# PTB not working - Windows 10

**URL:** <https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/ptb-not-working-windows-10/23>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [July 3, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/ptb-not-working-windows-10/23 "2019-07-03T14:39:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![luca.va](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@luca.va](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/luca.va)\
**Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 2:39pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/ptb-not-working-windows-10/23/1 "2019-07-03T14:39:42Z")

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Hello all.

Today I have encountered a big problem: everytime I try to run codes (working fine till yesterday), Matlab displays a blank screen and crashes.

I have not modified anything, only installed a cumulative update for Windows 10 and a BIOS update, yesterday evening.

My laptop is Dell XPS15 - 9560.

I have not tried on Linux yet.

Has anyone encountered the same problem and/or can suggest how to solve it?

Many thanks in advance.

Luca

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**Author:** ![mariokleiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@mariokleiner](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/mariokleiner)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/ptb-not-working-windows-10/23/2 "2019-07-04T16:04:17Z")

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On Wed, Jul 3, 2019 at 4:47 PM [luca.va@...](mailto:luca.va@...) [PSYCHTOOLBOX]  
\<[PSYCHTOOLBOX@yahoogroups.com](mailto:PSYCHTOOLBOX@yahoogroups.com)\> wrote:  

> \> Hello all.  
> \> Today I have encountered a big problem: everytime I try to run codes (working fine till yesterday), Matlab displays a blank screen and crashes.  
> \> I have not modified anything, only installed a cumulative update for Windows 10 and a BIOS update, yesterday evening.

Operating system updates and firmware updates are the most intrusive  
change you can make, apart from hardware changes. These are more  
likely to break random things than say a Matlab or Psychtoolbox  
update. Important to have backups before such a step.  
The operating system is the foundation on which everything else rests.  
If the OS is somehow buggy, the best PTB can do occasionally is work  
around problems if you are lucky.  
  

> \> My laptop is Dell XPS15 - 9560.  
> \> I have not tried on Linux yet.

Try it. Linux should work just fine. Unless something really bad  
happened with that BIOS update, in which you'd somehow have to revert  
the update if possible. Most likely it is some Windows bug or  
incompatibility.  
  

> \> Has anyone encountered the same problem and/or can suggest how to solve it?

You can try to find out if it is purely graphics related. Do our sound  
demos still work, e.g., BasicSoundOutputDemo? Does it die with a  
simple demo like LinesDemo or PerceptualVBLSyncTest? If you use  
PsychDebugWindowConfiguration first, then run LinesDemo, do you get  
any meaningful error output from Matlab before it dies? Does it only  
happen with certain demos, e.g., ones that play movies or display  
text?  
  
If it is a purely visual problem, maybe reinstalling the NVidia  
graphics driver helps? Other than that you could roll-back your  
Windows installation to the previous system restore point.  
  
-mario  
  

> \> Many thanks in advance.  
> \> Luca  
> \>  
> \>  
> \>