Microsoft denies "black screen of death" issues

Packages of the new Windows operating system, Windows 7 sit on a desk before being installed in Golden, Colorado October 22, 2009. Microsoft Corp launched Windows 7 October 22, its most important release in more than a decade, aiming to win back customers disappointed by Vista and strengthen its grip on the PC market.

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday it could find no evidence that recent security updates were causing problems with its new Windows 7 operating system, which some have dubbed the "black screen of death."

The problem, which has caused a small number of users to see a completely black screen after logging on, was identified by British software security firm Prevx last week, and received widespread attention after a report by the BBC on Tuesday.

Prevx had claimed that changes to Microsoft's operating system's registry -- the database that stores configuration settings -- were the most likely cause of the error, but Microsoft denied that.

"Microsoft has investigated reports that its November security updates made changes to permissions in the registry that are resulting in system issues for some customers," said Microsoft representative Christopher Budd.

"The company has found those reports to be inaccurate and our comprehensive investigation has shown that none of the recently released updates are related to the behavior described in the reports," he said.

He added that Microsoft's support teams were not seeing this as a big issue for users, but urged Microsoft customers to contact support for free assistance in the event of problems.

(Reporting by Bill Rigby, editing by Matthew Lewis)