Screen goes black

My computer screen goes black during start-up. I can hear windows loading and sometimes I reach the log-in screen. I've read the questions and answers regarding how to fix this problem and my question is: How do I fix the problem when the screen goes black before I can do anything. As soon as I log in it goes black. Pressing F8 does not help as the screen is still black. Is there anything I can do to keep the screen from going black long enough for me to try the options prescribed at Microsoft support, your site and other posts I've read.

The instructions seem easy enough to follow, but my screen goes black too soon for me to do anything.

Thanks so much for your assistance and support.