Rebooting Dell Laptop Results in a Blank Lit Screen with a Movable Cursor
Summary: The following article provides information about a reboot error reported on the Dell 16 DC16250 and DC16251 laptops. There is nothing on-screen except for a moving cursor.
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Symptoms
Black Screen with moving cursor seen after completing the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) and Rebooting
Dell 16 DC16250 and Dell 16 DC16251 laptops can fail to reboot correctly after finishing the OOBE. The laptop reboots to an empty lit screen with a cursor in the center of the screen. The touchpad continues to work, and the cursor moves about the screen.
Cause
McAfee software is having a compatibility issue with Windows 11 (Build 26100.863, version 24H2).
This issue is seen whenever anything marked as Log-on Blocking by explorer is still running. The McAfee software is likely starving the processors power.
Resolution
Microsoft is releasing Windows 11 version 25H2 in September 2025 to resolve this issue.
In the meantime, you must wait for the background process to finish its task before the laptop finishes booting into the operating system.
Affected Products
Dell 16 DC16250, Dell 16 DC16251Article Properties
Article Number: 000316006
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 21 May 2025
Version: 1
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