When I started using Blender again recently with Vista, I noticed that when I launched it I would only get a blank (black) screen. The command window screen was black, of course, but at least it reported “Checking for installed Python… got it!” The problem was that the main Blender window was blank.
It will work again if you switch from “Highest (32-bit)” color to “Medium (16 bit)” in Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization > Display Settings, but that doesn’t make for good rendering. Instead just turn off the Windows Aero color scheme.
How to Turn Off the Windows Aero Color Scheme
They say Windows Aero doesn’t slow anything down on your machine, but if you can’t use the tools you need, you might need to disable it. Here’s how:
In Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization > Window Color and Appearance, select a Color Scheme other than Windows Aero, them make sure you’re using “Highest (32-bit)” color in Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Personalization > Display Settings. You’ll lose the fancy transparent chrome effects, but you’ll be able to use Blender again.