Your Computer May Pause with a Black Screen If You Press ESC During Startup (331799)

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server SP1
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server SP2
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server SP1
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server SP2
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP1
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP2
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional

This article was previously published under Q331799

NOTE:This article only applies to PS/2 and previous USB/HID devices. Ntldr can only read PS/2 scan codes. The BIOS can only handle the translation of PS/2 and previous USB/HID scan codes to the ntldr.

SYMPTOMS

If you press the ESC key while your computer is starting, your computer may pause with a black screen. If this problem occurs, you can press any other key to resume the startup process.

CAUSE

The boot loader checks the F5 and F8 keys during the startup process. In the internal key buffer, F5 and F8 are represented as an ARC sequence that has the same first byte as the ESC key. As a result, the boot process stops.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows XP. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322389 How to Obtain the Latest Windows XP Service Pack

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, press any key when the computer pauses at a black screen during the startup process.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows XP Service Pack 1.

Modification Type:	Major	Last Reviewed:	7/3/2003
Keywords:	kbbug kbfix kbOSWin2000fix kbWinXPsp1fix KB331799