for some reason, the instructions before experimental trials only show as a black/blank screen. i have attached the code.

the experiment works other than the instructions.

this is working on collaborators programs so it seems to be something locally that is the problem

Always specify the unit in the <instruct> element's /windowsize attribute. Inquisit 5 will interpret the values as percentages if no unit is given, i.e., instruction pages may be sized far larger than the actual screen, giving the appearance of a "blank screen." In your specific case, instead of

<instruct> 
...
/ windowsize = (1024,768)
</instruct>

specify

<instruct> 
...
/ windowsize = (1024px,768px)
</instruct>