What is this black message screen and how do I clear it?

Question

16mb Windows 7
After Effects CC up to date

Answer 1

What version of After Effects? Include the minor version number (e.g., After Effects CS5.5 with the 10.5.1 update). Don't just say "After Effects with the latest updates"; give the specific version number.
After Effects CC latest update
Have you installed the recent updates? (If not, you should. They fix a lot of problems.)
CC says I have the latest update
What operating system? This should include specific minor version numbers, like "Mac OSX v10.6.8"---not just "Mac".
Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1
Tell us about your computer hardware. Include CPU type and number of processor cores, amount of RAM installed, GPU, number of disk drives, and how any external drives are connected.
AMD Phenom II X4 840T Processors 2.9 GHz
What versions of drivers for your graphics hardware do you have installed (including CUDA driver and driver for display adapter)?
ATI Radeon HD 4600 Series (Windows reports that it is the latest driver)
Do you have any third-party I/O hardware (e.g., AJA, Matrox, Blackmagic, MOTU)?
Bamboo tablet, USB card reader
What kind(s) of source footage? When telling about your source footage, tell us about the codecs, not just the container types. For example, "H.264 in a .mov container", not just "QuickTime".
.mov footage uploaded from Canon 5D MKIII, mp3 audio and a jpg from the same camera
If you are getting error message(s), what is the full text of the error message(s)?
No error messages just a blank msg box and no way to clear it.
What were you doing when the problem occurred?
Just completed RAM Preview.  Clicking on anything else results in the error.
Has this ever worked before? If this worked before by doesn't work now, what has changed on your computer in the intervening time?
Yes, it's always worked before.  It seems to be related to just this project.  I've repeated the steps in another project and the error doesn't occur.
Do you have QuickTime installed. (You should.) If so, what version? The answer should be specific, such as "QuickTime 7.6.2".
Yes, QuickTime 7.7.4
What other software are you running?
Only Chrome is running but many CC and other applications are installed.
Do you have any third-party effects or codecs installed?
No
Are you using OpenGL features in After Effects?
No
Does the problem only happen with your final output, RAM preview, or both?
After RAM preview for sure but I haven't been able to finish the project to send to the Media Encoder.
Are you using Render Multiple Frames Simultaneously multiprocessing?
That is the current setting but I've tried both ways.
Are you using the ray-traced 3D renderer?
No, apparently my current display adapter cannot be used.
If the problem is with output, give your exact output settings (both render setting and output module settings). Screenshots help.
Haven't gotten that far yet
What is the exact sequence of steps that you are taking?
RAM Preview then failure.