Your Windows 8 PC may freeze and display a black screen when resuming from sleep or hibernation mode.

There is a possibility that the computer will freeze at startup and display a black screen when the Hybrid Sleep feature is enabled, the computer is put into either the Sleep or Hybrid Sleep mode, and then power to the computer is lost while the computer is in that sleep mode (for example, the battery runs down).

More information regarding this issue is available from the Microsoft® Knowledge Base article Windows 8 freezes on black screen after the computer resumes from sleep mode (2850674).

IMPORTANT: If you have already experienced the issue, you will need to recover the computer  to fix it.

If you have not experienced this issue, it is recommended that you review the Microsoft Knowledge Base article identified above.

It is also recommended that you install the latest Windows 8 software updates using Windows Update utility and set the utility to automatically download and install windows updates available for your system.

1. Point to (but do not click) the lower-right or top-right corner of the screen, and then click to select the Settings charm.
   

   NOTE:  The Windows Logo + I key combination will also take you to the Settings screen.

2. In the Settings screen, in the lower-right corner, click Change PC settings.
   
3. In the PC Settings screen, click Windows Update.
4. In the Windows Update, click Turn automatic updating on or off.
5. In the Change settings window, click to select Install updates automatically (recommended), and then click the OK button.