Intel HD Graphics 3000 black screen issue?

[JRand3]

So I installed a program known as the "Bluestacks App Player" a few months back. It's basically an emulator designed to run Android apps on a PC. When I first downloaded it, it told me it needed a more up-to-date driver. I thought this was weird, since Windows update is supposed to keep my drivers up-to-date automatically, but decided to go along with it anyway (because, you know, those Flappy Bird urges...). Anyway, as soon as it installed the driver, my entire screen went black for about 10 seconds. Then the screen reappeared, but with a really old Windows design that I had previously only seen when I booted my Windows 7 laptop in safe mode. After a minute or so however, the screen disappeared and then reappeared with the normal Windows 7 design and layout. I started up the Bluestacks program, and it worked fine and I was able to play some of my favorite Android apps on my laptop (Temple Run, Flappy Bird, Cut the Rope, etc). I thought this was really cool and decided to not do a system restore, despite the scariness of the screen blacking out / displaying the safemode style of Windows. After a month or so I had basically forgot about it.

However, the other day when I was watching some videos on Youtube, my screen blacked out for a few seconds before reappearing. An error message appeared, which I ignored assuming it was a one time glitch. However, a minute later when I was watching another Youtube video, the screen once again blacked out for a few seconds. This time I read the error message. (see attached image).

My first thought was "What the f***! I don't even have Windows 8 installed. My machine came with and has always had Windows 7."

So my question is, why do I apparently have a driver for Windows 8(R) installed on my machine? Could a compatibility issue between this Win 8 driver and my Win 7 OS be causing my intermittent screen crashes? Also, is there a way to tell what drivers I am supposed to have on my machine?

Here's another pic. of the "programs" that were installed with

Bluestacks. Some of them sound like they may have installed drivers.

Any help / advice would be appreciated. (But DON'T just tell me to do a system restore / repair install.)

P.S.: The youtube crashes have become more frequent recently; usually my screen blacks out either when trying to load a Youtube video or midway through a Youtube video. It happens on average at least once or twice a day. The screen usually only blacks out for a few seconds, then reappears with the error message shown above.

Also, I have checked my computer manufacturer's website. I already tried downloading what i believe is the correct driver.

However, after downloading nothing actually happened. When I checked downloads, it had downloaded an intel folder with a bunch of files inside it. How do i make it install the driver?

[JRand3]

I'm not sure how to use the downloaded folder from my computer's site to actually install the driver. Also, I currently have a higher version of the intel driver, so i'm not sure if i can install this one since it is a previous version. Do i have to uninstall my current intel VGA driver first? If so, will my computer be able to function without its VGA driver. Since my computer is just a black screen whenever the driver fails, if i uninstall it, won't i be faced with a permanent black screen. Will I even be able to see what I'm doing?

[amous3]

I recommend:

- Uninstall Bluestacks App Player via Control Panel. Look for unknown applications and uninstall them as well. - Download and install Malwarebytes (free version from malwarebytes.org) and CCleaner (free version from piriform.com). - Run Registry and Cleaner scans using CCleaner (save a backup copy when asked, just in case). - Run a Custom Scan with Malwarebytes, selecting all hard drives / SSDs and Scan for Rootkits; if any malware is found, accept the defaults. - Uninstall all Intel graphics drivers found via Control Panel.

- Delete that funky Intel folder.

- Reboot. - Allow Windows Update to find and install the Intel graphics driver (reboot if asked). - Run Registry and Cleaner scans using CCleaner (save a backup copy when asked, just in case).

And from now on, always use the below website to check the reliability of applications before installing:

https://www.virustotal.com/ https://www.virustotal.com/

[JRand3]

Thanks for the help! I actually scanned the application before i downloaded it, there weren't any viruses. The issue was caused i think because the application told me ti install a more up to date intel graphics driver. I think the driver I had may have been older but custom, which was why I tried downloading from my computer's manufacturer site. But instead of installing the driver, it just gave me some "funky intel folder."

Anyway, about uninstalling the intel graphics driver found in the control panel, can you explain to me what will happen afterwards? Like, because every time my driver has "failed" my screen goes black for a few seconds, then shows my desktop but with a really bad-quality old looking windows appearence, and finally blacks out again and reappears with the normal look of Win 7. So, after I uninstall the driver, how will my computer operate with the graphics driver? Like, will i just get a black screen or the really bad quality looking windows?

[amous3]

Uninstalling all Intel graphics drivers will most likely result in going back to the hardware default (where everything is large and Windows Classic looking). I'm guessing that the driver was hosed by Bluestacks App Player and there's no point in screwing with it. Uninstalling will not result in a black screen.

The funky Intel folder may or may not be okay (it probably is okay), but why chance it? Microsoft Update will find the proper one after you uninstall all current ones.

By the way: when you said you scanned it, did you mean with Malwarebytes or your usual anti-virus? Because not all anti-virus is created equal. Malwarebytes is the best cleaner, period. Malwarebytes is hopeless at protecting PCs, but it is the best at cleaning them. Peruse the latest test results at AV-Test:

http://www.av-test.org/en/news/news-single-view/17-software-packages-in-a-repair-performance-test-after-malware-attacks/ www.av-test.org/en/news/news-single-view/17-software-packages-in-a-repair-performance-test-after-malware-attacks/

[JRand3]

in terms of security, I scanned with the most up to date version of Mcafee security center. Also, I haven't experienced any virus type effects, so i don't think my computer is infected. Anyways, I'm uninstalling the driver now, and will let windows update check for a replacement as you advised. I'll tell you how it goes...

[JRand3]

Just tried it, and everything seems ok so far. I actually just installed the older version from the folder i got off my computer manufacturer's website, and it asked me if i wanted to install it over the current driver, even though it's older. So i did, and i went to Youtube and there haven't been any crashes so far. However, I'll have to watch a bunch more videos over the next few days to be sure, as the driver crashing issue only happens on occasion when watching videos...

[Jose_H_Intel1]

Hopefully your system will work properly from now on. However, you may want to check the following article in case the same issue reappears.

http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/sb/cs-009483.htm Graphics Drivers — Errors Reported By Microsoft*

Intel supplies generic versions of its graphics drivers for general purposes. But, the computer manufacturer can change the features, incorporate customizations, or make other changes to the graphics driver software or software packaging. To avoid any potential installation incompatibilities, Intel recommends that you first check with your computer manufacturer and use the driver software they provide.