user account far more appealing (to me) since I can still configure automatic login, and have a GUI to fix theme issues in the alternate user account! No need to mess with safe mode even.
Use netplwiz for Windows 7 (and maybe 8), use AutoLogon (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autologon) for Windows 8/10.
5) Change your power options - Do NOT "Sleep" on Power Button or Lid Close
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Any setting you allow (or as default) that preserves the previous system state (hibernation/sleep mode) that potentially has fatal errors will cause you many headaches.
My power settings look like this:
(Plugged in / Battery)
Lid Close: Nothing / Nothing
Power Button: Shutdown / Shutdown
Sleep: Never / Never
You may have good success with different power settings, but I'm tellin ya, disable Hibernate and Fast Startup!!!
============================
Hope this helps someone. Please let me know if any of this works for you. I'm hoping my success isn't an isolated incident.
============================
My Testing / Results Explained
============================
My first issue / resolution started with a black screen, a 3-day old backup, and trying to uninstall / upgrade UltraUxThemePatcher. Usually at some point when using a 3rd party theme I'll see some artifacts after a few weeks. The results and timing are always random, but when I saw these glitches, I usually knew uninstalling UltraUxThemePatcher would get me the black screen.
Basically, I borked my system, and tried several things, always going back to my 3 day old backup each time an uninstall of UltraUxThemePatcher borked my system again. I finally came across Fast Startup, I had forgotten about it, but did remember that it saved a previous system state, which of course I didn't want. After disabling Fast Startup round 1 was over and I got my system back only losing 3 days worth of data, which wasn't much this time.
Round 2 started on a business trip. I was feeling confident after round 1 so in my free time on this trip I tried some more themes. My system borked again. As soon as I clicked APPLY I saw the black screen again. CTRL + ALT + DEL did nothing. It was obvious that round 2 had begun. Luckily, I recently did a clean install of windows and had not yet used netplwiz to configure automatic login (at the time I didn't realize I could bypass automatic logon with SHIFT at the windows logo / spinning dots). After seeing that the login screen was immune to theme issues I realized that a 2nd user account would have been even more helpful. At this point I had not even disabled Fast Startup after my clean OS install, so I knew it was "do or die" once again.
The login screen immunity to theme issues gave me the idea to just overwrite the bad theme with the windows default theme (this had no effect with Fast Startup on). After struggling to get to a command line prompt, I managed to do that, force safe mode, and turn off Fast Startup (again - now I have the saved reg file... Oy).
It all worked out beautifully.
For a while I have not been a fan of making HDD images for backup mostly because 3rd party themes gave me so much heck. I didn't want to reinstate a half broken OS when restoring. Now that I more accurately understand the issues of 3rd party themes and how to recover from them I'm much more confident not only in keeping my backups running, but in trying more themes!
- removed attachment
- added updated links for disabling Hibernate and Fast Startup
- added "Hibernate" to all references of "Fast Startup"
- revamped the flow to be more linear and logical
Updated 28 May 2018
- removed boot disc as demanded by Microsoft
- Added some clarity on how to find out what your system drive letter is when using a boot disk
Updated 25 May 2017
- added links to tools to make the boot disc from Microsoft
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
For resolutions to issues relating to updating to Windows 10 major updates (ie, 1803, 1809, 1903) please see this thread:
VirtualCustoms Forum: Win 10 - Boot Issues related to Custom Themes and Win Updates [mostly RESOLVED] (http://virtualcustoms.net/showthread.php/79992-Win-10-v1803-Build-17134-48-update-and-theme-issues-mostly-RESOLVED?p=334496&viewfull=1#post334496)
*** I have fixed 3 PC's with this method so far ***
At first, when messing around with 3rd party themes in Windows, I thought the black/grey screen was a dead end. I actually recovered from it recently and wanted to share.
This should apply to most if not all 3rd party windows theme reboot issues (UltraUxThemePatcher and UxStyle). I'll explain how I got this info at the bottom of this post, but for now let's get to the main point.
You will need a boot disc to get you to the windows command line.
You should be able to use your Windows 7, 8, or 10 installation media (disc/USB). Just boot up to the first screen before you click NEXT to start the installation and press SHIFT + F10. You can get a command prompt that way (unless your install media has that feature disabled). If possible, stick with the install disc that matches your installed version of Windows.
If you can't do SHIFT + F10 with your Windows Install Media then you will need to use a boot disc. The links below will help you create one.
Origin of boot disc image:
Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) (https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/windows-assessment-deployment-kit#winADK)
WinPE = Windows Preinstallation Environment
WinPE: Create USB Bootable drive (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/commercialize/manufacture/desktop/winpe-create-usb-bootable-drive)
All official Microsoft distributions.
Tools for writing disc image to media:
- Rufus (http://rufus.akeo.ie/) for USB
- ImgBurn (http://imgburn.com/) for CD/DVD
The issue is nothing more than the theme files themselves, not Windows updates, although updates can cause other issues that are theme related. See above if everything was working fine until you applied a major windows update (ie. 1803, 1809, 1903, etc).
============================
===== PART 1 =====
Replace [offending theme] with default theme
============================
NOTE: It is important to either already know, or be able to find out the exact name of the [offending theme].theme file you used before your system went to black screens on boot. Without this info, this tutorial won't be much help to you. In this tutorial I refer to the theme that broke your system as [offending theme].theme.
POSSIBLE EXAMPLES:
Super Awesome Theme Green.theme
HUD Theme for Geeks Red.theme
NOTE: The title of the theme on whatever forum you got it from might be different from the actual .theme file name. If you are confused, post a question and I will try to get to you as soon as I can. But I highly recommend you learn to use the command line and browse C:\Windows\Resourses\Themes. If you know how to use the command line to browse, then you are half way to being able to delete and copy/rename files as well, which is all you need to do to get your PC back without a full reformat.
1) Boot from a boot disc (CD/DVD/USB) and get to the command line.
2) Find out what your system drive letter is. It will most likely not be the C drive when you use a boot disk. Type the following command and see which drives exist on your system. I highly recommend you unplug all extra USB drives from your computer, unless you know exactly what you are doing. The more disk drives hooked in, the longer the list will be.
COMMAND:
WMIC LOGICALDISK GET CAPTION,VOLUMENAME
Example result:
Caption VolumeName
D: Something
E: Windows10
F: Something Else
X: Boot Disk
If I named my C drive Windows10 then when using a boot disk, in this case it is the E drive. Make note of what your system drive letter is. It should be easy to spot. If you didn't use a custom name / volume label then look inside the Program Files / Program Files (x86) folders and check for software you remember installing. This will help you identify the correct drive letter.
Here's a list of commands for looking around in drives and folders and how to use them. Always assume to press ENTER after typing each command. I will sometimes show commands in CAPS but note this is not necessary. I only do this for clarity.
To make the E drive active.
E:
Use any other letter to make that drive letter active. The drive letter must exist in order for this to work.
To list the contents of a drive or folder:
DIR
To go into a folder...
CD FolderName
Example:
CD Windows
To go into a folder with spaces in the name...
CD "Folder Name"
Example:
CD "Program Files (x86)"
Example 2 - the drive can also be specified when going into a folder:
CD "C:\Program Files (x86)"
3) Navigate to the following directory:
Replace Z with your system drive letter in the following examples.
Z:\WINDOWS\RESOURCES\THEMES
COMMANDS:
Z:
CD\
CD WINDOWS\RESOURCES\THEMES
4) Make note of the [offending theme].theme file name (don't misspell it!)
NOTE: Hopefully you remember the last theme you tried before everything when belly up.
5) Delete or rename the [offending theme].theme file (but remember the file name!!!!)
COMMAND:
DEL "[offending theme].theme"
or
RENAME "[offending theme].theme" "[offending theme]_BROKE.theme"
Remember to use "quotes" if you theme name has spaces. Otherwise "quotes" are not necessary.
/// Credit for #6 goes to user @brainvision (https://www.tenforums.com/members/brainvision.html) on tenforums.com \\\
6) Delete or rename the folder associated with "[offending theme]". After you delete or rename that folder, copy the "aero" folder to a new folder named "[offending theme]".
COMMAND:
DEL "[offending theme]"
or
RENAME "[offending theme]" "[offending theme]_BROKE"
COPY aero "[offending theme]"
7) Copy the aero.theme file and rename it to [offending theme].theme
COMMAND:
COPY aero.theme "[offending theme].theme"
(use quotes if your theme file name has spaces in it)
============================
This may be enough for some people. If you already disabled Fast Startup and/or hibernate, try restarting normally into windows and change your theme back to default. You may notice artifacts from the previous malfunctioning theme. They will go away once you use the GUI to set the windows theme back to default.
If you did NOT disable Fast Startup, or if you just updated Windows and cannot log in, keep reading.
I could not even get into Safe Mode with the [offending theme] still active. Make sure you complete PART 1 above first before proceeding.
Since Win 8/10 won't allow you to start in Safe Mode with F8 anymore, here's how you get into Safe Mode, and then disable fast startup:
============================
===== Hopefully this works =====
Before going on to Part 2
============================
Method 1:
1) Start your PC
2) as soon as you see the spinning dots, force shutdown by holding the power button
3) this should trigger a "Repair Mode" of sorts, if not, then after forced power down, power up again - wait for spinning dots - force shutdown by holding power button - do this at least 3 times until you get a msg stating you are entering "Repair Mode" (or something like that)
Method 2:
If you have an alternate account setup for these kind of instances:
1) Hold SHIFT when you see the spinning dots (Win 8 and 10) or the Windows logo (Win 7) to disable automatic logon (if enabled).
2) Select your backup account and log in.
3) Go to:
PC Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced Startup > Restart Now (button)
This will allow you to get into safe mode. Just follow the prompts.
NOTE: If none of this works and you can't get into repair mode, read up on how to disable Hibernate and Fast Startup below, then proceed to Part 2.
SPECIAL NOTE:
If you are coming from a windows update that prevents you from logging on, if you made it this far into safe mode, you should see some kind of full screen text animation talking about all the "wonderful" udpates. Once you finally see your desktop again, you should be good to go back into windows normally, but you may want to select the default theme first is possible, then restart. You may have to update your components, like UltraUxThemePatcher, in order to resume normal functionality. With any luck, you are now done.
Disable Hibernate and Fast Startup Info
In general here's how to shut off hibernation on Windows 7, 8, and 10:
COMMAND LINE:
POWERCFG /HIBERNATE OFF
Here's more detailed info for disabling Hibernation and Fast Startup in Win 7, 8, and 10 (note Fast Startup doesn't exist in Win 7). Once you disable Hibernate you should be good to go, but if you want to be extra sure, disable Fast Startup as well. Check the links below for quick and easy REG/BAT files to apply these settings. Please take your time and read, this is important for future endeavors dealing with custom themes.
Windows 10
Enable or Disable Hibernate in Win 10 (https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2859-enable-disable-hibernate-windows-10-a.html)
Enable or Disable Fast Startup in Win 10 (https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/4189-fast-startup-turn-off-windows-10-a.html)
- I recommend to use both the BAT file and the REG file (BAT file Option 2 --- REG file Option 4) for disabling Fast Startup (disables both the system setting and the system policy).
Windows 7/8
Enable or Disable Hibernate in Win 7, 8 (https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/819-hibernate-enable-disable.html)
Enable or Disable Fast Startup in Win 8 (https://www.eightforums.com/threads/fast-startup-turn-on-or-off-in-windows-8.6320/)
In several cases the above links have REG files and/or BAT files you can download to easily apply the settings to disable Hibernate and Fast Startup.
Put these files on a USB drive and run them once you finally get into safe mode.
============================
===== PART 2 =====
Force Safe Mode and disable Fast Startup
This should only apply to Windows 8 and 10 - in Windows 7, press F8 on boot to get into Safe Mode.
============================
NOTE: These settings are "permanent" and will have to be undone via command line when done (shown at the end). If you disable Hibernate and Fast Startup when you do a fresh install of windows, you should never have to follow the instructions below. The instructions below only apply if you have Hibernate and/or Fast Startup enabled and a custom theme is malfunctioning to the point you can't boot into windows properly.
1) Boot via disc (CD/DVD/USB) and get to command prompt.
2) Type BCDEDIT to display your current boot info.
- Look for an entry that says Windows Boot Loader
- Given the boot disc i used my boot records showed up named as {default}. Look for a line that says:
identifier {something_here}
the {something_here} is the identifier
============================
the point is to find out what your {identifier} is
in my case, via boot disc, it was {default}
replace {default} with your {identifier} as necessary in the commands below
============================
NOTE: If you see multiple instances of Windows Boot Loader, don't worry. If you modify the wrong boot record, you won't break much if anything. You can always undo the changes (later in this tutorial). Just keep in mind that you modify a specific boot record by using its {identifier}. Generally, the {identifier} you need to use in this case should be {default}.
3) Run commands to force safe mode on next boot:
COMMANDS:
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot network
or
bcdedit /set {default} safeboot minimal
NOTE: I needed network safe mode to look up instructions for disabling Hibernate and Fast Startup, but I've included that in this tutorial! Safe Mode is the only way to boot up a system affected by "black screen" issues (after completing PART 1 above) so that you can actually disable Hibernate and Fast Startup and finally tell your system to stop loading the previously saved system state that has your "black screen" issues bundled in it.
4) Reboot normally into windows. Safe mode will be forced without prompt. Assuming you completed PART 1 above, you should be able to see the interface just fine instead of black/grey screen. You may see some artifacts remaining from the [offending theme]. You won't be able to change the theme in safe mode. But you can disable Hibernate and Fast Startup now (check links above, just before Part 2).
5) Run all REG and BAT files intended to disable Hibernate and Fast Startup. See links above regarding "Enable or Disable Hibernate/Fast Startup" just before Part 2 for more information.
6) Disable safe mode:
COMMANDS:
bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot
(doing this in safe mode, and not from a boot disc, means your {default} configuration is now referred to as {current})
7) Reboot normally into windows.
============================
Now you should be back to a functional system state.
============================
===== PART 3 =====
How to prevent this... or make recovery easier
============================
Coming across a malfunctioning theme, or one that isn't compatible with your setup / windows version / etc, is inevitable, especially when Hibernate and/or Fast Startup is enabled. You won't have to do all of these things listed below, just make sure you take into consideration your current setup.
Here's how to make future recovery easier:
1) TURN OFF Hibernate and Fast Startup!!
Pretty much mandatory for all serious theme enthusiasts. This is a system setting and affects all user accounts. It only needs to be disabled once (per install of Windows).
I've mentioned this several times in this post, and for good reason. Hibernate and Fast Startup will save your previous system state, errors and all. Not good for themes, or any kind of tinkering under the hood in Windows. Any issues with UltraUxThemePatcher and UxStyle should almost completely disappear after you disable Hibernate and Fast Startup. Disabling Fast Startup will allow your system to completely refresh new settings as needed on every new boot and therefore your recovery from malfunctioning themes will be much more assured if it is off. The one thing that can't be fixed by disabling Hibernate and Fast Startup is an incompatible/faulty theme.
2) Setup a backup user account (with or without passwords).
This is best if you don't want to permanently enable Safe Mode boot options, and then have to undo it, all via boot disc. This works fine even if you have automatic login enabled (read #4).
The user logon screen is usually immune to theme malfunctions. I figured this out by accident on Windows 10, but this should apply to Windows 7 and 8 as well. Once you log on to a user account with a malfunctioning theme, it's back to the black/grey/flashing/etc screen, however you can still reboot and get back to the login screen as long as you don't have auto-login configured via netplwiz.
If you do have auto-login enabled, just hold SHIFT when you see the spinning dots or Windows logo to bypass automatic logon.
A 2nd user account will allow you to go in and do the modifications in PART 1 via the windows GUI. Safe Mode shouldn't even be necessary in this case. Just delete/rename the faulty them and copy the aero theme to the [offending theme] (.theme file and folder).
3) Add boot options to include Safe Mode as an option (Win 8 / 10)
This is best if you prefer a single-user configuration. The downside is that you must use command line to replace offending theme files with default files (renamed as the [offending theme] folder and file).
Brink (on tenforums) has made a tutorial for that here (https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/17159-safe-mode-add-boot-options-windows-10-a.html). This will make the command prompt more accessible without the need for a boot disc, in case you have to repeat this tutorial. If you choose this, note that faulty themes will prevent any GUI from loading, even in Safe Mode. So this may not be that helpful in the long run unless you enable a "command-line only" safe mode option AND a normal GUI safe mode option.
4) Manage automatic logon properly (netplwiz or Auto-Logon)
As mentioned above, automatic login can be bypassed.
- Boot up normally
- once you see the windows logo (Win 7) or spinning dots (Win 8 and 10) hold SHIFT
- keep holding SHIFT until you see the login screen background, at this point automatic login has been bypassed
- this might not work with bluetooth or USB keyboards connected to a hub on a laptop.
This makes having a backup user account far more appealing (to me) since I can still configure automatic login, and have a GUI to fix theme issues in the alternate user account! No need to mess with safe mode even.
Use netplwiz for Windows 7 (and maybe 8), use AutoLogon (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autologon) for Windows 8/10.
5) Change your power options - Do NOT "Sleep" on Power Button or Lid Close
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Any setting you allow (or as default) that preserves the previous system state (hibernation/sleep mode) that potentially has fatal errors will cause you many headaches.
My power settings look like this:
(Plugged in / Battery)
Lid Close: Nothing / Nothing
Power Button: Shutdown / Shutdown
Sleep: Never / Never
You may have good success with different power settings, but I'm tellin ya, disable Hibernate and Fast Startup!!!
============================
Hope this helps someone. Please let me know if any of this works for you. I'm hoping my success isn't an isolated incident.
============================
My Testing / Results Explained
============================
My first issue / resolution started with a black screen, a 3-day old backup, and trying to uninstall / upgrade UltraUxThemePatcher. Usually at some point when using a 3rd party theme I'll see some artifacts after a few weeks. The results and timing are always random, but when I saw these glitches, I usually knew uninstalling UltraUxThemePatcher would get me the black screen.
Basically, I borked my system, and tried several things, always going back to my 3 day old backup each time an uninstall of UltraUxThemePatcher borked my system again. I finally came across Fast Startup, I had forgotten about it, but did remember that it saved a previous system state, which of course I didn't want. After disabling Fast Startup round 1 was over and I got my system back only losing 3 days worth of data, which wasn't much this time.
Round 2 started on a business trip. I was feeling confident after round 1 so in my free time on this trip I tried some more themes. My system borked again. As soon as I clicked APPLY I saw the black screen again. CTRL + ALT + DEL did nothing. It was obvious that round 2 had begun. Luckily, I recently did a clean install of windows and had not yet used netplwiz to configure automatic login (at the time I didn't realize I could bypass automatic logon with SHIFT at the windows logo / spinning dots). After seeing that the login screen was immune to theme issues I realized that a 2nd user account would have been even more helpful. At this point I had not even disabled Fast Startup after my clean OS install, so I knew it was "do or die" once again.
The login screen immunity to theme issues gave me the idea to just overwrite the bad theme with the windows default theme (this had no effect with Fast Startup on). After struggling to get to a command line prompt, I managed to do that, force safe mode, and turn off Fast Startup (again - now I have the saved reg file... Oy).
It all worked out beautifully.
For a while I have not been a fan of making HDD images for backup mostly because 3rd party themes gave me so much heck. I didn't want to reinstate a half broken OS when restoring. Now that I more accurately understand the issues of 3rd party themes and how to recover from them I'm much more confident not only in keeping my backups running, but in trying more themes!